Pratique du Shadowing: American English Connected Reading | IELTS Topic: Describe a photo you're proud of (part one) - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Création de la leçon...
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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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Today, let's look at the connected sounds in a short answer to the IELTS question, Describe a photo you're proud of.
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Let's take a look.
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I'm proud of a lot of photos I've taken.
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Proud of a.
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So here, we must say, proud of a.
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We have to have that v sound in of.
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But, lot of photos, lot of photos.
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Here we don't need a v sound.
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The f sound of photos connects to of.
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You can think about it as dropping the f and just going straight to photos. Of photos.
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Also in lot, that t is a tap.
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Lot of photos.
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A lot of photos.
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But I think one photo of myself.
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But I think. But I.
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So here that t in but is a tap as well.
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But I think one photo of myself, photo of, photo of, you don't really need to add a strong wuh here.
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Photo wuh.
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You could do that if it feels more comfortable and fluent to you, but photo of is fine too o wuh, o wuh.
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Just a very, very light wuh is okay.
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Photo of myself.
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Now here, of myself, the F can disappear as well between O and M here.
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Photo of myself that I'm proud of is that I'm.
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That's a tap T as well. That I'm.
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That I'm proud of is when I was running a race in high school.
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When I was running a race in sin, sin, sin.
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So So here, in, the vowel in in kind of drops completely, or drops almost completely.
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Race and high school.
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I have a really intense expression on my face in the photo.
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On my face.
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On my connects together, and it just becomes on my.
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No N anymore.
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On my face in the photo, in the connects together as well.
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In the, in the, my face in the photo.
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So the i in in kind of gets reduced, and the n connects to the th.
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Face in the photo, so you can tell, so you can tell, so you can tell, here's so you kind of blends together.
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So you, so you, so you can tell.
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Also, can turns into gyn.
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So you can tell, gyn, gyn tell.
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So you can tell I was giving it my best effort.
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Giving it my, giving it my.
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The T in it turns into a glottal stop.
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Giving it my, it my, best effort, best effort, effort.
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So here there's nothing to change with best, best effort.
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We have the S, T, and E, but then the T at the end of effort turns into a glottal stop, giving it my best effort.
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In the background, again we're going to connect in the, in the background you can see the clock showing the time of the race.
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You can, can, can, again can turns into can.
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You can see the clock showing the time of the race,
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of the race, so here of the connects very quickly into the time of the, time of the, time of the race,
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which makes it a great record.
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Which makes it a...
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We tap the T in it, makes it a great record.
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And here, the T in great turns into a glottal stop before the R in record.
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Makes it a great record of how fast I ran, too.
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I'm proud of a lot of photos I've taken, but I think one photo of myself that I'm proud of is when I was running a race in high school.
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I have a really intense expression on my face in the photo, so you can tell I was giving it my best effort.
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In the background, you can see the clock showing the time of the race, which makes it a great record of how fast I ran too.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will focus on enhancing your American English pronunciation and fluency using connected speech techniques. By analyzing a response to the IELTS question "Describe a photo you're proud of," you will practice the shadowing technique, which helps improve your speaking skills through imitation. This exercise will not only help you become familiar with natural speech patterns but also enable you to understand how native speakers blend words in conversation, making your communication more fluid and natural.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • proud of - a phrase used to express satisfaction with one's achievements.
  • lot of photos - an expression indicating a large number of photographs.
  • photo of myself - refers to a picture that features the speaker.
  • giving it my best effort - a phrase signifying putting in one's maximum effort.
  • in the background - used to describe elements that appear behind the main subject in a photograph.
  • tap T - a pronunciation technique where the 'T' sound is lightly spoken.
  • glottal stop - a sound that occurs when the vocal cords close completely, often replacing certain consonants.
  • can see - a useful phrase that connects the ability to observe or notice something.

Practice Tips

To fully benefit from this lesson, utilize the shadow speech approach when practicing. Begin by listening carefully to the provided transcript and notice how words connect naturally. Follow these steps for effective practice:

  • Start slowly: Play the video segment at a reduced speed to clearly hear the connected sounds.
  • Repeat phrases: After listening, pause the video and repeat key phrases, focusing on the rhythm and intonation.
  • Embrace variations: Don’t hesitate to experiment with lightly blending sounds, especially in phrases like "photo of" and "giving it my best effort."
  • Use the shadowspeak technique: As you shadow the speaker, aim for accuracy in each connected sound, noticing where sounds fade or blend.
  • Record yourself: Listening to your speech can highlight areas needing improvement, particularly with connected speech.

Incorporate these techniques into your IELTS speaking practice, and regularly revisit this content on your shadowing site to continually refine your pronunciation skills. The more you practice, the more natural your speech will become!

Qu'est-ce que la technique du Shadowing ?

Le Shadowing est une technique d'apprentissage des langues fondée sur la science, développée à l'origine pour la formation des interprètes professionnels. Le principe est simple mais puissant : vous écoutez de l'anglais natif et le répétez immédiatement à voix haute — comme une ombre suivant le locuteur avec un décalage de 1 à 2 secondes. Les recherches montrent une amélioration significative de la précision de la prononciation, de l'intonation, du rythme, des liaisons, de la compréhension orale et de la fluidité.