Shadowing Practice: The Egg - A Short Story - Learn English Speaking with Video
Les maken...
1
You were on your way home when you died.
2
It was a car accident.
3
Nothing particularly remarkable, but fatal nonetheless.
4
It was a painless death.
5
The medics tried their best to save you, but to no avail.
6
Your body was so utterly shattered, you were better off, trust me.
7
And that's when you met me.
8
What happened?
9
Where am I?
10
You died, I said, matter-of-factly.
11
No point in mincing words.
12
There was.. there was a truck, and it was skidding.
13
Yes.
14
I...
15
I died.
16
Yes.
17
But don't feel bad about it.
18
Everyone dies.
19
You looked around.
20
There was nothingness.
21
Just you and me what is this place is this the afterlife more or less are you god yes i'm god
22
my kids my wife what about them will they be all right that's what i like to see i said
23
You just died and your main concern is for your family.
24
That's good stuff right there.
25
You looked at me with fascination.
26
To you, I didn't look like God.
27
I just looked like some man or possibly a woman.
28
Some vague authority figure maybe.
29
Don't worry, I said.
30
They'll be fine.
31
Your kids will remember you as perfect in every way.
32
They didn't have time to grow contemptuous of you.
33
Your wife will cry on the outside, but will be secretly relieved.
34
To be fair, your marriage was falling apart.
35
If it's any consolation, she'll feel very guilty for feeling relieved.
36
Oh, so what happens now?
37
Do I go to heaven or hell or something?
38
Neither.
39
You'll be reincarnated.
40
Ah!
41
So the Hindus were right.
42
All religions are right in their own way.
43
Walk with me.
44
You followed along as we strode through the void. Where are we going?
45
Nowhere in particular.
46
It's just nice to walk while we talk.
47
So, what's the point then?
48
When I get reborn, I'll just be a blank slate, right?
49
A baby.
50
So, all my experiences and everything, everything I did in this life, won't matter.
51
Not so.
52
You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives.
53
You just don't remember them right now.
54
I stopped walking and took you by the shoulders.
55
Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful and gigantic than you can possibly imagine.
56
A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are.
57
It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold.
58
You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.
59
You've been in a human for the last 48 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness.
60
If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything.
61
But there's no point to doing that between each life.
62
How many times have I been reincarnated then?
63
Oh, lots.
64
Lots and lots.
65
And into lots of different lives.
66
This time around you'll be a Chinese peasant girl in 540 AD.
67
Wait, what?
68
You're sending me back in time?
69
Well, I guess technically.
70
Time as you know it only exists in your universe.
71
Things are different where I come from.
72
Where.. where you come from?
73
Oh sure, I come from somewhere, somewhere else, and there are others like me.
74
I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly, you wouldn't understand.
75
Oh, you said, a little let down.
76
But wait, if I get reincarnated to other places in time, I could have interacted with myself at some point.
77
Sure, happens all the time.
78
And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan, you don't even know it's happening.
79
So, what's the point of it all?
80
I looked you in the eye.
81
The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature.
82
You mean mankind?
83
You want us to mature?
84
No, just you.
85
I made this whole universe for you.
86
With each new life, you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect.
87
Just me?
88
What about everyone else?
89
There is no one else.
90
In this universe, there's just you and me.
91
You stared blankly at me.
92
But all the people on Earth?
93
All you, different incarnations of you of you.
94
Wait, I'm everyone.
95
Now you're getting it.
96
I'm every human being who ever lived.
97
Or who will ever live, yes.
98
I'm Abraham Lincoln.
99
And you're John Wilkes Booth too.
100
I'm Hitler, you said, appalled.
101
And you're the millions he killed.
102
I'm Jesus.
103
And you're everyone who followed him.
104
You fell silent.
105
Every time you victimized someone, you were victimizing yourself.
106
Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself.
107
Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was or will be experienced by you.
108
You thought for a long time.
109
Why?
110
Why do all this?
111
Because someday you will become like me.
112
Because that's what you are.
113
You're one of my kind.
114
You're my child.
115
Wow, you said incredulous.
116
You mean, I'm a god?
117
No, not yet.
118
You're a fetus.
119
You're still growing.
120
Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born.
121
So the whole universe, it's just...
122
an egg, I answered.
123
Now it's time for you to move on to your next life.
124
And I sent you on your way.
125
Thank you.
126
Thank you.
