Shadowing Practice: How to go from B1 to C2 without the pain! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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So how do we get from B1 to C2 without the pain?
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Let me show you.
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Oh, hello.
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Oh, matching colours.
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Hello, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, here to help you become a more confident speaker of English.
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Now then, to go from B1 to C2 doesn't just mean study harder.
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Not at all.
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For me, it means study smarter and with a system that you enjoy.
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Simple as that.
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Those of you who follow me will be familiar probably with the speaking success system.
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Three simple steps.
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Discover language, practice it, and review it.
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And to be honest, that's all you need.
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If you just do that, you'll get to your C2.
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However, some of you don't know the system.
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If you don't, go and check out this video.
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You'll get a quick overview of that system.
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One of the important things is the way we use this system at different levels is slightly different.
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So I would use it differently at a B1 level and differently again at B2, C1 and C2.
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OK, not used in exactly the same way.
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What I want to do with this video is to show you for each level what to do
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and focus on and what not to do.
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And once you've got clarity on where to focus with your study, it's going to help you move up the levels to become more confident and fluent in English.
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Just to let you know, I've also put all of this information.
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I've captured the info inside this PDF.
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you can download for free.
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There's a link in the description.
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Let's begin then with level B1.
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Okay, you're at B1 level and you want to move up to B2.
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The problem is you feel stuck, right?
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You can understand a lot and probably you can understand 99% of my videos,
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but you can't speak and you can't speak fluently yet.
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So your goal is you need to build a larger spoken vocabulary.
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You want to be using high frequency chunks and I'll talk more about those in a moment.
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And you want to start activating your vocabulary and activating your grammar.
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So you've studied a lot of grammar.
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You've studied the tenses, the different voices, perfect, passive, active, but you can't speak them out loud.
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So it's time to activate.
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You want to start building your fluency so you can keep going and keep talking, not just individual sentences.
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That's it, right?
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That's your goal.
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So your focus basically is speak more, not learn more.
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Okay, activate what you know.
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So the core idea here with vocabulary is to use high frequency chunks
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and with grammar to activate the 12 tenses and the different aspects of those tenses.
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First of all, high frequency chunks.
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So what do I mean by those?
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These are chunks of language we use regularly, naturally in everyday spoken English.
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And you probably know them, but you don't think of them as a chunk.
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To think of them as a chunk is to think of them as one sound.
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So when you see, what do you think?
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The chunk is, what do you, what do you think?
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What do you think?
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What do you think?
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So the idea is to start thinking in sounds and using that chunk.
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What do you think?
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Because then that think you can change with all different verbs.
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What do you do?
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What do you do?
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What do you like?
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What do you eat?
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What do you do on the weekends?
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What do you what do you?
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So using these chunks suddenly starts building up your fluency.
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Another high-frequency chunk Can I have a look?
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Can I have a look?
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Can I have a look?
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Can I help you?
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Can I come to the party?
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They're just sounds Can I is a sound So stop thinking of words
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and think of chunks And speak out the chunks Another one How was your weekend?
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How was your weekend?
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it's one sound
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or two sounds how was your weekend once you've got how
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was you can do different endings how was the film how
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was the book how was your weekend okay now obviously in
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this video i'm not going to give you all the high frequency chunks i'll give you a lot more in
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that pdf that i mentioned
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but just to give you an idea of this is a change in mindset and a change in how you're practicing speaking.
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Okay.
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Likewise with the grammar, there are chunks of grammar and you can do the same thing with those.
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Okay.
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Again, PDF will give you more examples.
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Next, just let me tell you some things to do and some things to don't, to don't do, to not do.
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Do's and don't do's. Do, right?
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Speak out the chunks.
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Start speaking with strangers.
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I don't mean strangers in the street.
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I mean, find people online in different groups or areas where you can practice English, speaking.
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So you're practicing speaking with people you don't know to start building confidence.
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OK, tell stories.
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Whatever you're doing, whatever you're thinking, start telling stories, speaking out loud in English.
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Don't overcorrect mid-sentence.
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It's the one thing that is killing your fluency is mid-sentence, you're overthinking, over-correcting.
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It kills your fluency.
