Shadowing Practice: I Never Had A Real Friend Like Me - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hi, I'm Edith from Ohio.

Yeah, I know I sound like an 80-year-old woman.

My dad was very close to his great-grandmother, and he insisted that his first child would be named after her.

Unfortunately, that's me.

Also, as you can see, I'm in a wheelchair.

I had a spinal injury when I was little, and I don't even remember what it's like to walk.

So if you want to feel bad for me, it should only be because of my name.

Before I continue, please like and subscribe.

After me came my sisters, Louisa, Isabel, and Celine.

Their names are pretty because mom chose them.

We lived in a kind of poor household in a small town, with parents who were galaxies apart.

My dad was a neuroscientist who lived in our basement.

He was convinced he was on to some groundbreaking research that would win him the Nobel Prize.

But every year, his research got rejected.

It had almost become a metaphor in our town.

It'll rain today, I'm sure of it.

As sure as Mr. Arnstein getting rejected again.

Ugh, my son has failed 10th grade again.

He's really pulling a Mr. Arnstein on us.

Those comments made me so mad.

No one was as smart or hardworking as my dad.

Mom, on the other hand, was pretty and vain.

She never met a reflective surface she didn't like.

All she'd ever wanted was a fancy life, so she reminded dad of his failures every day.

When I met you, you made me believe you were freaking Einstein.

I thought we'd be rich by now.

Can't you discover gravity or something already?

Like, really, how hard is it?

I might figure out all the mysteries of the universe before I understand why I asked you to marry me.

Ugh, I was such a fool the day I said yes.

Not much has changed since.

Mom unhappily ran a small flower shop to make ends meet.

As the eldest, I wanted to make things easier for both my parents.

I was a model student, and I tried helping out at home by making my sisters responsible.

It worked when they were younger, but they were growing up to be useless.

Especially my second sister, Louisa, who was a lot like mom.

She was pretty, but apparently her nose wasn't rich-looking enough.

What does that even mean, girl?

I've got this flat button nose, and rich people have cute upturned noses.

Ah, okay, gotcha.

They look like they can smell cow dung all the time.

Exactly.

She would sleep with a clothespin on her nose, hoping it would turn upwards.

She'd also poke her cheek with a pencil while doing her homework, thinking if she did that every day, she might get a cute dimple.

Such a moron.

The other two weren't much better.

Isabelle wanted to be a dancer, and I've never met anyone so uncoordinated.

Celine was also super untalented, but she kept trying new things all the time, hoping to find her true calling soon.

No one prayed harder than me that it would be really soon.

Luckily, I'd inherited dad's brains, and in the 11th grade, I got a scholarship into a private school that would open up great opportunities for college.

You've always been my favorite for a reason, darling.

I know you'll do amazing things one day.

I know you will too, Dad.

I was really excited to start school until disaster struck, and my crazy family was to blame entirely for it.

A week before, Mom came home really excited one day because she'd received a huge order for flowers at a rich client's house.

And the minute my sisters heard that, they were dying to go with Mom to help her.

Dad was out of town, and I'd just settled in for a peaceful evening by myself when I got a frantic call from Isabel.

Edith, I'm at the police station.

Mom and Louisa are going to jail.

What?

What do you mean they're going to jail?

Louisa stole a necklace from the rich lady's room and got caught.

Mom begged and cried, but the lady called the police.

Please, you have to go talk to her.

Ugh, Louisa was such a pain.

Isabelle sent me the lady's location pin, and I took the bus to this massive mansion.

I was asked to wait in the main hall, and I just couldn't resist taking a spin on the marble floors.

But suddenly, I lost control of my wheelchair and went crashing into the center table, which sent a huge fishbowl to the ground, which made the servants running in slip on the water and land on their butts.

Oopsie-tasey.

Soon, I was in the library, facing the snooty owner and her carbon-copy snooty daughter.

Who are you, and what are you doing in my house?

Again, so sorry for the damage.

I'd love to repay you, but my parents are poor, so I can't.

Speaking of parents...

Actually, my mom is the flower lady who came here today, and the girl who took something from you is my, um, sister?

What?

You're related to those thieves?

Louisa's mentally unstable, I swear.

And some days, she just refuses to take her meds.

Please, please don't send them to jail.

What will I do without my mom, given my condition?

This is very distressing, and the doctors have told me stress is really bad for me.

The lady didn't look happy, but she called the police station and asked for Mom and Louisa to be released.

