Helen Keller: Everything Had a Name
Helen Keller couldn't see and couldn't hear. Then a teacher spelled one word into her hand: water. Learn five easy English words with her true story.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
She couldn't see.
She couldn't hear.
But she to read, to write, and to speak.
This is the story of Helen Keller.
Hello, and welcome to Bright Lives English. Real stories. Real English.
Today's level is A1.
Listen for five new words.
. If you are , you cannot see.
Helen was .
. If you are , you cannot hear.
Helen was too.
. When you something, you put your hand on it.
The past is .
Helen the .
. When you a word, you say or write its letters. W-A-T-E-R.
The past is .
Anne words in Helen's hand.
. When you , you start to know or do something new.
The past is .
Helen very fast.
Now, one pattern: could and couldn't.
We use them for the past.
Can becomes could.
Can't becomes couldn't.
Helen couldn't see, but she could read. Ready? Let's begin.
Helen Keller was born in America in 1880.
When she was a baby, she was very sick.
After that, she was and .
Helen couldn't see.
She couldn't hear.
She couldn't talk to her family.
She was often angry, and she cried a lot.
When Helen was six, a new came.
Her name was Anne Sullivan.
Anne words into Helen's hand with her fingers.
One day, Anne put Helen's hand under cold .
Helen the .
Anne W-A-T-E-R in her other hand.
Suddenly, Helen understood!
Everything had a name!
That day, Helen thirty new words.
She was so happy.
She wanted to more and more.
Helen to read with her fingers.
Later, she to speak.
Now she could talk to people!
In 1904, Helen finished .
She was the first and person to do this.
She wrote books and traveled to many countries.
She helped people all over the world.
Let's review. Helen was .
She was too.
She the .
Anne words in her hand.
Helen very fast.
And remember: she couldn't see, but she could read.
Helen's story teaches us: with help and hard work, we can so much.
Want more practice?
Go to brightlivesenglish.com for flashcards, a worksheet and a quiz. Please subscribe.
See you in the next true story!
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.
blind adjective
not able to see
“Helen was blind.”
deaf adjective
not able to hear
“Helen was deaf too.”
touch verb
to put your hand on something (past: touched)
“Helen touched the water.”
spell verb
to say or write the letters of a word (past: spelled)
“Anne spelled words in Helen's hand.”
learn verb
to start to know or do something new (past: learned)
“Helen learned very fast.”
teacher noun
a person who helps you learn
“When Helen was six, a new teacher came.”
water noun
the clear liquid in rivers and rain that we drink
“Helen touched the water.”
college noun
a school where you study after high school
“In 1904, Helen finished college.”
Grammar in the story
could / couldn't + verb
We use it for: ability in the past
- can → could
- can't → couldn't
From the story
- She couldn't see, but she could read.
- Now she could talk to people!
Find it in the story 11 times
Your turn
Helen was deaf. She hear.
Later, Helen read with her fingers.
As a small child, she talk to her family.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 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.
Well done!
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Take it further
Before you watch: Close your eyes for ten seconds. What can you hear? What can you touch?
After you watch: Say three sentences about Helen with couldn’t and could. For example: She couldn’t hear, but she could read.
Think about it: Who helped you learn something new? Write one sentence about them.