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Make a few mistakes, but focus on your fluency.
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OK, I'm just going to add something about thinking in English, because a lot of students ask me, you know, how do I start thinking in English?
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Don't wait for it to happen.
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You make it happen.
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You actively start thinking in English, right?
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It doesn't magically happen one day when you wake up.
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It's little things that you're doing in your life where every day you're starting to think of things in English.
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What am I going to do today?
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I'm going to do this, I'm going to do that.
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Think in English.
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There's a whole video up here you can watch about thinking in English.
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Now I'm going to add something else about B1 to B2 because at B1 to B2 the change is
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that you not only can talk about familiar topics like home, work, health, hobbies, but at B2,
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you can start talking about unfamiliar topics.
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Things like the environment, the economy, space, advertising.
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Okay.
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So whilst at B1, your focus is on activating language, In addition, you should start listening,
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reading, watching things on unfamiliar topics.
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Don't worry about learning the vocabulary, but just expose yourself to these more unfamiliar topics.
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And that's going to help you lay the foundation for your B2 level.
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That's it for B1.
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Talking of B2, let's have a look how things change at B2.
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Okay, from B2 to C1.
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And this is what we often call the plateau.
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You've been studying since you were six years old.
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You're now an adult.
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You've made progress.
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But now suddenly it seems like you're flat.
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You just can't go up any higher.
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It's the famous plateau.
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Basically, you know, you sound okay when you speak.
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But, well, and, you know, you can communicate in the classroom.
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But when it comes to native speakers, really, you can't quite communicate so effectively.
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And it's because you don't sound natural and you don't have flexibility.
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So, your goal here is to move from a student of English to being more like a proficient or native speaker.
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That's it.
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To do that, you need a wider range of vocabulary to understand nuance and register.
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Is it formal, informal, slang?
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Understand and use collocations much better and control discourse much better.
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The cohesion, how you connect ideas fluently and flexibly.
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Also, you need to be listening more to English at native speaker rates.
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So, I mean listening to authentic English, not just study English.
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So, maybe up until now, you've been listening to Keith's English podcast, helping you learn English.
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What you should be listening to now is Brian's football podcast.
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For British people, if you like football, or Angela's musical podcast, if you like music.
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Something authentic aimed at native speakers.
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You need to be getting into that space a lot more.
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And another thing here, which a lot of people forget, is a change in mindset.
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And it is a change in mindset from just being able to communicate okay, to really communicating naturally.
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because if you don't make that change in mindset and really want it, you're not going to carry on.
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You'll just say, oh, it's good enough.
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They understand me.
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You need a change in mindset for this B2 to C1.
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So I would say you'll focus then maybe four things.
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Collocations, lexical patterns.
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For example, you know, is a verb followed by an infinitive or a gerund?
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What are the different prepositions after this verb?
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Thirdly, grammatical patterns.
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And fourthly, discourse, phrases, and how you manage discourse, the cohesion, your ideas.
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Another important thing you must focus on is activating language as you build it.
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So as you grow your language, make sure you're activating it.
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So the core idea here basically is to learn how to express your ideas and opinions more naturally.
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Let me talk in a bit more detail about collocations, grammar and discourse.
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Collocations, super important.
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These are two or three words that typically go together the way that native speaker will use them.
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For example, you're in a meeting, right?
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And somebody comes up with an idea and you go, what?
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That's crazy.
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That's a crazy idea.
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And you say, it's a completely crazy idea.
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Now that's okay.
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Everybody understands.
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But probably what a native speaker would say is that idea is utterly absurd.
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Utterly absurd.
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That is your native collocation.
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So you need to be learning what native speakers would say, the collocations they use.
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Another example is you're at the hospital, you go, ow, I'm in pain.
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I'm in a lot of pain.
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I'm in strong pain.
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And the doctor goes, oh, you're in excruciating pain.
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Excruciating pain.
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That's the natural collocation.
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So that's a really important focus.
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Grammar, next.
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It's getting a deeper understanding of grammar, not just the surface level.
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So, for example, knowing that the present continuous, I'm doing something now, is not only used for now,
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but it's used in the future, right?
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I'm visiting Tom tomorrow.
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Different nuances, the deeper level of grammar.
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Finally, discourse.
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so you may be again in a conversation and you say listen i don't agree with that idea okay
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whereas a native speaker might say i see your point