I thanked them profusely, and just as I was leaving, I ran into a school bag lying on the floor, knocking over its contents.

Do you even know how to use that thing?

You should take driving classes or something.

I apologized and left, but I was horrified.

This girl was going to the same school I'd just gotten into.

How has my life suddenly become so complicated?

Oh, I'll tell you.

It's because Miss Kleptomaniac here decided to steal, and I had to save her greedy butt.

And now I have to go to school with this snooty girl who thinks I'm from a family of thieves.

Oh, what a great start.

Edith, are you done with this useless family meeting?

Louisa and I have had a very tough day, and we need our beauty sleep.

Maybe the girl won't remember who you are.

Fingers crossed.

Yeah, right.

In fact, as luck would have it, that girl and I were in the same class.

100

Her name was Haley, and the minute she saw me, her face went from shock to a wide grin.

101

Uh-oh.

102

And soon, Haley became my arch-nemesis.

103

Apparently, she was the smartest kid in class till I turned up.

104

She was also beautiful and wealthy, and she was dating the star basketball player Cody.

105

And Cody was fine.

106

But Haley still didn't like being knocked off the number one student spot.

107

How about we make a deal, Edith?

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You can act a little less smart in class, and I won't tell everyone how we really know each other.

109

I won't be doing that, thanks.

110

I can make your life miserable, you know.

111

You really want to make the wheelchair girl's life miserable?

112

How would it make you look if I started telling people you're bullying me?

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It'll tank your popularity.

114

and you might even get suspended or worse.

115

And Haley knew I was right.

116

We just never got along and continued to compete in class.

117

I always got the highest marks in subjects like math and physics, but she beat me in history and literature.

118

She knew she couldn't openly bother me, but she tried in sneakier ways.

119

Like one morning when I wheeled into literature class, our teacher, Miss Agatha, was looking furious and everyone was staring at me.

120

And that's when I saw the chalkboard.

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On the lower half, it said, Ms. Agatha should change her name because she is not cool like Agatha Christie.

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In fact, she is dull and ugly and stupid.

123

I think she was a toad in another life.

124

She is- It went on and on, and the lovely cursive handwriting was unmistakably mine.

125

Okay, I know what this looks like, but I really didn't do this.

126

Detention for a week.

127

Ugh, this Haley was good.

128

She'd copied my handwriting to perfection.

129

I didn't take her prank sitting down, though.

130

Well, I'm always sitting down, but you know what I mean.

131

I just had a lot of accidents around her.

132

Oops, sorry, lost control.

133

That jacket looks new, huh?

134

Sorry, Sorry, I just didn't see your toes.

135

You have really tiny feet, Haley.

136

Then one day, our principal came to class to tell us about a statewide competition for which one student would be chosen from the school, and all interested candidates had to sit for a test.

137

Also, I should add that the winner of the competition will get a full scholarship to any university of their choice.

138

This was a chance to make all my dreams come true.

139

I spent countless hours studying for the test.

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I knew Haley was preparing for it, too, even though she didn't need a scholarship.

141

It was just an attempt to beat me.

142

The test was tough, but I did my best.

143

And guess what?

144

It was good enough.

145

I managed to come out on top, and I was over the moon.

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But there was one problem.

147

The competition required a big entry fee, and I had to travel to another town and cover those expenses too.

148

I wanted to ask my parents for help, but that evening, I heard a huge fight between them over money, and I just couldn't.

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I wasn't giving up, though, not after coming this far.

150

So I decided to sell tacos in the school cafeteria because seriously, I make the world's best tacos.

151

I could cover the cost of ingredients and I just needed to sell enough for two weeks to collect the amount I needed.

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I set up a little taco corner in the cafeteria and they were an instant hit.

153

My tacos were selling like hotcakes till the awful lunch ladies in the cafeteria reported me to the principal.

154

And I was informed that I couldn't sell food on school premises.

155

So the next day, as soon as school ended, I was ready with my taco stall right outside the school gate.

156

Technically not on school premises, so no one could say anything to me.

157

Even some friends joined me in selling them, and the first few days, things were going great.

158

But suddenly, things started going very wrong.

159

Students started getting sick in school with similar symptoms, and parents poured in with complaints.

160

The principal launched an investigation, and it wasn't long before they discovered the problem.

161

My tacos!

162

I was suspended for two weeks, but worse than that, Haley was chosen for the competition instead.

