Improve your listening and writing skills by filling in the blanks in the song lyrics. These activities are designed for Beginners and Intermediates to learn new vocabulary related to a specific topic in a quick and fun way.
To celebrate World Kindness Day, this week we are proposing songs that refer to this important human value. Today, an oldie ballad sung by a young and current singer. Katie Melua, a Georgian-British musician and songwriter, performs this shorter version of the classic song Bridge Over Troubled Water. The original 5-minute song is by the American folk rock duo Simon & Garfunkel, it was their biggest single hit and is still considered their signature song.
Bridge Over Troubled Water is a beautiful metaphor about strong friendship and unconditional support. The singer tells the friend, when you are low and struggling, I will be there for you “like a bridge over troubled water” to help “ease your mind.”
Katie Melua’s clear intonation in her 3-minute adaption makes this a great exercise. Enjoy!
Exercise
Fill in the missing words ⇩: bridge – darkness – ease – lay – mind – Sail – shine – tears – troubled – weary
This activity is case sensitive so make sure to use capital letters when needed.
Grammar – Contractions 
See more
Contractions
- CONTRACTIONS allow us to give more information in less time. They make speech smoother, and are less formal.
- We use APOSTROPHES ( ‘ ) to create them: I’m, you’re, he/she/it’s, they’re, we’re, -‘ve, -‘s, -d, and -n’t.
- We often use CONTRACTIONS with AUXILLARY VERBS (TO BE/TO DO/TO HAVE):
- -When you’re weary. (Lyrics)
- –I’m on your side. (Lyrics)
- Formal: Good afternoon, I am Sam Wainwright.
- Informal: Hi, I’m Sam Wainwright.
- Formal: Please excuse me, I have a meeting at six o’clock.
- Informal: Sorry, I’ve got a a meeting at six
- Formal: She is Elizabeth, the Queen of England.
- Informal: She’s Liz, my friend from college.
- We also use CONTRACTIONS with NOT.
- Remember, we don’t normally use two CONTRACTIONS together (NOT
I’ven’t!“I’ve not” OR “I haven’t”): - –I’m not excited about this.
- –He’s not Ishmael, he’s Abraham. / He isn’t Ishmael, he’s Abraham.
- –I don’t eat meat
- –She doesn’t like exercising.
- –We don’t play tennis.
- –She’s not got an extra pen. / She hasn’t got an extra pen.
- –Haven’t you got a minute?
- –I haven’t got time to help you.
- The CONTRACTION “-d” is used for WOULD/COULD/SHOULD.
- We often use the polite form “I’d like ______” (I would like) to say “I want ______” in a more polite way or to talk about our desires.
- The structure is SUBJECT+-‘D+LIKE/PREFER+VERB/OBJECT:
- –I’d like some ice cream.
- –I’d like to rest for a few minutes.
- –He’d like a normal suit, nothing fancy.
- –She’d like a more relaxing job.
- –We’d like a room with a good view of the city.
- –They’d like to exercise in the morning, but they don’t have time.
Don’t miss our latest song lyric activities. By creating a habit step-by-step, you will be able to shape your learning path while doing activities you love.
Which song would you like to practise with next?
Hay un problema, no se puede rellenar los espacios
Hi Miguel, thanks for your message and sorry for the inconvenience. Indeed there’s a naughty bug affecting some exercises in Android devices. We are working to fix it as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience! Please stay tuned.
Hearing Katie Melua’s voice is a good way to ease our mind!
The problem that Miguel has explained still remains
It was very easy and relaxing👍🏻 . Thank you
Barbara: I really delighted the music and the letter of this song. Thanks!