February 27, 2025 • 9 mins
Want to improve your English naturally while enjoying a great short story? 📚 This lesson is perfect for practicing listening, reading, and vocabulary! You’ll learn real-life expressions used in everyday conversations, so you can speak more fluently and understand native speakers better.
✅ Listen & Read at the same time
✅ Learn useful phrasal verbs & expressions
✅ Master natural English conversation
Stay until the end, where we break down key phrases from the story!
📖 Key Words & Phrases from the Story
• Cut it close – To almost run out of time.
"Ella was cutting it close to finding a seat on the train."
"I woke up late and cut it close to missing my flight."
• Pull out – To remove something from somewhere.
"The guy pulled out one earbud and turned to look at her."
"She pulled out her phone to check the time."
• Sit up straighter – To adjust your posture and become more alert.
"Jake sat up straighter when Ella spoke to him."
"He sat up straighter when the teacher asked a question."
• Catch up – To talk about things that have happened after time apart.
"It was easy, like they were two old friends catching up."
"Let’s meet for coffee and catch up!"
• Drift into – To slowly move into a topic or activity.
"The conversation drifted from books to travel to childhood memories."
"The meeting drifted into small talk after a while."
• End up – To arrive somewhere or in a situation unexpectedly.
"Jake once got lost on a hike and ended up in the wrong town."
"We took the wrong bus and ended up at the beach."
• Slow down – To reduce speed.
"As the train slowed down, people stood up."
"She slowed down as she reached the traffic lights."
• Pull down – To bring something from a higher place.
"People stood up, pulling down bags and stretching their legs."
"He pulled down a book from the top shelf."
• Hold up – To lift or show something.
"Jake pulled out his phone, holding it up."
"She held up the map so everyone could see."
• Step off – To move off a train, bus, or platform.
"Ella stepped off the train and turned back."
"He stepped off the stage after finishing his speech."🎯
What To Do Next:
✅ Listen to the story again and repeat the phrases.
✅ Practice using these expressions in your own conversations.
✅ Leave a comment: Have you ever met someone interesting while traveling? Which phrase was your favorite? Share it in the comments!
✅ Listen & Read at the same time
✅ Learn useful phrasal verbs & expressions
✅ Master natural English conversation
Stay until the end, where we break down key phrases from the story!
📖 Key Words & Phrases from the Story
• Cut it close – To almost run out of time.
"Ella was cutting it close to finding a seat on the train."
"I woke up late and cut it close to missing my flight."
• Pull out – To remove something from somewhere.
"The guy pulled out one earbud and turned to look at her."
"She pulled out her phone to check the time."
• Sit up straighter – To adjust your posture and become more alert.
"Jake sat up straighter when Ella spoke to him."
"He sat up straighter when the teacher asked a question."
• Catch up – To talk about things that have happened after time apart.
"It was easy, like they were two old friends catching up."
"Let’s meet for coffee and catch up!"
• Drift into – To slowly move into a topic or activity.
"The conversation drifted from books to travel to childhood memories."
"The meeting drifted into small talk after a while."
• End up – To arrive somewhere or in a situation unexpectedly.
"Jake once got lost on a hike and ended up in the wrong town."
"We took the wrong bus and ended up at the beach."
• Slow down – To reduce speed.
"As the train slowed down, people stood up."
"She slowed down as she reached the traffic lights."
• Pull down – To bring something from a higher place.
"People stood up, pulling down bags and stretching their legs."
"He pulled down a book from the top shelf."
• Hold up – To lift or show something.
"Jake pulled out his phone, holding it up."
"She held up the map so everyone could see."
• Step off – To move off a train, bus, or platform.
"Ella stepped off the train and turned back."
"He stepped off the stage after finishing his speech."🎯
What To Do Next:
✅ Listen to the story again and repeat the phrases.
✅ Practice using these expressions in your own conversations.
✅ Leave a comment: Have you ever met someone interesting while traveling? Which phrase was your favorite? Share it in the comments!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This English short story is called The Last Seat. Now,
learning English through story is one of the most powerful
things that you can do. Here is how to do this. First,
listen to the story and read the story if you
are on YouTube, and then stay around because you can
(00:20):
learn ten different words and phrases all from the story
and get more examples to Let's get started. Ella hurried
through the crowded train station, her suitcase rolling noisily behind her.
