Conversation Level
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Listen First
Key terms in this arc (20 unique words)
| Word | Freq |
|---|---|
| surrounded | 1× |
| librarian | 1× |
| collected | 1× |
| postcards | 1× |
| apartment | 1× |
Learning objective: Strengthen your written English by transcribing spoken content with precision. General English provides the foundation for all specialized communication.
Practice the same content with a different skill focus.
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The Postcard Stories
5 exercises · shared vocabulary match
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Treat each dictation exercise as a micro-sprint — listen, type, check, repeat — for rapid Conversation listening improvement. This arc has about 60 words across 3 exercises and 9 sentences. A full pass takes about 1 minutes at a natural speed. You will encounter about 20 unique words, so repeat tricky terms to lock in form. Average sentence length is about 7 words, which supports controlled pacing.
He collected vintage postcards from around the world.
This arc contains only declarative sentences, making it ideal for practicing steady speech rhythm and consistent stress placement across every line. At just 7 words per sentence on average, this arc's short lines make it a perfect warm-up or quick-fire repetition drill for Conversation learners. At under a minute of reading time, this arc works as a micro-drill that you can repeat several times in one session for deep reinforcement. Dictation mode forces exact recall of every word and punctuation mark, so treat each exercise as a test of your listening precision, not your typing speed.
Kenji was a quiet librarian. He enjoyed his job surrounded by books. But sometimes, he felt a little lonely.
He had a special hobby. He collected vintage postcards from around the world. Each card told a small story.
His apartment building had a flat, empty roof. He got an idea one afternoon. He wanted to start a small garden there.
This Conversation arc uses General English context to make each sentence semantically connected instead of isolated drill material. Because vocabulary like surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards recurs in sequence, retrieval strength improves with each pass, and the reported_speech sentence profile keeps attention on transferable grammar control.
Reported speech transforms direct quotations into integrated narrative, requiring systematic changes to tense, pronouns, and time expressions. When reporting past speech, tenses typically shift back: present becomes past, past becomes past perfect, and will becomes would. Pronouns adjust to the reporter's perspective, and time markers shift accordingly ("today" becomes "that day"). Questions lose their inverted structure in reported form, and yes/no questions add "if" or "whether." Reporting verbs carry important connotations—"claimed" implies doubt, "admitted" suggests reluctance, and "insisted" conveys firmness. Academic and professional writing relies heavily on reported speech for integrating sources and attributing ideas. Mastering these transformations enables clear, accurate representation of others' words.
Treat Arc 1 as a dictation sprint: listen once for meaning, listen again for detail, then type exactly what you hear before checking. This Conversation set has 3 exercises, so you can practice short focused bursts without losing attention. Prioritize word boundaries, contractions, and punctuation cues while typing, then review mistakes by replaying only the lines you missed. Core terms in this arc include surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards, apartment, which makes the page useful for both listening precision and spelling control.
Each dictation pass in this Conversation arc builds a richer mental lexicon where word sounds, spellings, and meanings are tightly interlinked through active production. This General English lesson gives you topic-specific rehearsal rather than isolated sentence practice. Key vocabulary in this arc includes surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards, apartment, so repeated retrieval improves both precision and retention. The dominant sentence profile is reported_speech, so focus on consistent stress placement and boundary control. A full pass takes roughly 1 minute at natural speed, which fits focused daily reps. You will process about 60 words across 3 exercises and 9 sentences, enough volume to consolidate the target pattern. As transcription accuracy improves, you build faster decoding of reduced forms and clearer punctuation mapping — training the listening precision that real conversations demand.
Conversation level • Nature & Wildlife • 3 dictation prompts
This page is intentionally dedicated to dictation for "Kenji's Rooftop Garden" Arc 1, so learners can train dictation accuracy and spelling detail in one focused session rather than a mixed-mode screen.
Nature & Wildlife content at the Conversation level gives you 3 short exercises to practice spelling, grammar, and listening accuracy with vocabulary such as surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards.
Practical answers about what this lesson trains, how it differs from nearby arcs, and when to use this mode.
You will practice dictation accuracy and spelling detail through 3 exercises in the nature & wildlife category. Core terms include surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards.
This is the first available arc in the sequence, so it establishes the baseline vocabulary and pacing before later arcs increase complexity.
Dictation is optimized for dictation accuracy and spelling detail. Use this mode when you want focused repetitions on typing each phrase exactly as you hear it.
This arc contains 60 total words across 3 exercises and 9 sentences. That is about 1 minute of reading time.
The dominant sentence pattern in this arc is reported_speech. Focus on consistent stress placement and boundary control.
Target vocabulary includes surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards, apartment. The arc contains 20 unique words, so repeat tricky terms across multiple passes to lock in both form and meaning.
Continue practicing with arcs from the same category and story sequence.
At natural speaking speed, one complete pass takes about 1 minute. This makes it ideal for a quick daily practice session, and you can repeat the arc multiple times for deeper reinforcement.
This is the most common frustration for English learners. Dictation directly addresses the passive-active gap by forcing you to produce language, not just recognize it. dictation accuracy and spelling detail builds the neural pathways that turn passive vocabulary into words you can actually use in conversation.
Mental translation creates delay and unnatural speech. This arc helps by using typing each phrase exactly as you hear it — when you practice repeatedly with the same vocabulary and sentence patterns, production becomes automatic rather than consciously assembled. The 3 exercises in this arc give you enough repetition to build automaticity.
Yes — this arc is designed for daily practice. A full pass takes about 1 minute, making it easy to fit into a daily routine. Repeat the arc multiple times per week to build speaking confidence and fluency incrementally.
Yes — Arc 1 is designed for the Conversation tier. If you find the exercises too challenging, try a lower tier arc in the same category. If they feel easy, move up to the next tier for a greater challenge.
Yes. You can try this same arc in read aloud mode for pronunciation clarity, repeat audio mode for listening and rhythm, or type what you hear mode for dictation precision. The vocabulary (surrounded, librarian, collected, postcards) stays the same across modes, so switching modes reinforces the same content through different skills.