Shadowing Practice: 1.01b A Day For The Dead MS - Effortless Original English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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278 sentences
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Welcome to the mini -story for Day of the Dead.
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In the mini -story, I will do three things.
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I will make a statement.
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For example, I arrived in Guatemala.
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When you hear a statement a sentence you just say ah
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or oh okay you need to say that show
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that you understand this is not a question okay a statement is not a question so
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when you hear a statement say ah for example
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I arrive in Guatemala ah okay the second thing I
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will do is ask a question you know the
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answer to for example where do I arrive
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okay I will stop you say the answer okay you must
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say the answer to every question I say I arrive in Guatemala where did I arrive
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you say Guatemala okay easy
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and number three I might ask a question you don't know the answer to
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if you don't know the answer just guess say any answer
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but you must answer every question use your pause button
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if necessary okay let's begin okay here we go I
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arrived in Guatemala on the day of the dead November
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first did I arrive in Guatemala yes yes I arrived in Guatemala where did I
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arrive Guatemala right I arrived in Guatemala I arrived in
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Guatemala on the day of the dead November 1st who arrived
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in Guatemala on the day of the dead well me AJ
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right I arrived in Guatemala on the day of the dead
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November 1st did I arrive in Guatemala on November 3rd
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no no I didn't arrive in Guatemala on November 3rd I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st.
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What day did I arrive in Guatemala?
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November 1st. I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st. Where did I arrive on November 1st?
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well Guatemala right I arrived in Guatemala on November 1st I
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arrived in Guatemala on the day of the dead November 1st I was curious about this holiday.
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So I went to the cemetery to see what was happening.
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Was I angry about this holiday?
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No, no, I wasn't angry about this holiday.
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Was I sad about this holiday?
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No, no I wasn't sad about this holiday I was
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curious about this holiday who was curious about this holiday
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well I was AJ I was curious about this holiday what What was I curious about?
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The holiday.
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I was curious about the holiday.
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which holiday was I curious about
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which holiday was I curious about the day of the dead
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I was curious about the day of the dead was I curious about the day of the dead
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or was I curious about Christmas well I was
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curious about the day of the dead of course I was curious about the day of the dead
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so I went to the cemetery to see what was
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happening where did I go to the cemetery
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I went to the cemetery did I go to the cemetery
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or did I go to the airport he's a I
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went to the cemetery who went to the cemetery well me right AJ I went to the cemetery
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where did I go to the cemetery right I went to the cemetery
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when did I go to the cemetery November 1st the
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day of the dead right I went to the cemetery on
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the day of the dead November 1st why
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did I go to the cemetery well to see what was happening?
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I went to the cemetery to see what was happening.
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Who went to the cemetery to see what was happening?
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Me, AJ, went to the cemetery to see what was
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happening where was the cemetery in Guatemala the cemetery was in Guatemala
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what is the day of the dead a holiday the day of the dead is a holiday day.
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When is the Day of the Dead?
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November 1st. The Day of the Dead was and is November first.
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Okay, so I went to the cemetery on the Day of the Dead to see what was happening.
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What I found was quite interesting. Was it boring?
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No, no, it wasn't boring was it interesting yes yes
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it was interesting the cemetery was interesting
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how did I feel about the
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cemetery I felt it was interesting
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or I thought it was interesting was it boring
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or was it interesting it was interesting of course
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it was interesting what was interesting the cemetery the cemetery was interesting
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when was the cemetery interesting it was interesting
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on the day of the dead November 1st okay the atmosphere in the cemetery was like a party
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was the atmosphere very sad no no the atmosphere
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was not sad the atmosphere was like a party
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the atmosphere was very happy was the atmosphere sad or happy
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the atmosphere was happy the atmosphere was like a party what was like a party
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the atmosphere the atmosphere in the cemetery was
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like a party where was the atmosphere
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like a party in the cemetery right the cemetery
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the atmosphere was like a party in the cemetery
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was the atmosphere like a party at my house no no
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not at my house the atmosphere was like a party in
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the cemetery the atmosphere was not like a party in my house so the atmosphere was like a party
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there were people everywhere families were sitting around
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the graves of their dead ancestors where were the families sitting
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around the graves right they were sitting around the graves
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who was sitting around the graves the families right the families were sitting around the graves.