The overhead speaker crackled. The two thirty train to Edinburgh
is now boarding at platform nine. She picked up her pace,
(00:43):
weaving between passengers, dodging suitcases, and people standing in the
middle of the walkway. She booked a ticket, but not
a seat, and now she was cutting it close. If
she didn't find a spot soon, she'd be standing for
the next four hours. Reaching the train just in time,
she stepped inside. Scanning the carriage. Every seat was taken.
(01:07):
People were settling in with their coffees, pulling out laptops,
or staring at their phones. Ella sighed great. Then she
spotted it, a single empty seat next to a guy
who was looking out the window headphones in. She hesitated
for a moment, then walked over excuse me, is this
(01:29):
seat taken? The guy pulled out one ear bud and
turned to look at her. He had dark blonde hair,
a slight stubble, and eyes that took a second to focus,
like he had been lost in thought. Oh, he said,
sitting up straighter, No go ahead. Ella smiled politely, shoved
her bag onto the overhead rack and sat down. The
(01:51):
train pulled away from the station, the movement making Ella
relax slightly. She pulled out a book and tried to read,
but after a few minutes she found herself staring out
the window instead. The countryside flashed by green fields stretching
far into the distance. The guy next to her took
out his earbuds and leaned back in his seat. He
(02:11):
glanced at her book. Any good, he asked. Ella turned
the cover towards him. It's all right, bit slow, though,
he smiled. That's the worst, isn't it. You keep reading
hoping it gets better, but it never does, she laughed. Exactly.
A few moments passed before he spoke again. You heading
(02:34):
to Edinburgh for a work of fun, Just visiting my sister,
she said, She lives there. You work trip, he replied,
But I lived there for a few years. Ella nodded, nice,
do you still like it? Yeah, it's a great city,
but I don't go back as often as I should.
She noticed the way his smile faded slightly, like there's
(02:58):
something more to the story. The conversation drifted from books
to travel, then to childhood memories. It was easy, like
they weren't complete strangers sitting next to each other on
a train, but two old friends catching up after years apart. Jake,
she learned his name, half way through the trip, told
her about his years living in Edinburgh, how he used
(03:19):
to work at a cafe near the university, how he
once got lost on a hike and ended up in
the wrong town. Ella told him about her job, her
sister's habit of collecting no teacups, and how she once
broke in her ankle trying to roll a skate in
a shopping center. Seriously, Jake laughed, a shopping center, Ella grinned.
In my defense, I was twelve and my best friend
(03:43):
dared me to do it. Let me guess you lost balance,
knocked over a display of biscuits and caused chaos. She gasped,
how did you know? He shook his head, smiling, I've
met enough people like you. By the time the train
reached Edinburgh, the sky had started to turn pink. Ella
looked at her phone. Four hours had passed faster than
(04:04):
she expected. As the train slowed, people stood up, pulling
down bags and stretching their legs. Ella reached for her suitcase,
but Jake had already grabbed it for her. Thanks, she said,
stepping into the aisle. No problem, he replied, Then, hesitating
for a second, he added, Hey, if you ever need
another book recommendation, she smiled, Are you about to suggest
(04:27):
that slow book you gave upon? Jake chuckled, All right, fine,
if you ever need a good book recommendation, let me know.
He pulled out his phone, holding it up. Ella took
out hers too, and in a few seconds they had
exchanged numbers. As she stepped off the train, she glanced back.
Jake was still standing in the doorway, hands in his
(04:48):
pockets and watching her. Go. Enjoy your visit, he said.
She smiled, you too. The train doors beaped and closed
behind her. Ella turned and walked towards the exit, her
suitcase rolling behind her. So that is a story. Now
let's analyze the key expressions their meanings. And also additional
(05:08):
examples so that you can learn more English. The first
one is cut it close now. This means to almost
run out of time, and in the story it said
Ella was cutting it close to finding a seat on
the train because she didn't want to stand for four hours.
Another example is I woke up late and cut it
(05:31):
close to missing my flight, which is a really bad feeling.
The next one is pull out to pull out. This
means to remove something from somewhere. For example, in the story,
the guy pulled out one ear bud and turned to
(05:51):
look at her. So he had his earbuds in his headphones,
and he pulled one of the earbuds out before or
looking at her. Another example is she pulled out the
product from the bag. The next one is this, sit
up straighter now. You can see from the picture if
(06:13):
you're watching on YouTube of somebody with a book on
their head to sit up straight now. This means to
adjust your posture and become more alert. For example, Jake
sat up straighter when Ella spoke to him, so he
sat up straighter when she spoke to him. Another example
(06:33):
is he set up straighter when the teacher asked a question,
which is common in classrooms. The next one is catch
up to catch up. This means to talk about things
that have happened after time apart, So if you haven't
seen somebody for a while, you can catch up with them.