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but i think i see your point
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but what you need to do now at getting into c1
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level is to be able to use both i don't agree and i think I see your point, but...
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So it's building your repertoire of discourse.
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Okay, so how do you do this?
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Do's and don'ts.
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Do watch more English, native, authentic English, and notice the collocations they use.
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Keep a record, write them down, and then start to use them in discussions,
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conversations, debates, giving explanations, all of these.
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And a quick tip, when you're watching or reading something, every time you read something, give yourself a quick oral summary.
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It's a really good practice.
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Don'ts.
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Don't download and memorize word lists from the internet.
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Because downloading the word list means you haven't got the context
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and you haven't been through the process of noticing and getting the words.
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The word list isn't going to help you.
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And also, if you're going to do that, make it a collocation word list at least.
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But even so, you find the context.
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You make your own lists of collocations.
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There is a very useful tool out there called www.ausdick.com.
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It's a collocation dictionary.
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Great reference tool for you.
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And my final tip is another challenge for you probably at this level is you have what we call fossilised errors.
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Those mistakes, the same mistakes you've been making year after year after year.
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it's time to iron out those errors get rid of them the way to do it is record yourself speaking
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transcribe what you've said and notice the errors or feed it into AI ChatGBT and get it,
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him, her, them to identify the errors so A,
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you're aware of them and then every time you're speaking just be aware of those fossilised errors and start correcting them.
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That's it from B2 to C1.
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What's next?
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Ah, C1 to C2.
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Right, here we are.
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The highest level, C1 to C2.
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I wonder what level you are.
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Let's have a look.
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OK, so here, probably at this level, you can understand everything and you can speak a lot with very little effort.
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But you make small, noticeable mistakes, maybe in your vocabulary, in your grammar,
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in your discourse, in nuance, in style, in cultural references.
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It's the kind of thing that when you're speaking to a native speaker, they're very impressed with your English.
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But now and again, they smile because you've said something that doesn't sound quite right.
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And when you see that smile, you know, oh, I've made a small mistake somewhere.
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OK, so now getting from C1 to C2, it's all about what I would say, effortless clarity.
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That's what we're looking for.
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So your goal is to get near native automaticity.
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and appropriateness of language.
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Automaticity, what a great word that is.
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From the word automatic, right?
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Automating your language.
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The noun, automaticity.
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So speaking without thinking, really, that's what it is.
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So you need that and also near-native appropriateness, right?
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Using the right tone, the right register, the right word at the right time, basically.
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And all of that across a wide range of contexts.
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In order to do that, you need to fine tune your lexical choice.
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So choosing the right words, exactly the right words in the right moment, the right nuance, the right connotation.
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So having a deep, deep understanding of words.
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And also you need better rhetoric.
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So what I mean by rhetoric is basically not just using language to be understood, but to convince people to do things.
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The effective use of language to get things done and convince people, not only that they understand you, but they act on what you've said.
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Let me give you an example in Spanish of that rhetoric and something that happened to me.
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Come with me just a moment.
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A while back, we did some renovation work on this bathroom in here, and basically we wanted to make it a bit bigger
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so add this extra unit over here and as we were doing
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that the builders who were here one of them said to me
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when you make it bigger you'll be able to dance in here
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and i said claro si hombre bailaron chotis and at
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that moment all the workers stopped and looked at me
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and went oh because i was being sarcastic
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and i said yeah you can dance achottis in here achottis
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is an old spanish dance where literally you dance on the spot without moving
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so what i was saying was it's actually still very small it's too small to dance um
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but what happened was instead of just being understood there was a communication on a deeper level
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and a connection and that led to a better relationship
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and then working more effectively so english is not just
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or language is not being understood it's about a deeper connection and getting things done
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rhetoric and finally i'd say having really good repair strategies it's interesting a lot of people think native speakers
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or proficient speakers don't make mistakes don't have breakdown in communication
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that they just speak perfectly all the time of course we don't and you don't in your your mother tongue.
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You make kind of misunderstandings.
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You suddenly stop, change your mind, restart.
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You need to clarify.
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You need to rephrase.
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All of these are repair strategies, if you like.
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So getting really effective repair strategies is also very important.
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So the focus is to use appropriate language and tone to get things done effectively in a wide range of situations.
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And I would add, I think, you know, to do that, you need to learn really to adapt your language to different situations,
