Shadowing Practice: Improve Your Spoken English in Just 15 Minutes - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Today I'm going to upgrade your English in 15 minutes.

Let's do it.

Hello, it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy, here to help you upgrade your spoken English.

So if you're studying for IELTS, I'll show you how you can go from a band 6 to a band 7.

And also if you're just studying for general English conversational English.

This will help you to see how you can expand your vocabulary and be more flexible and precise with your spoken English.

So what I'll do is I'll show you 10 different situations where we use English

and I'll show you a simple basic sentence, then an upgraded version, and then why it's better.

And that's it.

Okay, let's do it.

Let's begin with situation or function Number one.

Okay, giving opinions.

I'm going to give you a sentence that is simple.

Actually, I'm going to call it nice and simple because it's still good English

and then an upgraded version and then explain why.

Okay, giving opinions.

Here we go.

I think it's good because it helps people.

I'd say it's generally a positive thing because it helps people in the long run

okay now the upgraded version is upgraded

because it uses what we call hedging it's quite soft instead

of saying it's good like for everybody it helps people it helps everybody well does it Is it black and white?

It's generally a positive thing.

It's more subtle.

It's just softening it, making it more, almost more precise, if you like.

It's not black and white.

It's generally a positive thing.

And secondly, we're giving a time reference in the long run.

A nice way of developing your answer or your phrase.

Okay, number two.

Okay, number two, giving reasons.

I like it because it's interesting i like it mainly because it keeps me engaged and it's mentally challenging

so the second one here again is using hedging and softening i like it mainly because

suggesting it's not the only reason there's more nuance there right i like it mainly because and And then secondly,

we're using more precise verbs.

If you say it's interesting, what does that mean?

It's interesting, it can be many things.

Precise verbs are great for precise meaning, right?

It keeps me engaged, it's mentally challenging.

Nice way, again, to develop your sentences.

Next one.

Okay, next, talking about frequency.

Nice and simple.

I often go to the gym.

Upgraded.

I try to go to the gym two or three times a week, depending on my schedule.

Okay, so what we've done here is we've gone into more detail, more specific.

Rather than saying often, never, rarely, sometimes, you can switch that to twice a week,

two or three times a day, just being more specific.

And then also, depending on my schedule, it's introducing kind of a real life constraint.

In reality, that we are constrained by our timetable.

So it's giving extra information.

And don't be afraid with longer sentences to pause.

You'll notice I had a very natural pause in the middle.

I try to go to the gym two or three times a week, depending on my schedule.

It's perfectly natural.

It's nice.

So don't be afraid to upgrade.

Let's move on to number four.

Okay, adding detail.

Nice and simple.

I live in a big city.

It's busy in summer.

upgraded.

I live in a fairly large city on the coast, so it's quite lively, especially in the summer.

Right, the upgrade here is all about adverbs, these softening adverbs.

It's fairly large.

It's quite lively.

These just give it an extra nuance, a bit more precision, especially in summer.

Okay.

And the other thing to notice is the so.

We're adding an extra clause and connecting it.

Rather than I live in a big city, it's busy in summer.

I live in a fairly large city on the coast.

So, consequence, so, it's quite lively, especially in summer.

Nice way to upgrade your sentences.

Let's move on to number five.

Right, number five is describing preferences.

Nice and simple.

I prefer watching movies at home.

Upgraded.

Overall, I prefer watching movies at home mainly because it's more comfortable and less expensive.

So what we've got here again is that hedging, that kind of softening.

I prefer blah, blah, blah.

It's very blank and kind of direct.

Overall, I prefer, or generally speaking, or I tend to prefer, it's a great way to hedge or soften what you're saying.

Very natural in spoken English.

Generally, I prefer watching movies at home, So mainly because, again, just that softening.

Not because, but mainly because.

And then secondly, we've got these comparatives.

So giving a reason why you prefer it, comparing.

If you prefer A to B, you'll be using comparatives.

Here it's more comfortable and less expensive.

Great way to extend and develop your sentences and upgrade.

Let's take a little break.

So, I hope you're enjoying the video or your coffee or whatever you're doing.