(06:54):
In the story, it said it was easy, like there
were two old friends. Catching up suggests that they were
very friendly. Another example is from the picture is let's
meet for coffee and catch up. You might hear people
say as well, let's catch up soon. Let's catch up soon.
(07:15):
The next one is this drift into now. This is
probably a little bit more advanced or not as common,
and it means to slowly move into a topic or activity.
In this story said, the conversation drifted from books to
travel to childhood memories. So it went from the conversation
(07:38):
being about books to the conversation being about travel and
childhood memories, and the meeting drifted into small talk after
a while. The next one is end up end up.
This means to arrive somewhere or in a situation unexpectedly,
(07:59):
and this is very common in everyday English. For example,
Jake once got lost on a hike and ended up
in the wrong town, which is unexpected, and we took
the wrong bus and ended up at the beach. The
next one is slow down, slow down, and you probably
(08:19):
know this to reduce speed. As the train slowed down,
people stood up. So as the train slowed down, people
stood up. Now, there's always this thing on a plane
that people stand up as soon as the plane stops.
Another example with public transport. And here's another example. She
(08:42):
slowed down as she reached the traffic lights. The next
one is this pull down, pull down. This means to
bring something from a higher place. People stood up, pulling
down bags and stretching their legs and can you pull
down my bag for me? This is what somebody might
(09:05):
ask you on a plane, can you pull down my
bag for me? The next one is hold up, hold
up now, this means to lift or show something. Jake
pulled out his phone holding it up and you can
see from the picture she held up the map so
(09:25):
everyone could see. And then the next one is step
off to step off. This means to move off a train, bus,
or platform. For example, Ella stepped off the train and
turned back. And then be careful you don't step off
the edge. Want to learn more, be sure to click
(09:50):
another video on your screen now and go to the
description for more lessons and also to get the phrases
from this lesson
This English short story is called The Last Seat. Now,
learning English through story is one of the most powerful
things that you can do. Here is how to do this. First,
listen to the story and read the story if you
are on YouTube, and then stay around because you can
(00:20):
learn ten different words and phrases all from the story
and get more examples to Let's get started. Ella hurried
through the crowded train station, her suitcase rolling noisily behind her.
The overhead speaker crackled. The two thirty train to Edinburgh
is now boarding at platform nine. She picked up her pace,
(00:43):
weaving between passengers, dodging suitcases, and people standing in the
middle of the walkway. She booked a ticket, but not
a seat, and now she was cutting it close. If
she didn't find a spot soon, she'd be standing for
the next four hours. Reaching the train just in time,
she stepped inside. Scanning the carriage. Every seat was taken.
(01:07):
People were settling in with their coffees, pulling out laptops,
or staring at their phones. Ella sighed great. Then she
spotted it, a single empty seat next to a guy
who was looking out the window headphones in. She hesitated
for a moment, then walked over excuse me, is this
(01:29):
seat taken? The guy pulled out one ear bud and
turned to look at her. He had dark blonde hair,
a slight stubble, and eyes that took a second to focus,
like he had been lost in thought. Oh, he said,
sitting up straighter, No go ahead. Ella smiled politely, shoved
her bag onto the overhead rack and sat down. The
(01:51):
train pulled away from the station, the movement making Ella
relax slightly. She pulled out a book and tried to read,
but after a few minutes she found herself staring out
the window instead. The countryside flashed by green fields stretching
far into the distance. The guy next to her took
out his earbuds and leaned back in his seat. He
(02:11):
glanced at her book. Any good, he asked. Ella turned
the cover towards him. It's all right, bit slow, though,
he smiled. That's the worst, isn't it. You keep reading
hoping it gets better, but it never does, she laughed. Exactly.
A few moments passed before he spoke again. You heading
(02:34):
to Edinburgh for a work of fun, Just visiting my sister,
she said, She lives there. You work trip, he replied,
But I lived there for a few years. Ella nodded, nice,
do you still like it? Yeah, it's a great city,
but I don't go back as often as I should.
She noticed the way his smile faded slightly, like there's
(02:58):
something more to the story. The conversation drifted from books
to travel, then to childhood memories. It was easy, like
they weren't complete strangers sitting next to each other on
a train, but two old friends catching up after years apart. Jake,
she learned his name, half way through the trip, told
her about his years living in Edinburgh, how he used
(03:19):
to work at a cafe near the university, how he
once got lost on a hike and ended up in
the wrong town. Ella told him about her job, her
sister's habit of collecting no teacups, and how she once
broke in her ankle trying to roll a skate in
a shopping center. Seriously, Jake laughed, a shopping center, Ella grinned.
