Shadowing Practice: My January Books - Learn English Speaking with Video
בחר מצב תרגול
כל מצב פותח חדר תרגול במסך מלא.
196 משפטים
אם המשפטים קצרים או ארוכים מדי, לחץ על ערוך כדי להתאים אותם.
1
Hey guys, I wanted to talk about all the books I read and listened to in the month of January.
2
So I started off the month with Ripe by Sarah Rose Edder.
3
One of my reading resolutions for 2025 was to kind of stray away from classic literature
4
and read more modern releases and that is why I decided to start the year with this one.
5
I would say this book largely but not totally centers around disillusionment, that modern disillusionment.
6
It reminded me a lot of The New Me by Halle Butler because both deal with that bitterness that comes with disillusionment.
7
They also both take place in workplaces, although the main character here I think is less unlikable than the one in The New Me.
8
Her name is Cassie, she's in her 30s, and she's just landed a job working in Silicon Valley in tech.
9
Cassie has dealt with depression, feelings of dread, and anxiety nearly her whole life.
10
She says she's been born with a black hole that's followed her around since.
11
Literally, there's a black hole hovering above her head.
12
At first, I thought Cassie was dealing with some imposter syndrome at work, but as I got to know her more, I didn't really see that as the case.
13
Even though she constantly doubts herself and she doesn't think she's right for the job, when the moment actually comes for her to deliver, she does.
14
It's almost like she dissociates and becomes this hard -working, titan tech machine.
15
However, that version of her who is willing to work herself into the ground, do morally questionable things, she feels that is not the real her.
16
In fact, it's making her miserable.
17
But she feels that she has to dissociate in order to survive in the workplace.
18
And yes, she is making a lot of money from this job
19
but she's also working somewhere where the rent is very high
20
in fact she says on page 103 the way wild amounts of wealth brush up against extreme poverty
21
and displacement here is like nothing i've ever seen i'm somewhere
22
in the middle neither wealthy nor displaced just suspended in the air writhing having our little panic attacks
23
when she's not this hard -working titan trying to make a
24
living just trying to get by she's with her black hole over
25
and over in the novel you see her try to connect
26
with other people in her life such is her mother and her father.
27
She says that from a young age, her mother has continuously stung her like a bee.
28
She tries to express herself to her dad, but he feels like, what more could you want?
29
You've made it.
30
You can't come back home.
31
You have a job that everyone wants.
32
On page 20, she says, in the end, it was endless meetings, corporate pressure, profit goals.
33
It was nowhere near as exotic as it seemed at the dinner table.
34
When you're young, every part of life seems big and monumental.
35
Once older, you can see it for what it is.
36
Smaller pieces of a larger game you have no choice
37
but to play it's criticizing capitalism hustle culture and toxic workplaces
38
that have been born from this hustle culture the kind of company
39
that wants their workers to think of them as family
40
but at the same time they weaponize access to their workers livelihood we have tech ceos megalomaniacs wanting more
41
and more to the point of corruption
42
and cassie is stuck running in this corporate wheel like a hamster i finished this on january 3rd
43
and i can definitively say that I did like this.
44
However, I do still feel unsure about the way in which the book veered towards the end.
45
Part of me feels like there was no other way it could veer
46
and that there were obvious hints strewn throughout the story.
47
Would I recommend this book?
48
You know, when I shared this on my Instagram story, I got so many messages from people saying that they did not like this book at all, and I understand that.
49
I think it's a polarizing one.
50
I think if what I'm saying about this book piques your interest and you read the blurb, you like what you're reading, I would pick this one up.
51
I didn't dislike it.
52
Once I finished Ripe, I moved on to The Last Sane Woman by Hannah Regal.
53
Reading the blurb of this one, I had really high expectations.
54
The story starts with our main character, Nicola, and she's visiting a feminist archive, and she tells the woman working that she wants to read about women who cannot make things.
55
Very interesting request.
56
The archivist then brings out a series of one -sided letters written by a woman named Donna.
57
Thus, Nicola begins to read these letters by Donna and finds that her and Donna have a lot of eerie similarities.
