full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Alex Smith: An NFL quarterback on overcoming setbacks and self-doubt

Unscramble the Blue Letters

The first day I was down there, I was doing a blcnaae exercise on my good leg and he just shevod me right in the chest. "Come on, Alex." Then he shoved me again. "Come on, you can do better than that." Then he did something that cangehd my reevrcoy completely. He handed me a football. You see, after sndeipng years and years of my life with a football in my hnads, I hadn't touched one for months since my injury. It was like reattaching a lost limb. He told me to thorw from one knee. I zipped one to him. A better kind of spiral. From that point on, if you put a ball in my hands, I felt stronger. I did my exercises better. I can't explain it, but I felt lighter. I felt alive.

Open Cloze

The first day I was down there, I was doing a _______ exercise on my good leg and he just ______ me right in the chest. "Come on, Alex." Then he shoved me again. "Come on, you can do better than that." Then he did something that _______ my ________ completely. He handed me a football. You see, after ________ years and years of my life with a football in my _____, I hadn't touched one for months since my injury. It was like reattaching a lost limb. He told me to _____ from one knee. I zipped one to him. A better kind of spiral. From that point on, if you put a ball in my hands, I felt stronger. I did my exercises better. I can't explain it, but I felt lighter. I felt alive.

Solution

  1. recovery
  2. throw
  3. hands
  4. changed
  5. balance
  6. shoved
  7. spending

Original Text

The first day I was down there, I was doing a balance exercise on my good leg and he just shoved me right in the chest. "Come on, Alex." Then he shoved me again. "Come on, you can do better than that." Then he did something that changed my recovery completely. He handed me a football. You see, after spending years and years of my life with a football in my hands, I hadn't touched one for months since my injury. It was like reattaching a lost limb. He told me to throw from one knee. I zipped one to him. A better kind of spiral. From that point on, if you put a ball in my hands, I felt stronger. I did my exercises better. I can't explain it, but I felt lighter. I felt alive.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
white sheet 3
absolutely terrified 2
coach harbaugh 2

Important Words

  1. alex
  2. alive
  3. balance
  4. ball
  5. changed
  6. chest
  7. completely
  8. day
  9. exercise
  10. exercises
  11. explain
  12. felt
  13. football
  14. good
  15. handed
  16. hands
  17. injury
  18. kind
  19. knee
  20. leg
  21. life
  22. lighter
  23. limb
  24. lost
  25. months
  26. point
  27. put
  28. reattaching
  29. recovery
  30. shoved
  31. spending
  32. spiral
  33. stronger
  34. throw
  35. told
  36. touched
  37. years
  38. zipped