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to be able to speak in formal situations, informal, academic, business, conversational, parties,
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speaking to children, old people.
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All of that is so important.
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Let's look first at lexical choice.
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There's a number of things you can do.
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I'm going to focus on just one that I think so many students neglect, and that is word families.
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And this will help so much.
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By word families, I mean knowing the noun, the verb, the adjective, the adverbs, all the different parts of a particular word.
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For example, if we take the word to consider, that's the verb, the noun is consideration, right?
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The adjective is considerable, a considerable number of people, or actually there's another adjective, considerate.
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He's very considerate, very caring and thoughtful.
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So these word families are so important.
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Let me test you at your level.
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If you are a C1 kind of level, let's see.
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Let's take the word.
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Let me find a word.
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Let's take the word imply.
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That's the verb, right?
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To suggest something without actually saying it, right?
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Let's see if you know the different word families, OK, fill in the gap here with one of the word families of the word imply.
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OK, first one's easy.
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What are you blank?
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Right.
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What are you implying?
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The verb, right?
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Very good.
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That is clearly your blank.
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It's the noun.
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That is clearly your implication, right?
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Last one, it is blank in everything you said.
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It is implicit in everything you said.
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The adjective, right?
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Can you start to see how important these are and how they give you flexibility?
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Because what a lot of people do is when they don't know the word family, they try and rephrase in a different, simpler way.
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That's okay, but at your C2 level, you're using all the word families flexibly.
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So that's one simple thing you can do or focus on for your lexical choice.
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Another thing you can do is practice what I call style shift drills.
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So style shift is practicing saying something in different styles.
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So how would you say this in a conversation, in a meeting, down the pub, right?
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You can do this for whole texts or just for different phrases.
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Let me give you a bit of a fun example, right?
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Let's take this sentence.
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Don't worry, everything will be okay.
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How might you say that first with mates down the pub?
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What do you think?
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You might say down the pub, don't panic, things will work out.
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Okay, how would you say that in a meeting?
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A business meeting?
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Maybe you might say, there's no need to worry.
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Everything will go according to plan.
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How would you say this talking to a granddad?
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maybe it'll be all right granddad don't worry yourself okay
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but can you see how the language changes slightly in each
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case the the register the tone the lexical choice this is what you want to be doing more
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and more at c2 level so some quick do's and don'ts at this level Do lots of advanced noticing as you listen,
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watch, read, notice, collocations, nuance and idioms.
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Idiomatic language is really key at this higher level.
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Don't worry about slang too much.
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I think sometimes there's too much emphasis on slang, especially on social media, learning all the slang in English.
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useful to know, but not so useful to use.
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And also, I'd say don't aim for accent eradication.
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You don't need to get rid of your accent.
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It's fine if you've got Chinese accent, Vietnamese accent.
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So long as you're clearly understood, that's it.
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Don't waste time getting rid of accent.
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Focus on better pronunciation.
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Okay.
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Aim for clarity.
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At this level, it's all about effortless clarity.
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So there we have it for each level from B1 to C2.
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We've looked at the challenge, the goal, where you should focus and how you can get there,
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some tips on how to get there and some do's and don'ts for each level.
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In essence, all of this basically is it's the speaking success system.
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It's all you need, but just a different focus depending on the level where you're at.
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I hope this helps.
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You can do all of this.
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Oh, by the way, do you remember there's a PDF if you want to download this with a lot more detail.
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It's a really nice study guide to help you get through each level.
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If you want my help, I mean, you can do this on your own, but if you want my help, I am here to help.
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You can come and join a course.
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I can make some recommendations.
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If you're at B1 level, try the Fluent Grammar course to automate your grammar and your fluency.
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If you're at B2, try the Gold course, my flagship course.
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If you're at C1, I'd suggest the 150 Idioms course to learn idioms in context, how to use them as well.
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And if you're at C2, well, you probably don't need my help.
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It's not about learning, it's about practising.
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so you could practice with the Murder Mystery Challenge.
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It's a fun, exciting way to practice.
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Go and check it out.
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Whatever you decide to do, I will always be here for you on YouTube.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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Hope you've enjoyed it.
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And I'll see you very, very soon.
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Take care, my friend.
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Bye-bye.

