Skip to content
Shadowing Studio

Reading Between the Lines of a Film Review

C1City Stories7 sentences Sample lesson, read by a computer voice

CS
City StoriesSample lesson · browser voice

A film review rarely tells you directly whether a movie is worth watching.

A film review rarely tells you directly whether a movie is worth watching. 

Loading the pronunciation dictionary…

About this lesson

Reading between the lines of a film review. Practice stressing the evaluative words that carry the critic's opinion.

Everyday phrases

  • rely onCritics rely on subtle choices of words.
  • a slow burnThe film is a slow burn.
  • likewiseLikewise, patience will be rewarded.

Shadow this lesson in 6 steps

  1. 1Listen to the whole sentence once. Don't speak yet. Listen for the meaning and feel the rhythm; turn on the translation if you need it.
  2. 2Look at the IPA and stress marks. Notice words with a yellow underline (stressed) and a dotted line (reduced); ‖ marks a breath pause.
  3. 3Listen slowly and speak along. Slow down to 0.75× or 0.5×, repeat ×2, and speak softly together with the speaker.
  4. 4Record and check your score. Press Record (key M) and say the whole sentence. Red sounds need fixing; struck-through words were missed.
  5. 5Fix each mistake. Replay the original (R), practise the wrong words on their own, then record again until you score 80 or more.
  6. 6Speak it all together. Once each sentence feels familiar, turn on Continuous play and shadow the whole passage about a second behind.

Videos at the same level

See all

More from City Stories

View channel