Video lesson#11: Shy

I think is time to start learning some advanced English vocabulary, such as some particular adjectives or phrasal verbs.

For this purpose I have chosen one of my favorite songs, called Shy from the American songwriter Ani Difranco.

As you will see it´s a song about a road trip, a gas station, a motel but mostly is a song about a one-night affair. It includes many words related with hotels and accommodations like housekeeper, motel, pillow, sheet, mattress, etc. It also has a great rhythm and the singer´s voice is clear and easy to understand, so it´s a perfect song to get to the advanced English level.

I have made a huge list of new words below and, as always, I have created a work sheet to fill the lyrics gaps while listening to the song.

I´m sure you know these steps, but once again here they are:

1- Download the lyrics sheet, and go to page 1 where you will find the song´s lyrics with some missing words (gaps).

2- Click this video and listen to the song while you try to fill the gaps with the words that you hear. I recommend listening at least twice to the song.

3- Check your results going to page 2 where you will find the whole lyrics of the song.

4- Take a look at the vocabulary below to understand every word of the song.

5- Listen again to the song, without reading the lyrics and try to understand most of it.

Work sheet Shy Work Sheet

Vocabulary

Shy: nervous and uncomfortable with other people.

Heat: the quality of being hot or warm.

Trick: an action that is intended to deceive someone. In this case is an effect caused by the light making something appear different.

Road: a long, hard surface made for vehicles to travel along.

Crack: a very narrow space between the parts of something.

Sink: a bowl that is attached to the wall in a kitchen or bathroom in which you wash dishes or your hands.

Gas station: a place where fuel is sold for road vehicles.

To bake: to cook inside an oven.

Trash: garbage, waste material or things that are no longer needed.

Curb: a raided edge along the side of a street, often forming part of a path for people to walk on.

Doorway: the space in a wall where door opens, or a covered area just outside a door.

Herd: a large group of animals of the same type that live and feed together.

To have a stake in something: to have personal interest in something.

To let off (someone): to fail to punish someone when the person expects to be punished.

To lead (someone) on: to persuade someone to believe something that is untrue.

Phone booth: a partly enclosed area where there is a public phone.

Veiled invitation: an invitation that is not direct or clearly expressed.

Machine: in this song refers to a device linked to the telephone that records the caller´s messages.

To show up: to arrive somewhere, especially late or unexpectedly.

Front door: the main entrance to a building or a house.

To wince: to show pain or embarrassment suddenly and for a short time in the face.

Housekeeper: a person, especially a woman, whose job is to organize another person´s house and deal with cooking, cleaning, etc. In hotels is the person in charge of cleaning the rooms.

To squint: to partly close your eyes in order to see more clearly.

Pillow: a rectangular cloth bag filled with soft materail, such as feathers or artificial materials, used for resting your head on a bed.

Grin: a wide smile.

Sheet: a large piece of thin cloth used on a bed for sleeping on or under.

Twisted: turned in an awkward way.

Damp: slightly wet, especially in a way that is not pleasant or comfortable.

Matress: the part of a bed, made of a strong cloth cover filled with firm material that makes the bed comfortable to lie on.

To sink: to make something go down below the surface of a liquid.

Fever: a medical condition in which the body temperature is higher than usual.

Bend: a curved part of something.