Shadowing Practice: Personal Best A2 Learning Curve Unit 8 pt. 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Les maken...
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Hello, it's time for Learning Curve again.
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That's right.
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Simon?
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Wow, and I'm just in time, Kate.
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My tube station was closed.
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I took a taxi.
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I was lucky that the driver had a sat-nav.
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It's a good thing to have when the roads are very busy.
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It told us to drive here a different way.
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It only took 15 minutes and cost about 14 pounds.
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A sat-nav?
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Oh, you mean a GPS.
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Yes, it can tell you exactly where the traffic is.
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And that brings us to today's topic, inventions.
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What inventions do you think are important?
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So, tell us more about the sat-nav or GPS and the person who invented it, Simon.
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In the UK we call it sat-nav.
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That's satellite navigation.
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In the US it's It's called GPS.
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Its full name is Global Positioning System.
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You call it by both names, but it's a very easy and modern way to help drivers find faster,
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better ways to get from place to place and avoid traffic.
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The inventor of this popular system was Roger Easton, the father of the GPS.
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In 1943, Easton worked in the United States at a research center in Washington, DC.
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In the early 1960s, Easton studied objects moving around the earth in the sky.
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He thought
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that a good way to find the position of moving objects
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here on Earth was to put clocks on a system of satellites in the sky.
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It cost about $100 million to build the first GPS.
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That's about £76 million.
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On February 22nd, 1978, the first GPS satellite,
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called Navstar, went to space.
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We can now use the system Roger Easton invented to travel easily from A to B.
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It's a very popular machine.
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It helped the taxi driver find the roads and helped me to arrive on time today.
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Are you enjoying that coffee, Kate?
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Oh yeah, I love a cup of coffee in the morning.
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And I love a cup of tea.
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And I can thank Melita Benz from Germany for her invention.
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Her special filter helps me make a cup of coffee at home.
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Melita Benz was born on January 31st, 1873, more than 140 years ago.
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In the early 20th century, people made their coffee by putting it in a little bag and then putting that little bag in hot water.
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But it didn't taste very good.
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Melita Benz invented a way to pour water through a special piece of paper to make coffee.
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It was delicious.
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She started her own company and gave it her first name.
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Melita is a company that is now over 100 years old.
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I usually spend two to three pounds, three to four dollars, when I buy a coffee at a cafe.
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I can save money by making coffee at home with this invention.

Speaking Goals for This Clip

This video is perfect for english speaking practice and IELTS speaking practice, targeting fluency in discussing everyday inventions and personal experiences. Learners will master describing how tools like GPS or coffee filters impact daily life, a key skill for real-world conversations and exam tasks. The dialogue’s natural flow also helps build confidence in sharing anecdotes, such as explaining a late arrival or favorite morning routine—critical for sounding authentic in spoken English.

Phrase Bank

  • “It's a good thing to have when…” – Use to highlight the value of an item in specific situations.
  • “That brings us to today's topic…” – Smoothly transition into a new subject, ideal for discussions or presentations.
  • “I can thank [person] for their invention” – Connect a product to its creator, adding depth to descriptions.
  • “It helped [someone] to [action]” – Explain how an invention solves a problem, useful for storytelling.
  • “I can save money by [doing something]” – Discuss practical benefits, a common IELTS speaking theme.

Fix Your Weak Spots

The video’s conversational pace makes it great for shadowspeak (repeating phrases aloud to mimic rhythm and pronunciation). Focus on reducing pauses in longer sentences, like “It told us to drive here a different way, and it only took 15 minutes.” Notice how the speakers stress key words (e.g., “lucky,” “delicious”) to emphasize meaning—this is crucial for clear communication. Practice saying “sat-nav” and “GPS” with natural intonation, as mispronouncing technical terms can confuse listeners. By shadowing the dialogue, you’ll also improve your ability to link ideas smoothly, a skill that boosts both fluency and IELTS speaking scores.

Whether you’re learning English with videos or practicing shadowing, this clip offers actionable tools to sound more confident and natural in everyday conversations. Use the phrases and techniques here to turn simple discussions into engaging, well-structured exchanges.

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.