In my defense, I was twelve and my best friend
(03:43):
dared me to do it. Let me guess you lost balance,
knocked over a display of biscuits and caused chaos. She gasped,
how did you know? He shook his head, smiling, I've
met enough people like you. By the time the train
reached Edinburgh, the sky had started to turn pink. Ella
looked at her phone. Four hours had passed faster than
(04:04):
she expected. As the train slowed, people stood up, pulling
down bags and stretching their legs. Ella reached for her suitcase,
but Jake had already grabbed it for her. Thanks, she said,
stepping into the aisle. No problem, he replied, Then, hesitating
for a second, he added, Hey, if you ever need
another book recommendation, she smiled, Are you about to suggest
(04:27):
that slow book you gave upon? Jake chuckled, All right, fine,
if you ever need a good book recommendation, let me know.
He pulled out his phone, holding it up. Ella took
out hers too, and in a few seconds they had
exchanged numbers. As she stepped off the train, she glanced back.
Jake was still standing in the doorway, hands in his
(04:48):
pockets and watching her. Go. Enjoy your visit, he said.
She smiled, you too. The train doors beaped and closed
behind her. Ella turned and walked towards the exit, her
suitcase rolling behind her. So that is a story. Now
let's analyze the key expressions their meanings. And also additional
(05:08):
examples so that you can learn more English. The first
one is cut it close now. This means to almost
run out of time, and in the story it said
Ella was cutting it close to finding a seat on
the train because she didn't want to stand for four hours.
Another example is I woke up late and cut it
(05:31):
close to missing my flight, which is a really bad feeling.
The next one is pull out to pull out. This
means to remove something from somewhere. For example, in the story,
the guy pulled out one ear bud and turned to
(05:51):
look at her. So he had his earbuds in his headphones,
and he pulled one of the earbuds out before or
looking at her. Another example is she pulled out the
product from the bag. The next one is this, sit
up straighter now. You can see from the picture if
(06:13):
you're watching on YouTube of somebody with a book on
their head to sit up straight now. This means to
adjust your posture and become more alert. For example, Jake
sat up straighter when Ella spoke to him, so he
sat up straighter when she spoke to him. Another example
(06:33):
is he set up straighter when the teacher asked a question,
which is common in classrooms. The next one is catch
up to catch up. This means to talk about things
that have happened after time apart, So if you haven't
seen somebody for a while, you can catch up with them.
(06:54):
In the story, it said it was easy, like there
were two old friends. Catching up suggests that they were
very friendly. Another example is from the picture is let's
meet for coffee and catch up. You might hear people
say as well, let's catch up soon. Let's catch up soon.
(07:15):
The next one is this drift into now. This is
probably a little bit more advanced or not as common,
and it means to slowly move into a topic or activity.
In this story said, the conversation drifted from books to
travel to childhood memories. So it went from the conversation
(07:38):
being about books to the conversation being about travel and
childhood memories, and the meeting drifted into small talk after
a while. The next one is end up end up.
This means to arrive somewhere or in a situation unexpectedly,
(07:59):
and this is very common in everyday English. For example,
Jake once got lost on a hike and ended up
in the wrong town, which is unexpected, and we took
the wrong bus and ended up at the beach. The
next one is slow down, slow down, and you probably
(08:19):
know this to reduce speed. As the train slowed down,
people stood up. So as the train slowed down, people
stood up. Now, there's always this thing on a plane
that people stand up as soon as the plane stops.
Another example with public transport. And here's another example. She
(08:42):
slowed down as she reached the traffic lights. The next
one is this pull down, pull down. This means to
bring something from a higher place. People stood up, pulling
down bags and stretching their legs and can you pull
down my bag for me? This is what somebody might
(09:05):
ask you on a plane, can you pull down my
bag for me? The next one is hold up, hold
up now, this means to lift or show something. Jake
pulled out his phone holding it up and you can
see from the picture she held up the map so
(09:25):
everyone could see. And then the next one is step
off to step off. This means to move off a train, bus,
or platform. For example, Ella stepped off the train and
turned back. And then be careful you don't step off
the edge. Want to learn more, be sure to click
(09:50):
another video on your screen now and go to the
description for more lessons and also to get the phrases
from this lesson
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