Pratique du Shadowing: P.G. Wodehouse AUDIOBOOK 'Heavy Weather ' - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Chargement...
1
Heavy Weather by P.
2
G. Woodhouse Read by Martin Jarvis Sunshine pierced the haze that enveloped London.
3
It came down Fleet Street, turned to the right, and stopped at the premises of the Mammoth Publishing Company.
4
Entering through an upper window, it beamed pleasantly upon Lord Tilbury, founder and proprietor of that vast factory of popular literature,
5
literature, as he sat reading the batch of weekly papers which his secretary had placed on the desk for his inspection.
6
Considering what a pleasant rarity sunshine in London is, one might have expected the man behind the mammoth to beam back.
7
Instead he pressed the buzzer.
8
His secretary appeared.
9
He pointed silently.
10
The secretary drew the shade, and the sunshine, having called without an appointment, was excluded.
11
"'Oh, I beg your pardon, Lord Tilbury.' "'Well?' "'A Lady Julia Fish has just rung up.
12
"'She says she would like to see you this morning.' "'Lord Tilbury frowned.
13
"'He remembered Lady Julia Fish as an agreeable hotel acquaintance "'during his recent holiday at Bieritz, but this was Tilbury House,
14
and he did not desire the company of hotel acquaintances.
15
Did she say what she wanted?
16
No, Lord Tilbury.
17
The secretary withdrew.
18
Lord Tilbury returned to his reading.
19
The particular periodical which had happened to come to hand was the current number of that admirable children's paper, Tiny Tots.
20
But presently he threw it down, and for the third time since it had arrived by the morning post, picked up a letter which lay on the desk.
21
It was brief, but it had ruined Lord Tilbury's day.
22
It ran, Blanding's Castle, Shropshire.
23
Dear sir, enclosed fine cheque for the advance you paid me on those reminiscences of mine.
24
I've been thinking it over, and have decided not to publish them after all.
25
Yours truly, G.
26
Threepwood.
27
Lord Tilbury rose from his chair and began to pace the room.
28
Short and stumpy, and about twenty-five pounds overweight, he looked like Napoleon taking his morning walk at St Helena.
29
And yet, oddly enough, there were men in England who would have whooped with joy at the sight of that letter.
30
In this world everything depends on the point of view.
31
Some months before, the news had got about that the on Galahad Threepwood, brother of the Earl of Emsworth,
32
and as sprightly an old gentleman as was ever thrown out of a Victorian music hall, was writing the recollections of his colourful career as a man about town.
33
The shock to many now highly respectable members of the governing classes was severe.
34
All over the country decorous dukes and steady Viscounts, who had once sown wild oats in the society of the young Galahad, sat quivering in their slippers,
35
at the thought of what long-covered skeletons those reminiscences might disclose.
36
To not a few, Lord Emsworth's nearest neighbour, Sir Gregory Parslow-Parslow of Matchingham Hall, was one of them.
37
It was as if the recording angel had suddenly decided to rush into print.
38
Lord Tilbury, however, had looked on the thing from a different angle.
39
He knew, no man better, what big money there was in this type of literature.
40
The circulation of his nasty little paper, Society Spice, proved that.
41
Even though Percy Pilbeam, its nasty little editor, had handed in his portfolio and gone off to start a private inquiry agency,
42
it was still a goldmine.
43
There is a tender spot in all great men.
44
Achilles had his heel, with Lord Tilbury it was his pocket.
45
He hated to see money get away from him, and out of this book of galley Threepwoods he'd been looking forward to making a small fortune.
46
Little wonder then that he mourned.
47
He was still mourning when his secretary entered bearing a slip of paper.
48
Name Lady Julia Fish, business personal.
49
At a time like this, tell her I'm— And then there flashed into his mind a sudden recollection of something about this Lady Julia Fish.
50
The words Blanding's Castle seemed involved.
51
He turned to his de Bret's peerage and searched among the Es for Emsworth Earl of.
52
There it was.
53
Lady Julia Fish had been born Lady Julia Threepwood.
54
She was a sister of the perjured Galahad.
55
That altered things.
56
The woman would not be calling unless she wanted to get something out of him.
57
To inform her in person that she was most certainly not going to get it would be balm to his lacerated feelings.
58
"'Ask her to come up.'

Speaking Goals for This Clip

This video is perfect for practicing conversational pacing and emotional tone. The dialogue shifts from formal interactions (Lord Tilbury and his secretary) to internal monologue, helping you master how to adjust speed and emphasis to convey frustration, recollection, and urgency. It’s ideal for the shadowing technique—repeating lines immediately after the speaker—to build fluency in natural, expressive speech.

Phrase Bank

  • "considering what a pleasant rarity..." – A subtle way to contrast expectations with reality.
  • "called without an appointment" – A vivid metaphor for unwanted interruptions.
  • "everything depends on the point of view" – A versatile phrase for debating perspectives.
  • "long-covered skeletons" – An idiom for hidden secrets (great for storytelling).
  • "a tender spot in all great men" – A poetic way to describe vulnerabilities.

Fix Your Weak Spots

This clip challenges you to nail intonation in formal vs. informal speech. Notice how Lord Tilbury’s sharp "Well?" (to his secretary) differs from his mournful pacing when reading the letter. Use shadowspeak to mimic these shifts: pause after "He hated to see money get away" to emphasize his greed, or quicken your tone during "there flashed into his mind" to show sudden realization. A shadowing app can help you compare your rhythm to the narrator’s, ensuring you capture the nuance of each emotion. Focus on reducing pauses in long sentences like "the shock to many now highly respectable members..." to sound more natural. With practice, you’ll master the art of using tone to drive a story forward.

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.