58
They're both artists who feel insecure yet protective of the art that they create.
59
Yeah, I didn't love this one.
60
I thought it was sad and that certain parts were impactful, but mostly I felt confused while reading this.
61
The story does alternate between Donna's voice and Nicola's voice, and most of the time I was kind of confused about who was speaking.
62
I'm not sure if it was the author's intention to have the two women blur into one another.
63
For me, it just didn't work.
64
And then in the latter half of the book we hear
65
from susan who is donna's friend she was writing the letters
66
to susan we never get to read susan's responses to donna
67
because nicola doesn't have those letters even during susan's parts i would get confused
68
and i think this confusion would cause my mind to drift
69
and then two pages would pass
70
and i would realize oh i have no idea what i have just read i would then go back
71
and reread and that was getting kind of annoying yeah it's a book about making art
72
and these women who struggle
73
because they have this desperate desire to create something in this world yet they feel
74
that their art is never good enough wherever they go to find inspiration invigoration they feel as
75
if they don't belong the inspiration is not there do i recommend this i don't think
76
so i also was not feeling the prose personally
77
and i think this is one as the years pass i'm going to totally forget after
78
that i moved on to she's always hungry by eliza clark I think I've now read everything
79
that Eliza Clark has published boy parts and penance.
80
I don't think Eliza Clark is a writer for everyone.
81
However, I do think she's doing something that is very trendy right now and I feel bad calling it trendy.
82
Not weird girl literature.
83
I would call it jaded girl literature featuring the unlikable nasty female narrator.
84
I don't at all mean this in a diminutive manner.
85
I love an unlikable female narrator.
86
I resonate with them.
87
It is trendy though because
88
so many books like this have been published in the last 10 years
89
and i don't think all of them have pulled this off
90
eliza clark though she does this is not gratuitous nasty writing
91
which i usually cannot stand anyways this is a collection of
92
short stories as you can guess from the title they all
93
center around hunger literal hunger for food also hunger to be beautiful
94
and loved companionship survival power there's a greedy hunger these stories are dark disgusting creepy
95
but some of them also make me teehee a little bit clark's writing is usually very sharp and scathing.
96
I think she's clever, and I would recommend these short stories if this sounds like your type of writing.
97
Then I listened to the first audiobook I've ever been able to finish, and that's Down the Drain by Julia Fox.
98
Listen, I chose this book not knowing anything about Julia Fox.
99
I just have seen some of her fashion photos from the street.
100
What else was there to know about her?
101
A lot.
102
Julia Fox has had such a crazy life, at least crazy from my perspective, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to her regale her stories.
103
She narrates essentially from childhood until today.
104
Her writing feels very honest and raw, also humorous and raunchy.
105
There are also some parts that are very touching and relatable.
106
I have personally never felt or thought anything negative about Julia Fox, but I do think this book really humanizes her.
107
What is interesting is I've never been able to listen to an audiobook fully before, and I do think if I had read this book,
108
I would not have enjoyed it as much as listening to Julia Fox herself narrate her story.
109
There were certain parts, I remember one part in particular, where I could really hear the raw emotion in her voice
110
and i think that just lended the story more power she has really been through it
111
and it's iconic that she's here to tell these stories
112
and she's more successful than ever i loved the last few
113
lines i felt proud of her she doesn't care what anyone thinks
114
because she's so firm in herself
115
and i think that's very admirable then i went on to
116
read the pearl by john steinbeck you guys know i love
117
east of eden east of eden is one of my favorite
118
books one i read i think two years ago now
119
and i still think about it this pales in comparison however
120
i do think it's unfair to compare this to east of
121
eden in the first place even though both were written by
122
steinbeck anyways this was good it's about a fisherman named kino his wife
123
and his baby son one day they're out fishing
124
and he comes across a pearl
125
and we're talking about the pearl of pearls a giant pearl he has essentially hit the jackpot
126
so they start making plans they can take their baby to
127
the doctor they can send him to school they can make a better life for themselves nope no, because everyone knows about the pearl.
