full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Jacqueline Woodson: What reading slowly taught me about writing

Unscramble the Blue Letters

So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the nisoe and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read swloly to rmembeer the Selfish gniat, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their fruetus. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their cclrie, and it rineams unbroken. And the pwoer of srtoy lives on.

Open Cloze

So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the _____ and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read ______ to ________ the Selfish _____, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their _______. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their ______, and it _______ unbroken. And the _____ of _____ lives on.

Solution

  1. giant
  2. noise
  3. story
  4. circle
  5. remember
  6. remains
  7. slowly
  8. futures
  9. power

Original Text

So as technology continues to speed ahead, I continue to read slowly, knowing that I am respecting the author's work and the story's lasting power. And I read slowly to drown out the noise and remember those who came before me, who were probably the first people who finally learned to control fire and circled their new power of flame and light and heat. And I read slowly to remember the Selfish Giant, how he finally tore that wall down and let the children run free through his garden. And I read slowly to pay homage to my ancestors, who were not allowed to read at all. They, too, must have circled fires, speaking softly of their dreams, their hopes, their futures. Each time we read, write or tell a story, we step inside their circle, and it remains unbroken. And the power of story lives on.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
read slowly 4
finger beneath 2

Important Words

  1. allowed
  2. ancestors
  3. children
  4. circle
  5. circled
  6. continue
  7. continues
  8. control
  9. dreams
  10. drown
  11. finally
  12. fire
  13. fires
  14. flame
  15. free
  16. futures
  17. garden
  18. giant
  19. heat
  20. homage
  21. hopes
  22. knowing
  23. lasting
  24. learned
  25. light
  26. lives
  27. noise
  28. pay
  29. people
  30. power
  31. read
  32. remains
  33. remember
  34. respecting
  35. run
  36. selfish
  37. slowly
  38. softly
  39. speaking
  40. speed
  41. step
  42. story
  43. technology
  44. time
  45. tore
  46. unbroken
  47. wall
  48. work
  49. write