Shadowing Practice: 00. Welcome Guide - Effortless Real English - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hello, this is Kristen.
2
And this is Joe.
3
We wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the Learn Real English family
4
and to tell you a little about the lessons.
5
Now, these lessons are based on real, authentic English conversations that Joe and I have had with each other and our friends, and also with my mom.
6
These are actual conversations that we've had, so you will become familiar, more familiar with real spoken English.
7
So you'll hear Kristin and I in the conversations and also doing the lessons.
8
You'll also hear our friend AJ Hoag from Effortless English.
9
He's done some of the lessons as well.
10
Okay, so now a little bit about the lessons.
11
Each lesson set has a conversation, a vocabulary lesson, and a mini-story lesson for you to listen to.
12
And we've also included the text for each of these in case you want to read along as you listen.
13
The key to learn real English is deep learning.
14
The best way to use these lessons is to listen to one lesson set at a time.
15
You should spend at least one week on each lesson set.
16
Now remember, one lesson set has a conversation, a vocabulary lesson, and a mini story lesson in it.
17
So listen to the lesson set every day for at least one week before moving on to the next set.
18
Even if the lesson set is easy, you should still continue for one week.
19
And if after a week the lesson set is difficult, continue listening until you have a basic understanding.
20
Also, you want to be sure that you do the lesson sets in order
21
because the ones at the end are more difficult.
22
We've included a welcome guide that has some more instructions, so please read it before you start listening to the lessons.
23
And if you have any questions or comments about the lessons, you can go to our discussion board.
24
It's at www.effortlessenglishforums.com.
25
Okay, so now you're ready to start.
26
Thanks for joining the Learn Real English family, and good luck with the lessons.
27
But most importantly, make sure you have fun.
📺 Same Channel
B11
02.a Trip to Washington Conversation - Effortless Real English
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A2Article #22 My Worst Fear - Learn English via Listening Level 02
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A21
Unit 19 A Housewarming Party - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
2.04a Meddling Mother-In-Law - Effortless Original English
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B15
Unit 18 He's Famous! - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A251
Unit 7 Cell Phone Messages - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B124
Unit 11 Gold - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
A24
Unit 8 Bubbles in Boiling Water - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A212
Unit 10 A New Camera - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B14
Unit 4 Bird Watching - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Travel EnglishDaily Conversation
B150
Unit 2 Let's Recycle! - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
A221
Unit 3 Growing Roses - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
Unit 13 The School Play - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A23
Unit 14 Ballet Class - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B14
2.03e Lost Custody Commentary - Effortless Original English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B126
Unit 1 A Picnic by the River - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Daily Conversation
B14
Unit 6 An Easy Way to Shop - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
Travel EnglishDaily Conversation
B12
Unit 1 Antarctica - Listening Practice Through Dictation 2
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B13
Unit 12 The Summer Music Festival - Listening Practice Through Dictation 1
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
2.04d Meddling Mother-In-Law Vocab - Effortless Original English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
✨ Recommend Video
A25,794
11 sentences
English Speaking and Listening Practice for Beginners
KidsTravel EnglishTeens
B11
69 sentences
Effortless English Course To Learn English Speaking By AJ Hoge
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
37 sentences
Stop Struggling! Learn English Naturally through slow Stories | Welcome to Emily Daily English
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
340 sentences
English Podcast For Easy English Conversation | Talking About Choices | Daily Life English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
459 sentences
How to Speak English Fluently like an American in just 1 Month (Step by step) - Part 1
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1121 sentences
Real English Conversations | At the Gym | Learning English by conversation
Business EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B11
310 sentences
23 Minutes of British English Listening Practice! (MODERN RP)
British AccentCambridge Exam PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
37 sentences
Effortless English Rule 1
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B117
209 sentences
5 Easy Apps to Boost Your English Learning | Google, Microsoft, Amazon, etc.
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B1277 sentences
The Hidden Stage Between Beginner and Fluent
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
57 sentences
Why I Teach English Differently
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B1221 sentences
English Tips | The Tommy Podcast | Episode 12
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 27 sentences and 360 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:34. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
- mini /ˈmɪn.i/ (adjective) — Miniature, tiny, small.
- vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (noun) — A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
- instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ (noun) — The act of instructing, teaching, or providing with information or knowledge.
- importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/ (adverb) — Used to mark a statement as having importance.
- authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/ (adjective) — Of the same origin as claimed; genuine.
- familiar /fəˈmɪl.jəɹ/ (adjective) — Known to one, or generally known; commonplace.
- conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.
- welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
- text /tɛkst/ (noun) — A writing consisting of multiple glyphs, characters, symbols or sentences.
- join /ˈd͡ʒɔɪn/ (verb) — To connect or combine into one; to put together.
- spend /spɪnd/ (verb) — To pay out (money).
- luck /lʌk/ (noun) — Something that happens to someone by chance, a chance occurrence.
- basic /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (adjective) — Necessary, essential for life or some process.
- comment /ˈkɑmɛnt/ (noun) — A spoken or written remark.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- read along (verb) — To read together with another person, or with another presentation (TV etc)
- set in (verb) — To take root, become established.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, you'll, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/, actual /ˈækʃuəl/, discussion /dɪˈskʌʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like lesson, mini, vocabulary.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've also included · We've included |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should spend · should still continue |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will become · you'll hear · You'll also hear |
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.