Shadowing Practice: Character: Wants vs. needs - Learn English Speaking with Video

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In the last video, we talked about the difference between internal and external features.
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Let's ignore external or physical features for a moment.
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and zoom in on the mind of a character.
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One powerful way to think about this is to ask yourself a question.
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What does this character want?
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It's important to understand what a character wants, because it informs your story.
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If you don't really know what they start out wanting, It's hard to take them somewhere on a journey, and that's what stories are all about.
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When you pick a movie, any one of your favorite movies, you can actually probably kind of like skip that part when the character says, "I want to do this.
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I want to be champion.
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I want to be king." I want to be the greatest chef in the world.
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Characters get to have that goal and they will work every day, every second of the day in their story to make that happen.
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Wants drive a character to act.
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A character might want something and do everything to get it.
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Needs are the things we need to do or learn, in order to grow or succeed in life.
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For example, a character might learn that they need to share what they desire in order to be fulfilled or happy.
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The distinction between what a character wants and what they need.
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is important when you're building a character.
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We all have those things we want.
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Oh man, I love that new car, or I'd really like, oh man, I'd love a VR machine that'd be so cool.
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But what I need is probably to feed my family, and what I need is probably to have good relationships and things like that.
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Oftentimes, I think needs are something that we don't.
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like admitting, it's eating your vegetables.
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You want to just go for those sweets, the things that make life easier.
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But we have to sometimes do those things that we don't want to do.
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And in the end, it makes for a full course meal, if we're going with this food analogy.
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And I think in a character, it's important to have those needs
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and even have those needs sometimes conflict with the wants
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because it makes our characters stronger and makes them have to go through trials.
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that turn them into a more well -rounded character.
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So Woody in Toy Story, for example, he wants to be Andy's favorite toy and stay that way.
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And he needs to learn to share, to share his friendship and to not have to always be the best.
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Sometimes a character might want something in the beginning and then their need
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completely comes out of a realization they may have along the way.
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In the case of Sully, he wants to rise up in the organization.
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You know, it's just like everyone wants to be.
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You want to be promoted to be the top in your profession.
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Internally though, we throw a monkey wrench in his plans in the form of Boo.
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something that he doesn't want to take care of.
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But because this little girl actually depends on him, is at odds with what his main goal is.
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If he gets exposed to actually have a human child, that career path that he wants gets destroyed.
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It disappears.
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So the thing that he values, that he says he wants, and the thing that he has to take care of right now are going to destroy each other.
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his heart actually softens because he starts to care about Boo more than he cares about his career.
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In fact, he doesn't care at all about his career anymore.
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and he will choose what he needs in his life is connection.
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A connection to another person.
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He wants boo.
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in his life.
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So I think that oftentimes your want can be some of the entertainment of the story, but the need is going to be that emotional heart that really
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makes people remember the film when they come out of the theater and for years later.
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In the next exercise, you'll have a chance to think a little more about the wants
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and needs of some characters you know, as well as ones you want to create.
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Why practice speaking with this video?

By engaging with the video "Character: Wants vs. needs," you’ll delve into the fascinating world of storytelling while enhancing your English speaking skills. Understanding the difference between what a character wants and what they need can enrich your conversation abilities. As you practice speaking about these concepts, you not only improve your vocabulary but also learn to express complex ideas more clearly. This practice context is particularly beneficial for learners aiming to discuss literary themes or character development, whether in casual conversations or academic discussions. Incorporating this video into your study routine allows you to learn English with YouTube effectively while using a practical and engaging approach.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speaker in this video uses several important structures that are instrumental for English learners. Here are a few key expressions to focus on:

  • “What does this character want?” - This question structure is effective for discussing motivations and desires, and can be adapted for various contexts.
  • “A character might want something and do everything to get it.” - Notice the use of modal verbs here, which help convey intention and possibility.
  • “What I need is probably to feed my family.” - This phrase exemplifies how to express needs versus wants, a vital distinction for both storytelling and everyday conversation.
  • “It makes for a full course meal.” - This metaphor illustrates how to enhance storytelling through imaginative language.

Practicing these structures while watching the video will help you apply them more fluidly in your own speech, improving your overall communication skills.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking along with this video, pay special attention to the following pronunciation challenges:

  • “wants” vs. “needs” - Focus on the vowel sounds, ensuring clarity, especially at the end of words.
  • “fulfill” - This word can be tricky; practice breaking it into syllables, emphasizing the second syllable: ful-fill.
  • “character” - The stress is on the first syllable: CHAR-acter. Repeating this word in context will help solidify your pronunciation.

Utilizing the shadowing technique while watching the video can significantly enhance your ability to pronounce these words correctly and help you improve English pronunciation overall. By mimicking the speaker’s rhythm and intonation, you not only absorb the language better but also develop a more natural speaking style.

¿Qué es la Técnica de Shadowing?

Shadowing es una técnica de aprendizaje de idiomas respaldada por la ciencia, desarrollada originalmente para la formación de intérpretes profesionales y popularizada por el políglota Dr. Alexander Arguelles. El método es simple pero poderoso: escuchas audio en inglés nativo y lo repites en voz alta de inmediato, como una sombra que sigue al hablante con solo 1-2 segundos de retraso. A diferencia de la escucha pasiva o los ejercicios de gramática, el shadowing obliga a tu cerebro y músculos de la boca a procesar y reproducir simultáneamente patrones de habla reales. Las investigaciones muestran que mejora significativamente la precisión de la pronunciación, la entonación, el ritmo, el habla conectada, la comprensión auditiva y la fluidez al hablar, convirtiéndola en una de las metodologías más efectivas para la preparación del IELTS Speaking y la comunicación en inglés en el mundo real.

Técnica de shadowing: lee la guía completa paso a paso →