If you are finding this useful, do like and subscribe to the channel.

Turn on notifications, it does help.

And why not think about joining my channel?

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Become a member of English Speaking Success.

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Each month I publish new videos for members only, often insights into my life,

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connecting the things I'm talking and teaching to my life.

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So you get to see a little bit more how my life is inside, insights to my life, connecting it to English.

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And also lots of extra IELTS model answers if you're preparing for the IELTS speaking test.

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When you go to subscribe, press the join button as well two birds with one stone, subscribe, join and Bob's your uncle.

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Right now, let's get back to our lesson.

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Right, next one.

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But first, just a word of warning or a caveat.

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You may be thinking, Keith, do I have to use such complicated language all the time?

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No, you don't.

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Native speakers use a mix of simple and complex language.

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That's why I call the examples nice and simple.

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It's absolutely fine, but sometimes you may want to upgrade and use more complex language.

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Don't feel the pressure.

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Let's get into number six.

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Okay, number six, expressing uncertainty.

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Classic IELTS exam situation.

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Nice and simple.

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I'm not sure.

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Upgraded.

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I haven't really thought about it before, but I'd probably say.

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Here, it's just a classic time filler.

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You're gaining time by saying something.

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It's also quite nice grammar.

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I haven't thought about it before.

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And a bit of hedging, again, softening, I'd probably say, you're not sure, right?

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So I'd probably say, da, da, da, da.

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Great IELTS strategy.

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Let's move on to number seven.

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Okay, number seven is talking about the past.

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Nice and simple.

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When I was a child, I played football a lot.

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Upgraded.

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When I was younger, I used to play football quite regularly with my friends after school.

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So what's different here?

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In the upgraded, instead of using the simple past, which is fine, we're using used to.

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It's another way of expressing the past.

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I used to play football quite regularly.

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Again, it's a frequency marker.

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Instead of a lot, quite regularly, a bit more precise.

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And then finally, we're giving context with my friends after school.

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Giving a bit of extra context just makes it richer communication.

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Let's move on.

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OK, comparing past and present.

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Nice and simple.

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My life is different now.

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Upgraded.

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My life has changed quite a lot compared to a few years ago, especially in terms of work. So what's different here?

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We've used a comparison phrase, right?

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We say compared to a few years ago.

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Being more precise, rather than my life is different now, my life has changed quite a lot compared to five years ago.

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Specific comparative time reference, right?

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And then we've got this narrowing of the topic, especially in terms of work.

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So if your life has changed, narrow the topic and talk about one specific thing, especially in terms of work.

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It's a great technique for so many situations.

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You narrow the topic, you go down that path.

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Great way to develop your sentences and answers if you're doing IELTS speaking.

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Next.

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Okay, number nine, giving examples.

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Nice and simple.

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I like pop music.

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For For example, Taylor Swift.

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Upgraded.

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I like pop music.

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Take Taylor Swift, for example.

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I think she's so creative and entertaining.

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Now, the first one is good, but the second one is more natural.

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For example, Taylor Swift.

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It's okay, but take for example, a bit more natural.

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And secondly, there's a reason.

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You're then adding why she's a good example.

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I think she's so creative and entertaining.

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Adding that extra reason, developing your sentence.

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Good.

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Let's move on to the last one, number 10.

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Okay, finally, ending answers naturally.

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Nice and simple.

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That's it.

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Upgraded.

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So yeah, that's probably the main reason.

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Okay, that's it.

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I actually say that in my videos a lot, right?

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That's it.

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End of the video.

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That's fine.

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But in a conversation or with an examiner in an interview, not very natural.

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It's too sharp, too direct.

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That's it.

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Yeah.

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So, yeah, that's probably the main reason.

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Probably, again, hedging, softening, nice, natural way to end your answer.

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And takes us to a nice, natural ending of the video, I think.

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So let me just summarize how we've upgraded our vocabulary and our sentences here.

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We've used a very, very British thing here, which is hedging and softening.

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It's mainly because I'd probably say, very nice, very useful.

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We're explaining and giving reasons for things.

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So, being more precise, using adverbs, right?

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It's fairly good.

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It's quite lively.