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Vocabulario y notas de pronunciación para esta lección

Este vídeo tiene 368 frases y 3620 palabras para practicar shadowing. La parte hablada dura 26:40. El hablante mantiene un ritmo constante de unas 136 palabras por minuto, cómodo para el shadowing. El 84 % de las palabras está entre las 3.000 más comunes del inglés; conviene repasar el resto antes de empezar.

Vocabulario clave de este vídeo

15 palabras menos comunes del vídeo, con su pronunciación y significado:

  • chunk /t͡ʃʌŋk/ (sustantivo) — trozo, pedazo. A part of something that has been separated; a generally squat, thick, irregular piece of something, e.g. wood or stone.
  • grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ (sustantivo) — gramática. A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general.
  • activate /ˈæktɪˌveɪt/ (verbo) — activar. To encourage development or induce increased activity; to stimulate.
  • discourse /ˈdɪs.kɔːɹs/ (sustantivo) — discurso. Expression in words, either speech or writing.
  • verb /vɝb/ (sustantivo) — verbo. A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
  • vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (sustantivo) — vocabulario. A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
  • frequency /ˈfɹiːkwənsi/ (sustantivo) — frecuencia. The rate of occurrence of anything; the relationship between incidence and time period.
  • accent /ækˈsɛnt/ (sustantivo) — acento léxico. A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to…
  • mindset /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ (sustantivo) — mentalidad, actitud. A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one.
  • topic /ˈtɑpɪk/ (sustantivo) — tema, tópico. A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
  • clarity /ˈklæɹ.ɪ.ti/ (sustantivo) — claridad. The state or measure of being clear, either in appearance, thought or style; lucidity.
  • noun /naʊn/ (sustantivo) — nombre, nombre sustantivo. A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea…
  • tone /ˈtəʊn/ (sustantivo) — tono. A specific pitch.
  • naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ (adverbio) — naturalmente, a natura. In a natural manner.
  • repair /ˈɹiːpɛɚ/ (verbo) — reparar. To restore to good working order, fix, or improve damaged condition; to mend; to remedy.

Phrasal verbs que vas a escuchar

  • speak out (verbo) — expresarse. To assert or promote one's opinion; to make one's thoughts known.
  • get into (verbo) — entrar en, entrar a. To move into (an object), such that one ends up inside it.
  • look at (verbo) — mirar, funar. To observe or watch.
  • talk about (verbo) — hablar de, hablar sobre. Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
  • act on (verbo) — actuar en base a, reaccionar ante. To act decisively on the basis of information received or deduced.
  • carry on /ˈkæɹi ˈɑn/ (verbo) — continuar, proseguir. To take baggage or luggage onto an airplane, rather than check it.
  • check out (verbo) — investigar, chequear. To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.).
  • come up with (verbo) — ingeniar, ingeniarse. To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it.

Pronunciación a tener en cuenta

El hablante usa 111 contracciones y formas reducidas, como don't, you're, you've. Dilas en su forma corta, tal como las oyes.

  • Los sonidos de “th”: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/, fourthly /ˈfɔːɹθ.li/, thirdly /ˈθɚdli/
  • Los sonidos de “sh” y “zh”: explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, consideration /kənˌsɪd.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/
  • Palabras largas — cuida el acento: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, unfamiliar /ˌʌnfəˈmɪli.ə(ɹ)/, considerable /kənˈsɪdəɹəbl̩/

Cómo practicar con este vídeo

  1. Escucha el vídeo entero una vez sin hablar y anota las palabras que no conoces.
  2. Haz shadowing frase por frase a velocidad normal, repitiendo cada una hasta que tu ritmo coincida con el del hablante.
  3. Grábate y compara con el original, prestando atención a palabras como chunk, grammar, activate.

Gramática en este vídeo

Las estructuras que más usa el hablante, con las palabras exactas del vídeo:

EstructuraEn el vídeo
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — una acción que empezó antes y continúaYou've been studying · you've been listening · you've been making
Oraciones condicionales if + oración, will/would + verbo — una condición y su resultadoIf you just do that, you'll get · If you're at C1, I'd suggest
Present perfect have/has + participio pasado — una acción pasada que sigue importando ahoraI've also put · I've captured · you've studied
Voz pasiva be + participio pasado — importa lo que ocurre, no quién lo hacebe understood · being understood

¿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 →