Red Light Pledge

• By: Silverstein

Lyrics:

Vocabulary in this song:

Vocabulary	Meanings
mistake /mɪˈsteɪk/ B1	noun - an action or judgment that is misguided or wrong.
haunt /hɔːnt/ C1	verb - to frequently recur in the mind of (someone).
promise /ˈprɒmɪs/ B1	verb - assure someone that one will definitely do, give, or arrange something; undertake or declare. noun - a declaration assuring that one will do something or that a particular thing will happen.
red /red/ A1	adjective - of a color like that of blood or fire. noun - a red color or pigment.
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible. adjective - of little weight; not heavy.
change /tʃeɪndʒ/ A1	verb - to make or become different. noun - the act or instance of making or becoming different.
wait /weɪt/ A1	verb - stay where one is or delay action until a particular time or event. noun - a period of waiting.
forever /fərˈevər/ A2	adverb - for all future time; for always.
stay /steɪ/ A1	verb - remain in the same place.
darkness /ˈdɑːrknəs/ B1	noun - the state of being dark.
fade /feɪd/ B2	verb - gradually ceasing to be visible; dying out
explain /ɪkˈspleɪn/ B1	verb - make (an idea or situation) clear to someone by describing it in more detail or revealing relevant facts or ideas.
ending /ˈendɪŋ/ B1	noun - the final part of something, especially a story, film, or piece of music.
own /oʊn/ A2	adjective - belonging to oneself.
past /pæst/ A1	noun - the time before the moment of speaking or writing.

Grammar:

• Past mistakes that you made come back to haunt you, you!

  ➔ Relative Clause ('that') and Present Simple Tense (haunt)

  ➔ The relative clause "that you made" modifies "Past mistakes." The present simple "haunt" is used because it describes a general truth or recurring event.

• I wish I could take back everything that I did

  ➔ Second Conditional (Wish + Past Simple)

  ➔ This expresses a regret about a past situation. "Wish" is followed by a past simple clause to indicate that the speaker wants something different from the present reality.

• Promise me you will be there until the red light will change

  ➔ Future Tense (will) in both clauses (promise and time clause)

  ➔ The use of "will" in the time clause ("until the red light will change") is grammatically acceptable although the present simple is more common after conjunctions like "until," "when," etc. The speaker is emphasizing the future.

• I wanted to tell you, I really did

  ➔ Emphatic 'did'

  ➔ Using "did" here emphasizes the truth of the statement "I wanted to tell you." It adds intensity and conviction to the speaker's words.

• But how do I explain this?

  ➔ Interrogative sentence structure with inversion (Auxiliary verb 'do' before the subject 'I')

  ➔ This demonstrates the standard way to form questions in English with auxiliary verbs. The auxiliary "do" precedes the subject "I" to indicate that it's a question.