Harriet Tubman: She Escaped… Then Went Back Again and Again
Harriet Tubman walked about ninety miles at night, alone, to be free. Then she went back again and again to guide others to freedom. Learn five A2 words with the true story of Harriet Tubman.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
She walked about ninety miles at , alone, to be .
Then she went back.
Again and again.
Why did she go back?
This is the story of Harriet Tubman.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. When you , you get away from a place you cannot leave.
The past is .
One , she decided to .
. is a direction.
On a map, is at the top.
She walked , alone.
. When you are , you can go where you want and live your own life.
In Pennsylvania, she was .
. When you people, you show them the way.
The past is .
She about seventy people to .
. is the dark time between evening and morning.
She walked at .
Now, one pattern: about and more than, with numbers.
Use about when a number is not exact.
Use more than when the real number is bigger.
She went back about thirteen times.
Ready? Let's begin.
Harriet was born in Maryland in about 1822.
She was , and her family was too.
As a small girl, she had to work hard, from morning to .
In 1849, Harriet heard she would be sold, far from her family.
So one , she decided to .
She walked , alone.
She followed the Star.
She walked about ninety miles.
In Pennsylvania, she was .
She looked at her hands.
Was she the same person?
Everything looked beautiful.
But her family was not .
So Harriet went back to Maryland, again and again.
She walked at .
She sang songs as secret signals.
She went back about thirteen times.
She about seventy people to .
She said she never lost one person.
People called her Moses.
Then came the war.
In 1863, Harriet helped the army.
One , three boats moved quietly up a river.
Harriet was on one of them.
Suddenly, hundreds of people ran to the boats.
Mothers, fathers and children.
More than seven hundred people became that day!
Later, she lived in New York and opened a home for old people.
She died in 1913, at about ninety.
She went back again and again, so that others could be .
Let's review. One , she decided to .
She walked , alone.
In Pennsylvania, she was .
She about seventy people to .
She walked at .
And remember: she went back about thirteen times.
Harriet Tubman's story teaches us: real means helping others to be .
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
escape verb (past: escaped)
to get away from a place you cannot leave
“One night, she decided to escape.”
north noun
a direction; on a map, north is at the top
“She walked north, alone.”
free adjective
you can go where you want and live your own life
“In Pennsylvania, she was free.”
guide verb (past: guided)
to show people the way
“She guided about seventy people to freedom.”
night noun
the dark time between evening and morning
“She walked at night.”
freedom noun
being free
“She guided people to freedom.”
enslaved adjective
forced to work for another person, with no pay and no freedom
“She was enslaved, and her family was too.”
danger noun
the chance that something bad will happen
“Every trip back was full of danger.”
Grammar in the story
about / more than + number
We use it for: to give a number that is not exact
- about + number = almost this number: about ninety miles
- more than + number = a bigger number: more than seven hundred people
- about + year: in about 1822
- about + age: at about ninety
From the story
- She went back about thirteen times.
- More than seven hundred people became free that day.
Find it in the story 14 times
Your turn
She walked ninety miles. (not exact)
seven hundred people became free. (a bigger number)
She was born in 1822.
Step 4
Story Challenge
10 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: What does free mean to you? Write three things you are free to do every day.
After you watch: Write three sentences with about or more than and a number. For example: I live about ten minutes from school. More than thirty students are in my class.
Think about it: Harriet was free, but she went back again and again. Why do you think she took such a big risk for other people?
