Shadowing Practice: 2026 08 20 Reflection 422 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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St. Bernard was born in France during the 11th century and joined the Cistercian monks at Citeaux.
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Just a few years after joining the order, Bernard was chosen to lead a group of monks to found a new monastery
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that he named Clairvaux and where he served as its first abbot.
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He led the monks by example in the practice of virtue, traveled all over Europe to combat schism and dissent in the church,
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and was very successful in restoring peace and unity.
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St. Bernard was also a scholar who wrote numerous theological and spiritual works, and his most popular writings were on the love of God.
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Jesus' parable of the laborers in the vineyard highlights God's generosity as well as his love, mercy, and justice.
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When we truly encounter the living God in the person of Jesus Christ, when we experience intimate, personal,
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loving, and life-giving communion, we live out our baptismal call to holiness and become workers in the Lord's vineyard.
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when we work diligently to harvest much fruit for God before the sun sets on our earthly life.
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Whether we enter the vineyard early or late in life, it doesn't matter to God.
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All are rewarded with the generous and equal gift of eternal life.
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This is why we cannot become complacent or lazy in our faith, as many Catholics were during the life of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
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Making excuses for why we are not living our faith with passion and conviction won't cut it with God.
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St. Bernard, for example, was chronically ill most of his life and used his suffering to honor and glorify God.
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My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us strive to put into practice in our daily life the wisdom of St. Bernard, a true shepherd of the gospel.
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Let us work for the food that does not perish, our salvation.
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Let us work in the vineyard of the Lord and dig up wisdom, its hidden treasure, a treasure we all look for and want to obtain.
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When we put our relationship with God first in our lives above all else, then we will live in the house of the Lord all the days of our life,
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savor his sweetness, and behold his holy temple.
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Amen.
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Thank you.

What You'll Learn from This Video

This clip is a fantastic tool for building conversational fluency and public speaking confidence. You’ll practice structuring longer, meaningful sentences—like the ones describing St. Bernard’s life—while learning to connect ideas smoothly. It also helps with expressing complex themes (like faith and purpose) in clear, heartfelt language, which is key for real-world communication. Whether you’re using a shadowing site or app, mimicking this dialogue will make you more comfortable with extended speaking tasks.

Listen For These Sounds

Pay attention to connected speech in phrases like “lived out our baptismal call”—the “d” in “lived” links softly to “out,” and “our” reduces to “er.” You’ll also hear linking in “work diligently to harvest,” where “to” becomes “tuh” to flow with the next word. Notice how “doesn’t matter” shortens to “dun’t matter,” a common reduction in natural speech. These nuances are what make shadowing practice with a good app so effective for sounding more native.

Say It Like a Native

The speaker’s rhythm is steady and deliberate, with stress on key words like “generosity,” “holiness,” and “salvation.” Mirror this by pausing slightly after commas and emphasizing those impactful terms—this will make your speech more engaging. Practice shadowing the phrase “dig up wisdom, its hidden treasure” to mimic the rising intonation on “treasure,” which adds emphasis. Tools like shadowspeaks or a shadowing app can help you match the pace and stress, boosting your English pronunciation and making your speech sound more natural. Remember, even small adjustments—like softening “t” sounds in connected speech—can make a big difference. Keep practicing, and you’ll soon speak with the same clarity and warmth as the speaker!

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?

Shadowing is een wetenschappelijk onderbouwde taalleermethode die oorspronkelijk is ontwikkeld voor professionele tolkentraining en gepopulariseerd door polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. De methode is eenvoudig maar krachtig: je luistert naar native Engelse audio en herhaalt het onmiddellijk hardop — als een schaduw die de spreker volgt met slechts 1–2 seconden vertraging. In tegenstelling tot passief luisteren of grammaticadrills, dwingt shadowing je hersenen en mondspieren om echte spraakpatronen tegelijkertijd te verwerken en te reproduceren. Onderzoek toont aan dat het de uitspraaknauwkeurigheid, intonatie, ritme, verbonden spraak, luisterbegrip en spreekvaardigheid aanzienlijk verbetert — waardoor het een van de meest effectieve methoden is voor IELTS Speaking-voorbereiding en echte Engelse communicatie.