128
There is a giant target on their back.
129
While dodging all the evil people that are trying to take this pearl away from him, Kino himself kind of starts to lose it.
130
All he can think about is the pearl and keeping his pearl and the injustice of other people taking it from him.
131
He's relying on this pearl for his happiness.
132
This read to me like a fable.
133
In fact, I think the little intro of this story calls this a fable, a parable.
134
Yeah, it definitely reads like a parable and the moral lesson is very obvious like you can't miss it.
135
It's a short read.
136
I do think if you have not read and studied this for school it is well worth the read.
137
I also listened to the book This Here Flesh by Cole Arthur Riley.
138
This was recommended to me by Hannah's Reading Again on TikTok and Instagram.
139
After my success with Down the Drain I wanted to try more memoir audiobooks.
140
I think it's just nice hearing people's own voice as they read their own story
141
but I actually wish I had read this one.
142
I listen to audiobooks when I'm doing other things like walking
143
or driving or cleaning and there were so many moments
144
when listening to this where i desperately wanted to underline
145
or highlight something that she had just said i couldn't
146
so i would try to memorize that part
147
so i could google it later
148
if you are interested in this book i recommend buying a
149
physical copy this book is not about one thing i would call it
150
contemplations spirituality and selfhood first and foremost also self -esteem belonging largely the African -American identity and like calling in life.
151
She quotes Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde, and James Baldwin quite a lot and gives context to those quotes.
152
I really liked those parts actually.
153
I did feel that the book had a very loose flow and that she was jumping from topic to topic.
154
I'm not sure if that's because I listened to it however I do think that it worked here.
155
Her writing is very poetic and vulnerable.
156
In one of my reading vlogs I did quote a section I liked which I'll put on the screen here.
157
Yeah mostly I would say
158
if you're interested in reading a book about spirituality as related to selfhood
159
and identity i would highly recommend this i am not particularly
160
spiritual myself however i still did enjoy this the last book
161
i i guess consumed in january was stay true by hua shu
162
and this is also one i listened to it was pretty
163
short i think i finished it in about three days
164
and i don't feel like i listened to it for very long during those three days okay
165
so just like this here flashed down the drain this memoir is about selfhood and being true to yourself.
166
As you can guess by the title, it veers into other related areas such as friendship largely, Asian -American identity, politics as related to Asian -Americans,
167
the marginalization of Asian -Americans and how that can be experienced so differently.
168
And I would say just identity in general as a human being, that universal experience of searching for yourself and your purpose.
169
And I would say the latter half of the book centers mostly around grief and trauma.
170
Okay, so I do think this book is worth reading.
171
I also feel that memoirs sometimes get a pass from being too criticized, because how can I cut down someone's story?
172
I can't.
173
I simply can't hua shu is writing about himself
174
and his life in regards to a tragedy
175
that deeply affected those two things and i feel deeply for
176
that and i only respect it i also feel
177
that i would have liked this more
178
if i had read a physical copy of it i'm not sure how old hua shu was
179
when he was in college but there were a lot of things he was referencing
180
that i had no idea about pop culture things like music
181
and i was curious i wanted to see in writing maybe they were also things
182
that people from California and specifically Berkeley could relate to more.
183
Another reason why I wish I had read this is because his voice sounded so eerily familiar to me.
184
I feel like someone I know was narrating this in my ear.
185
Yeah what I'll say is there were some elements to the writing
186
that I didn't really like and there were some statements he made that kind of made me roll my eyes a bit.
187
Overall though I appreciate his vulnerability in telling his story.
188
I do think it's an impactful story and one
189
that will deeply move a lot of people so if you're interested in reading this, I highly recommend it.
190
Those were all the books I read and listened to in January.
191
I also read Daughter by Claudia Day for most of the month, but I have not finished that yet.
192
I've been taking my time with it.
193
Same with The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin.
194
I feel like these two books are better read at a slower pace so I can really take them in.
195
Anyways, let me know what you guys read in January, any standouts, anything you disliked.
196
I'm always keen to know this.