163

And I was devastated.

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I didn't even tell anyone at home I was suspended.

165

They all thought I had spring break.

166

But three days later, the most unlikely thing happened.

167

Cody, Haley's boyfriend, came to visit me at home.

168

Um, hello.

169

I'm Cody from school.

170

I came to see if you were doing okay.

171

Oh, wow.

172

You're welcome.

173

You too.

174

What?

175

Can I come in?

176

Or are you busy?

177

No, no. I'm not busy.

178

I mean, yes, I am busy.

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Actually, there's an avocado that's going bad, and I need to make some guacamole.

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But it can wait a bit longer.

181

Not too long, though.

182

What was I even saying?

183

And that afternoon, Cody told me that Haley had sabotaged my taco business.

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She'd mentioned something about bringing you down, and I thought she was kidding.

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She got someone to mix something into your food, which made everyone sick.

186

I am so sorry.

187

I couldn't believe that someone could be so heartless, and there was nothing I could even do about it.

188

And I just started to cry.

189

There'll be other chances, Edith.

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And I can't believe you started a business and made that much money.

191

You're really cool and brave.

192

After that, Cody started visiting regularly during my suspension, and we'd have fun and joke around.

193

He really made me feel seen, and we could talk about anything.

194

Do you feel people act weird around you sometimes?

195

Yeah, most people get so awkward when they see a wheelchair.

196

Like, they don't know if they need to express sympathy or if they should just ignore it completely.

197

But really, I'm fine, and I just want people to act normal.

198

Do you wish you could walk someday?

199

More than anything in the world, I dream about it all the time.

200

Cody pressed my hand and smiled warmly, and my heart fluttered.

201

And when I went back inside, my stupid sisters were waiting for me with huge grins.

202

You like him.

203

You wanna hug him.

204

You wanna kiss him.

205

You wanna...

206

Shut up, Louisa.

207

He's just a friend.

208

You may be book smart, but you don't know the first thing about boys.

209

He's not coming over every day because he likes you as a friend.

210

And if you're not interested in dating him, I can.

211

I mean, it would be a crime to let this rich, yummy boy go.

212

Shut up, Louisa.

213

He's mine.

214

When my suspension ended, I was back to school ready to work hard again.

215

Actually, I was looking forward to seeing Cody more than anything, but to my disappointment, I found him right next to Hayley.

216

I gave him a small wave, and he just looked away.

217

Well, I guess things were back to normal.

218

Cody had just felt bad for me, and he tried to make me feel better.

219

He was still gonna choose Hayley because she was everything a guy could want.

220

Soon enough, the spring dance was on everyone's mind, but I wasn't even thinking about it till one day in the cafeteria, I was reading by myself when Cody sat and joined me.

221

Edith, I'm sorry I've been avoiding Will you go to the spring dance with me?

222

What?

223

But what about Haley?

224

You, you stole my boyfriend.

225

You act like this poor little wheelchair girl, but you're so cunning.

226

And I'm done keeping your stupid little secret too.

227

Hey, everyone.

228

Did Edith ever tell you that her sister's a thief who stole something from my house?

229

Who knows?

230

Maybe dishonesty runs in the family.

231

And Edith's lying, and she can't actually walk.

232

That's enough.

233

I broke up with you because I don't love you, Haley.

234

Please, just back off and stop spreading lies lies about Edith.

235

No one's buying them.

236

Least of all me.

237

Haley stared at us furiously, then screamed and stormed off.

238

So, where were we?

239

Oh yeah, the spring dance.

240

Go with me.

241

Since you're desperate.

242

Sure.

243

We had an amazing time dancing away.

244

And then we went out for a breather and shared our first kiss.

245

Well, my first kiss ever.

246

And it was magical.

247

But when I got back home, I found dad in the lounge in tears.

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Dad, what's wrong?

249

Are you okay?

250

I'm more than okay, honey.

251

I just won a huge research grant.

252

Oh my god, I knew you'd do it.

253

I'm so proud of you.

254

What's your research about?

255

It's about you.

256

It's all I've been working on for years, and I couldn't give up.

257

You never lost complete sensation in your feet, Edith, and I've been working on developing a machine that can get you walking again.

258

I don't want to raise your hopes too high, but it's a very real possibility, and we have the money to try it out.

259

Dad, I can't believe you did this for me.

260

Even if it all doesn't go to plan, this means everything.