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Really nice way to develop and upgrade.

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adding a frequency or time frame.

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Instead of I often go, I go two times a week or twice a week.

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Giving more context.

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I play football with my friends after school or narrowing the topic, right?

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My life has changed, especially in terms of work.

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Things like this.

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These are all lovely ways to upgrade your vocabulary or extend your language.

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As I said in the break, don't feel you have to always use complicated English.

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No, it's a balance.

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Sometimes simple, nice and simple, sometimes upgraded.

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Okay, get the balance right, as the famous singers of Depeche Mode said.

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That's it for today.

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Thank you so much for watching the video.

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If you want to review and practice everything, there is a PDF you can download in the description.

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If you want to take your learning a step further to go much deeper with me, check out my online courses.

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There's a description down below and I'd love to see you there learning with me.

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For now though let's say hasta luego, see you soon, all the best now.

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Bye bye.

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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les

Deze spreekles op niveau B2 is gebaseerd op de video “Improve Your Spoken English in Just 15 Minutes”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: simple, upgraded, giving, English, upgrade. Deze video bevat 220 zinnen en 1835 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 14:02. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 131 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. 83% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken.

Belangrijke woorden in deze video

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

Woord	Uitspraak	Betekenis
soften werkwoord	/ˈsɑfən/	verzachten
precise bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/pɹɪˈsaɪs/	nauwkeurig, precies
hedge zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈhɛd͡ʒ/	haag
lively bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/ˈlaɪv.li/	levendig
comparative bijvoeglijk naamwoord	/kəmˈpæɹətɪv/	vergelijkend
vocabulary zelfstandig naamwoord	/vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/	woordenschat, vocabulaire
subscribe werkwoord	/səbˈskɹaɪb/	abonneren
depend werkwoord	/dɪˈpɛnd/	afhangen
nuance zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈnjuː.ɑːns/	nuance
verb zelfstandig naamwoord	/vɝb/	werkwoord
entertain werkwoord	/ˌɛntəˈteɪn/	vermaken, amuseren
pause zelfstandig naamwoord	/pɔːz/	pauze
insight zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/	inzicht
caveat zelfstandig naamwoord	/ˈkæviɑt/	waarschuwing
constrain werkwoord	/kənˈstɹeɪn/	dwingen

Phrasal verbs die je zult horen

Woord	Betekenis
check out werkwoord	onderzoeken
go down werkwoord	afdalen

Zinnen om te herhalen

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

I think it's good because it helps people.
If you say it's interesting, what does that mean?
It keeps me engaged, it's mentally challenging.
Let's move on to number four.
We're adding an extra clause and connecting it.

Grammatica in deze video

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

Structuur	In de video
Voorwaardelijke zinnen if + zin, will/would + werkwoord — een voorwaarde en het gevolg	if you're studying for IELTS, I'll show · If you prefer A to B, you'll be
“Used to” used to + werkwoord — een vroegere gewoonte of toestand die niet meer klopt	used to play
Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt	we've done · haven't really thought · haven't thought
Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet	is upgraded · are constrained

Uitspraak om op te letten

De spreker gebruikt 48 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals you're, we've, I'd. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.

De klanken “sh” en “zh”: conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, precision /pɹɪˈsɪʒ.ən/, publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/
Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: comparative /kəmˈpæɹətɪv/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/, examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/

Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:

Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: hedge /ˈhɛd͡ʒ/, comparative /kəmˈpæɹətɪv/, subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/, depend /dɪˈpɛnd/, verb /vɝb/
/æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: comparative /kəmˈpæɹətɪv/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, caveat /ˈkæviɑt/, examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, blank /ˈblæŋk/
/g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: examiner /əɡˈzæmɪnɚ/, grammar /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/

Zo oefen je met deze video

Luister de hele video één keer zonder te spreken en noteer de woorden die je niet kent.
Spreek zin voor zin na op normale snelheid en herhaal elke zin tot je ritme gelijk is aan dat van de spreker.
Neem jezelf op en vergelijk met het origineel; let daarbij op woorden als soften, precise, hedge.

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: Improve Your Spoken English in Just 15 Minutes - 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?