הורד אפליקציה
כל מה שאתה צריך כדי לדבר בשטף
הגיית AIציון לכל משפט
תרגול IPAשלוט בכל צליל
אוצר מיליםבנה את מאגר המילים שלך
משחק אוצר מיליםלמד תוך כדי משחק
אותו ערוץ
FOR YOU
המלץ על סרטון
B22
199 משפטים
Best Books I've Read in 2026 (so far!) | Reviews & Recommendations
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
134 משפטים
The Dangerous Myth Of The #Girlboss
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
199 משפטים
Finally, I Focus on Myself | Pages From My Old Diary | Gentle English Podcast #mindfulness
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
458 משפטים
She Read 1,200 Pages in ONE Sitting… Has “Intellectual Consumerism” Taken Over BookTok?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2269 משפטים
21 Life-Changing Books Summarized in 18 Minutes
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B29
35 משפטים
Our High Street Is Dying: The Bookshop Is Closing
British AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
20 משפטים
Rosamund Pike takes on the Audible 8!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B24
17 משפטים
My summer arc
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
317 משפטים
I hated reading because of school, then I read one on my own, my life has changed
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
883 משפטים
for ambitious women: how to let go of perfectionism & build your dream life ft. Gaby Ulloa
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
170 משפטים
Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis: 18 Minute Summary
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
224 משפטים
winter is here | gothic literature, design week & self discipline
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
אוצר מילים והערות הגייה לשיעור הזה
שיעור הדיבור הזה ברמה B2 מבוסס על הסרטון “My January Books”. בסרטון הזה יש 196 משפטים ו-2608 מילים לתרגול Shadowing. הדיבור נמשך 11:49. הדובר מדבר מהר, כ-221 מילים בדקה, אז צפו לצלילים מחוברים ומקוצרים. רק 80% מהמילים נמצאות בין 3,000 המילים הנפוצות ביותר באנגלית, כך שאוצר המילים מאתגר.
אוצר מילים מרכזי בסרטון הזה
15 המילים המתקדמות ביותר בסרטון, עם ההגייה והמשמעות שלהן:
| מילה | הגייה | משמעות |
|---|---|---|
| pearl שם עצם | /pɝl/ | פְּנִינָה, מַרְגָּלִית |
| audiobook שם עצם | /ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/ | ספר מוקלט |
| clerk שם עצם | /klɝk/ | פָּקִיד, פקידה |
| hunger שם עצם | /ˈhʌŋɡɚ/ | רָעָב |
| narrate פועל | /ˈnæɹeɪt/ | יפר \ סִפֵּר |
| workplace שם עצם | /ˈwɝkˌpleɪs/ | מקום עבודה |
| drain שם עצם | /dɹiːn/ | נִקּוּז, אגן נקוז |
| fable שם עצם | /ˈfeɪbəl/ | מָשָׁל |
| parable שם עצם | /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/ | מָשָׁל |
| criticize פועל | /ˈkɹɪtɪsaɪz/ | ביקר |
| hustle פועל | /ˈhʌsəl/ | מִהֵר |
| memoir שם עצם | /ˈmɛmˌwɑː/ | זיכרונות |
| narrator שם עצם | /ˈnæˌɹeɪ.təɹ/ | קַרְיָן |
| bitterness שם עצם | /ˈbɪtənəs/ | מרירות |
| fisherman שם עצם | /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ.mən/ | דייג, דַּיָּג |
Phrasal verbs שתשמעו
| מילה | משמעות |
|---|---|
| come back פועל | שָׁב |
| cut down פועל | כָּרַת, חָטַב |
משפטים שכדאי לחזור עליהם
משפטים קצרים ושלמים מהסרטון שאפשר להשתמש בהם בשיחה יומיומית:
- You can't come back home.
- Would I recommend this book?
- I think it's a polarizing one.
- For me, it just didn't work.
- I've been taking my time with it.