261

Well, long story short, I was one of dad's subjects, and within two months, he got me to stand on my own two feet.

262

A baby couldn't be prouder of his first steps than I was, and all of my mom's and sister's dreams came true too.

263

We moved to a much bigger house with much fancier things, and mom didn't have to work anymore.

264

I knew I always made the right choice marrying you, Mr. Arnstein.

265

I'm still wondering why I married you, but let's not argue anymore, dear.

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau C1 is gebaseerd op de video “I Never Had A Real Friend Like Me”. Deze video bevat 265 zinnen en 2751 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 13:35. De spreker praat snel, ongeveer 203 woorden per minuut, dus reken op verbonden en ingeslikte klanken. Slechts 81% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden, dus de woordenschat is pittig.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
taco zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈtɑkoʊ/	taco
wheelchair zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈ(h)wilt͡ʃɛɹ/	rolstoel
cafeteria zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/	kantine, cafetaria
suspend werkwoord	/səsˈpɛnd/	schorsen
thief zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈθiːf/	dief, dievegge
handwriting zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈhændɹaɪtɪŋ/	handschrift
grin zelfstandig naamwoord	/ɡɹɪn/	grijns
premise zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈpɹɛm.ɪs/	voorwaarde
stare werkwoord	/stɛɚ/	staren
avocado zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/	avocado
cunning bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ˈkʌnɪŋ/	sluw, doortrapt
cursive zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈkɝsɪv/	schrijfletter, cursief
dimple zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈdɪm.pəl/	bult, gaatje
dishonesty zelfstandig naamwoord	/dɪsˈɒnɪ.sti/	oneerlijkheid
flutter werkwoord	/ˈflʌtɚ/	wapperen

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
give up werkwoord		zich overgeven
shut up	/ʃʌt ʌp/	hou je kop, kop dicht
sit down werkwoord		gaan zitten
come over werkwoord		langskomen
figure out werkwoord		uitvogelen, er achter komen
get along werkwoord		opschieten, overeenkomen
go back werkwoord		teruggaan
knock over werkwoord		omgooien

Zinnen om te herhalen

Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:

Can't you discover gravity or something already?
What do you mean they're going to jail?
You're related to those thieves?
Do you even know how to use that thing?
How has my life suddenly become so complicated?

Grammatica in deze video

De structuren die de spreker het meest gebruikt, met de exacte woorden uit de video:

Structuur	In de video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — iets dat eerder begon en nog bezig is	I've been avoiding · I've been working
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	would be named · was asked · be released
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	has failed · has changed · I've never met

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 85 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals I'm, didn't, couldn't. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De “th”-klanken: thief /ˈθiːf/, breather /ˈbɹiː.ðə(ɹ)/, sympathy /ˈsɪm.pəθ.i/
De klanken “sh” en “zh”: sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/, sensation /sɛnˈseɪʃən/, detention /dɪˈtɛnʃn̩/, perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, mansion /ˈmæn.ʃən/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: cafeteria /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/, miserable /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/, avocado /ˌɑvəˈkɑdoʊ/, dishonesty /dɪsˈɒnɪ.sti/, furiously /ˈfjʊə̯ɹi.ə̯sli/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: suspend /səsˈpɛnd/, chalkboard /ˈt͡ʃɔːk.bɔː(ɹ)d/, cursive /ˈkɝsɪv/, reflective /ɹɪˈflɛktɪv/, sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: cafeteria /ˌkæ.fə.ˈtɪ(ə).ɹi.ə/, handwriting /ˈhændɹaɪtɪŋ/, frantic /ˈfɹæn.tɪk/, unhappily /ʌnˈhæpɪli/, sabotage /ˈsæb.əˌtɑʒ/
/g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: grin /ɡɹɪn/, gotcha /ˈɡɑ.tʃə/, groundbreaking /ˈɡɹaʊndˌbɹeɪkɪŋ/, guacamole /ˌɡwɑ.kəˈmol.i/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Begin op 0,75× snelheid, spreek zin voor zin na en ga terug naar normale snelheid zodra het makkelijk gaat.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als taco, wheelchair, cafeteria.

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.

Shadowing-techniek: lees de volledige stap-voor-stap-gids →

Shadowing Practice: I Never Had A Real Friend Like Me - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Zinnen om te herhalen

Grammatica in deze video

Uitspraak om op te letten

Zo oefen je met deze video

Wat is de Shadowing-techniek?