Jesse Owens: He Was Poor and Sick as a Boy… Then Won Four Gold Medals
Jesse Owens was a poor boy who was often sick, but he loved to run. In Berlin in 1936 he had only one long jump left, and a rival who became his friend. Learn five A1 words with the true story of Jesse Owens.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
Berlin, 1936. Jesse . It did not count.
He again.
It did not count again.
Only one left!
Could he do it?
This is the story of Jesse Owens.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. When you , you move very quickly on your feet.
The past is ran.
He ran every morning before school.
. When you , you go up into the air.
The past is .
He very far.
. means very quick.
A runner can win a .
Jesse was very .
. In a , people to see who is the fastest.
He ran the 100 metres .
. is a yellow metal.
The winner gets a medal.
He won four medals.
Now, one pattern: the past of some verbs.
Some verbs change.
becomes ran.
Win becomes won.
Go becomes went.
He went to Berlin and won .
Ready? Let's begin.
Jesse was born in Alabama in 1913.
His family was very poor.
Jesse was often sick.
But he loved to .
At nine, he went to Cleveland, a big city.
At school, a coach saw him.
Jesse was very !
He ran every morning before school.
In 1935, he broke five world records in 45 minutes.
In 1936, he went to the Olympic Games in Berlin.
He ran the 100 metres .
He won !
Next came the long .
Jesse . It did not count.
He again.
It did not count again.
He had only one left.
Jesse took a deep breath.
He ran. He . Yes!
The was good.
In the final, he very far.
He won again!
A German jumper, Luz Long, came second.
He was the first to say well done.
He hugged Jesse.
They became good .
Jesse won two more .
He won four medals.
But later he said: our friendship was worth more than .
Let's review. He ran every morning before school.
He very far.
Jesse was very .
He ran the 100 metres .
He won four medals.
And remember: he went to Berlin and won .
Jesse Owens's story teaches us: a true is worth more than .
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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.
run verb (past: ran)
to move very quickly on your feet
“He ran every morning before school.”
jump verb (past: jumped)
to go up into the air
“He jumped very far.”
fast adjective
very quick
“Jesse was very fast.”
race noun
people run to see who is the fastest
“He ran the 100 metres race.”
gold noun
a yellow metal; the winner gets a gold medal
“He won four gold medals.”
stadium noun
a very big place for sport, with seats all around
“The stadium in Berlin was very big.”
athlete noun
a person who is very good at a sport, like running or jumping
“Jesse Owens was a great athlete.”
friend noun
a person you like and trust
“Luz Long became his friend.”
Grammar in the story
past simple: irregular verbs (run → ran, win → won, go → went)
We use it for: to talk about finished actions in the past; some verbs do not add -ed, they change
- run → ran: He ran every morning.
- win → won: He won four gold medals.
- go → went: He went to Berlin.
- more: come → came, see → saw, take → took, say → said, become → became, break → broke
- regular verbs add -ed: jump → jumped
From the story
- He went to Berlin and won gold.
- He ran every morning before school.
Find it in the story 28 times
Your turn
He every morning before school. (run)
He four gold medals. (win)
In 1936, he to Berlin. (go)
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: Can you run fast? What sports do you like? Do you know any famous runners?
After you watch: Write three sentences about your last weekend with irregular verbs. For example: I went to the park. I ran with my dog. I saw a friend.
Think about it: Luz Long and Jesse Owens were rivals in the same competition, but they became friends. Why do you think Jesse said their friendship was worth more than gold?