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Woordenschat en spreektips bij deze les
Deze spreekles op niveau C1 is gebaseerd op de video “The Egg - A Short Story”. Deze woorden komen het vaakst terug: universe, lots, looked, died. Deze video bevat 126 zinnen en 905 woorden om na te spreken. Het gesproken deel duurt 7:52. De spreker praat in een gelijkmatig tempo van ongeveer 115 woorden per minuut, prettig om te shadowen. 86% van de woorden hoort bij de 3.000 meest gebruikte Engelse woorden; de rest kun je beter vooraf bekijken. 20 van de 126 zinnen zijn vragen, dus het is goede oefening voor vraagintonatie en korte antwoorden.
Belangrijke woorden in deze video
De 15 moeilijkste woorden uit de video, met uitspraak en betekenis:
| Woord | Uitspraak | Betekenis |
|---|---|---|
| reincarnate werkwoord | reïncarneren | |
| relieve werkwoord | /ɹɪˈliːv/ | opluchten |
| afterlife zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈæftɚˌlaɪf/ | onderwereld, leven na de dood |
| contemptuous bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /kənˈtɛmp.t͡ʃu.əs/ | minachting |
| fascination zelfstandig naamwoord | /fæsɪˈneɪʃən/ | fascinatie |
| incredulous bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /ɪnˈkɹɛd͡ʒələs/ | ongelovig, sceptisch |
| intellect zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈɪntəlɛkt/ | intellect |
| painless bijvoeglijk naamwoord | pijnloos | |
| reborn bijvoeglijk naamwoord | herboren | |
| shatter werkwoord | /ˈʃætɚ/ | aan diggelen slaan, verbrijzelen |
| stride werkwoord | /stɹaɪd/ | schrijden |
| consolation zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˌkɑn.səˈleɪ.ʃən/ | vertroosting |
| fetus zelfstandig naamwoord | /ˈfiːtəs/ | foetus |
| gigantic bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /d͡ʒaɪˈɡæntɪk/ | gigantisch |
| vague bijvoeglijk naamwoord | /veɪɡ/ | vaag |
Phrasal verbs die je zult horen
| Woord | Betekenis |
|---|---|
| back out werkwoord | zich terugtrekken |
| fall apart werkwoord | uiteenvallen, uit elkaar vallen |
| let down werkwoord | teleurstellen |
Zinnen om te herhalen
Korte, volledige zinnen uit de video die je in alledaagse gesprekken kunt gebruiken:
- They didn't have time to grow contemptuous of you.
- How many times have I been reincarnated then?
- You're sending me back in time?
- You want us to mature?
- You mean, I'm a god?
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 it's any consolation, she'll feel |
| Present perfect have/has + voltooid deelwoord — iets uit het verleden dat nu nog telt | you've gained · You've been · you've done |
| Lijdende vorm be + voltooid deelwoord — het gaat om wat er gebeurt, niet om wie het doet | be reincarnated · been reincarnated · will be experienced |
Uitspraak om op te letten
De spreker gebruikt 37 samentrekkingen en verkorte vormen, zoals you're, I'm, you've. Spreek ze kort uit, zoals je ze hoort.
- De klanken “sh” en “zh”: fascination /fæsɪˈneɪʃən/, incarnation /ˌɪŋ.kɑɹˈneɪ.ʃən/, shatter /ˈʃætɚ/, consolation /ˌkɑn.səˈleɪ.ʃən/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/
- Lange woorden — let op de klemtoon: contemptuous /kənˈtɛmp.t͡ʃu.əs/, fascination /fæsɪˈneɪʃən/, incarnation /ˌɪŋ.kɑɹˈneɪ.ʃən/, incredulous /ɪnˈkɹɛd͡ʒələs/, consolation /ˌkɑn.səˈleɪ.ʃən/
Klanken die Nederlandstaligen lastig vinden:
- Stemhebbende eindmedeklinker — /b/, /d/, /g/, /z/, /v/ niet verscherpen: victimize /ˈvɪktɪmaɪz/, relieve /ɹɪˈliːv/, stride /stɹaɪd/, vague /veɪɡ/, mankind /mænˈkaɪnd/
- /æ/ — opener dan de Nederlandse “e”: afterlife /ˈæftɚˌlaɪf/, blankly /ˈblæŋk.li/, fascination /fæsɪˈneɪʃən/, lifespan /ˈlaɪf.spæn/, shatter /ˈʃætɚ/
- /g/ — een harde plofklank, geen Nederlandse “g”: gigantic /d͡ʒaɪˈɡæntɪk/, vague /veɪɡ/, magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/
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 reincarnate, relieve, afterlife.
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.