Pratique du Shadowing: The Pleasures and Powers from Reading Books - Apprendre l'anglais à l'oral avec la vidéo

Création de la leçon...
1
Your thoughts and your ideas are not your own.
2
You have inherited them from your parents, from your culture, from centuries of history.
3
You want to ground yourself in that reality, in that past, because if you ignore history, if you ignore books and all the lessons that they have,
4
then your world is just going to get narrower and narrower and narrower and narrower.
5
You're not going to be creative.
6
You're going to be frustrated and bad things will happen to you.
7
Books are the greatest adventure in the world.
8
Can I make the case for why we should read books?
9
It's a strange question for me because for my whole life, books have been the greatest thing that ever happened to me.
10
If I didn't have books, I would be so miserable.
11
It's such an enjoyable experience.
12
But think about it this way.
13
You live in your head with your own thoughts, right?
14
And if you had printed out one day, if somebody printed out on paper what your thoughts were for a week,
15
you'd be astonished at how boring and how trivial and how meaningless they are.
16
The same thoughts recurring over and over and over and over again.
17
The same stupid resentments and things that bother you, etc. Your mind is going in these circles round and round and round and round and round.
18
Your world is very limited.
19
I'm sorry it's not a mystery.
20
I know it for a fact because we're all like that.
21
Okay.
22
You're living in a city with a particular culture.
23
You see the same people every day.
24
You see the same TV shows every day or the same podcasts every day.
25
It's a very narrow, limited world and you are suffering from it.
26
I'm sorry to say it's making you suffer.
27
A book takes you out of your world.
28
It is an adventure.
29
You get to travel to ancient Rome and be there with Marcus Aurelius,
30
the emperor, as he's trying to figure out how to manage his own life and his own problems.
31
You get to go to ancient Greece and be there during the Peloponnesian War.
32
You get to see ancient Egypt and all the strange things going on.
33
You get to go to Renaissance Italy and hang out Leonardo da Vinci.
34
You get to follow Napoleon Bonaparte in his battlefields.
35
You get exposed to these ideas of people that are not your ideas, that are interesting, that are weird, that are strange.
36
You get to expose yourself to theories and to things from other cultures that are almost like from another planet.
37
They're going to open your mind.
38
It's like taking a trip.
39
It's like being able to travel.
40
It's like getting out of your own little world, your own little apartment, and seeing the world, seeing history, seeing who you are, okay?
41
You are not a creature of today.
42
You are not a creature that was born for like the year 2000.
43
I don't know when you were born, right?
44
That's not the world.
45
The world existed 10,000 years before you.
46
Your thoughts and your ideas are not your own.
47
You have inherited them from your parents, from your culture, from centuries of history.
48
You want to ground yourself in that reality, in that past, because if you ignore history, if you ignore books and all the lessons that they have,
49
then your world is just going to get narrower and narrower and narrower and narrower.
50
You're not going to be creative.
51
You're going to be frustrated and bad things will happen to you.
52
Books are the greatest adventure in the world.
53
And I can't personally understand how if I can't read a book, if I had to go a month without reading a book, I would literally lose my mind.
54
Right.
55
Of course, it's an addiction, which isn't so great.
56
You want to build that addiction.
57
That's probably the best addiction that you can have.
58
OK, so if you want, you know, someday I will post as I will, as we have on my newsletter, lists of books that you can read that are truly exciting,
59
that will lift you, that will give you these experiences that I'm talking about.
60
But please, I beg you, I implore you, we need more people who are reading books today in the world right now.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video titled "The Pleasures and Powers from Reading Books" offers a unique opportunity to learn English with YouTube by exploring the profound effects of reading on creativity and personal development. The speaker passionately discusses how books can expand one's horizons and provide new perspectives, making this an enriching context for English speaking practice. Engaging with this material encourages learners to articulate their thoughts, enhancing their ability to express complex ideas related to history, culture, and personal growth.

By shadowing the speaker, learners can improve their fluency and pronunciation while internalizing valuable vocabulary and expressions related to literature and personal insights. This helps prepare for scenarios like IELTS speaking practice, where expressing opinions and summarizing arguments is crucial.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are used that can enhance your understanding and speaking skills:

  • Compound Sentences: The speaker uses compound sentences effectively, such as “if you ignore history, if you ignore books and all the lessons that they have, then your world is just going to get narrower.” This structure allows you to express complex ideas and relationships between thoughts.
  • Present Continuous Tense: Phrases like “you are living in a city with a particular culture” emphasize ongoing actions, which are essential for discussing current situations. Practicing this tense will improve your English speaking practice.
  • Direct Speech: The speaker employs direct speech with rhetorical questions such as “Can I make the case for why we should read books?” This can help you learn how to pose questions in discussions effectively.
  • Imperatives: Expressions like “You want to ground yourself” encourage the listener to take action, which is useful in motivational speaking contexts.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When shadowing the speaker, be mindful of the following tricky pronunciation aspects:

  • Word Stress: Phrases such as “greatest adventure” may cause confusion due to their stress patterns. Pay attention to emphasizing the correct syllables to enhance clarity.
  • Linking Sounds: In sentences like “you are not a creature of today,” the linking of words can sound abrupt if not practiced properly. Focus on smooth transitions to make your speech more fluid.
  • Complex Vocabulary: Words like “frustrated” and “inherited” might challenge some learners. Practice these words individually and in context for improved accuracy.

By actively engaging with this video and practicing pronunciation and grammar, you’ll develop stronger speaking abilities that can help you excel in both casual conversations and formal assessments like IELTS speaking practice.

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.