דקדוק בסרטון הזה
המבנים שהדובר משתמש בהם הכי הרבה, עם המילים המדויקות מהסרטון:
| מבנה | בסרטון |
|---|---|
| הווה מושלם (Present perfect) have/has + past participle — פעולה שקרתה בעבר ועדיין יש לה חשיבות או השפעה עכשיו | has dealt · she's been born · i've ever seen |
| סביל (Passive voice) be + past participle — הדגש הוא על מה שקורה, לא על מי שעושה את הפעולה | been born · have been born · have been published |
| משפטי זיקה (Relative clauses) who / which + clause — מידע נוסף על אדם או דבר | women who cannot · women who struggle · people that are |
הגייה ששווה לשים לב אליה
הדובר משתמש ב-42 קיצורים וצורות מקוצרות, כמו I'm, don't, didn't. אמרו אותם בצורה הקצרה, כפי שאתם שומעים אותם.
- הצלילים של “th”: scathing /ˈskeɪðɪŋ/, writhe /ɹaɪð/, thoroughly /ˈθʌɹ.ə.li/
- הצלילים של “sh” ו-“zh”: disillusionment /ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒənmənt/, dissociate /dɪˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, companionship /kəmˈpænjənʃɪp/, contemplation /ˌkɑntəmˈpleɪʃən/, fisherman /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ.mən/
- מילים ארוכות — שימו לב להטעמה: audiobook /ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/, disillusionment /ˌdɪsɪˈluːʒənmənt/, dissociate /dɪˈsoʊ.ʃi.eɪt/, spirituality /ˌspɪɹ.ə.t͡ʃuˈæl.ə.tɪ/, admirable /ˈæd.məɹ.ə.bəl/
צלילים שדוברי עברית מתקשים בהם:
- /w/ — שפתיים מעוגלות, לא /v/: workplace /ˈwɝkˌpleɪs/, anyways /ˈɛn.iˌweɪz/, memoir /ˈmɛmˌwɑː/, weaponize /ˈwɛpənaɪz/, memoirs /ˈmɛmˌwɑɹz/
- /æ/ — פתוח יותר מה-“אֶ” העברית, לא כמו “a” ב-“cup”: narrate /ˈnæɹeɪt/, impactful /ˈɪmpæktfəl/, parable /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/, spirituality /ˌspɪɹ.ə.t͡ʃuˈæl.ə.tɪ/, narrator /ˈnæˌɹeɪ.təɹ/
- /r/ — הלשון לא נוגעת בשום מקום, לא ה-“ר” הגרונית: narrate /ˈnæɹeɪt/, trendy /ˈtɹɛndi/, veer /vɪ(ə)ɹ/, drain /dɹiːn/, parable /ˈpæɹ.ə.bəl/
איך לתרגל עם הסרטון הזה
- הקשיבו לכל הסרטון פעם אחת בלי לדבר, ורשמו את המילים שאתם לא מכירים.
- התחילו במהירות 0.75×, תרגלו Shadowing משפט אחר משפט, וחזרו למהירות רגילה כשזה מרגיש קל.
- הקליטו את עצמכם והשוו למקור, תוך תשומת לב למילים כמו pearl, audiobook, clerk.
מהי טכניקת השאדואינג?
שאדואינג היא טכניקת למידת שפה מבוססת מדע שפותחה במקור להכשרת מתורגמנים מקצועיים ופופולרית על ידי הפוליגלוט ד"ר אלכסנדר ארגואלס. השיטה פשוטה אך עוצמתית: אתה מקשיב לאודיו באנגלית ילידית וחוזר עליו בקול רם מיד — כמו צל העוקב אחרי הדובר עם עיכוב של 1–2 שניות בלבד. בניגוד להאזנה פסיבית או תרגילי דקדוק, שאדואינג מכריח את המוח והשרירים בפה לעבד ולשחזר דפוסי דיבור אמיתיים בו זמנית. מחקרים מראים שזה משפר משמעותית את דיוק ההגייה, האינטונציה, הקצב, הדיבור המחובר, הבנת השמיעה ושטף הדיבור — מה שהופך אותו לאחת השיטות היעילות ביותר להכנה לIELTS Speaking ולתקשורת באנגלית בעולם האמיתי.