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Were they sitting around the trees?
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No, they weren't sitting around the trees.
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They were sitting around the graves.
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So where were they sitting?
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Around the graves.
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Families were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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Were they sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors?
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Yes, yes, they were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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Were they sitting around the graves of their friends?
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No, not really.
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They were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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Who was sitting around the graves?
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That's right, families were sitting around the graves whose graves were they
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sitting around whose graves were they sitting around
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yes their dead ancestors their ancestors their ancestors graves they
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were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors were they sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors
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or the graves of their friends ancestors right they
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were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors they cleaned the graves
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and added fresh flowers okay who cleaned the graves
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that's right the families what did they
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add they added fresh flowers did they
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add food no no they didn't add food did they add money
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no no they didn't add money they added fresh flowers what did they clean
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they cleaned the graves whose graves did they clean
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their ancestors right they cleaned their ancestors
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graves where did they add flowers where
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oh they added flowers to the graves that's right they cleaned the graves
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and added fresh flowers good I walked through the cemetery
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and admired the beauty of all the colorful flowers
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where did I walk through the cemetery I
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walked through the cemetery did I walk through the park no
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I didn't walk through the park I walked through the
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cemetery where did I walk through the
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cemetery who walked through the cemetery I
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did AJ I walked through the cemetery did I walk through the cemetery
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or did I walk through the park I walked through the cemetery that's right
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and I admired the beauty of all the colorful
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flowers did I admire the beauty of the trees no
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no I didn't admire the beauty of the trees did I
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admire the beauty of the children no I didn't admire the beauty of the children
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what did I admire the flowers right yeah I admired
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the beauty of all the colorful flowers who admired the
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beauty of all the colorful flowers that's right AJ me admired the beauty of all the colorful flowers where were the flowers
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on the graves right or in the cemetery right the flowers were on the graves in the cemetery
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were the flowers in the park no they weren't in the
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park were the flowers in my house no they weren't
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in my house where were the flowers the flowers were
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on the graves in the cemetery where did
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I walk I walked through the cemetery
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when did I walk through the cemetery ah November 1st the
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day of the dead right November 1st the day of the
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dead I walked through the cemetery what was
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the cemetery like like a party it was like
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a party the cemetery was like a party was
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I curious about this holiday yes I was curious about this holiday which holiday day was I curious about?
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Yes, the day of the dead.
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I was curious about the day of the dead.
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So I walked through the cemetery there was also color in the sky
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because many kids were flying kites where was the color
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in the sky that's right in the sky why was their color
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in the sky huh
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because kids were flying kites right the kites there was color in the sky
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because kids were flying kites who were flying kites
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kids kids were flying kites was the sky colorful
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or was the sky gray the
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sky was colorful what was colorful the sky all right the sky was colorful why was the sky colorful
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because kids were flying kites what were the kids
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flying kites that's right the kids were
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flying kites where were they flying kites in the cemetery
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right the kids were flying kites in the cemetery who was flying kites in the cemetery
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kids right children kids were flying kites in the cemetery
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some families were having a picnic next to
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the graves we in the United States don't do this
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so some families were having a picnic next to the graves they ate they drank
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and they chatted together did they
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eat yes they ate who ate families right
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of course families ate what did they eat huh they
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ate Guatemalan food right food from Guatemala the families
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ate Guatemalan food did they eat American food no no they didn't eat American food they ate Guatemalan food.
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Where did they eat Guatemalan food? In the cemetery, right?
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They ate food in the cemetery.
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They ate Guatemalan food in the cemetery.
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They also drank in the cemetery did they drink water
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in the cemetery no no what did they
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drink in the cemetery they drank beer
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who drank beer the families the families drank beer.
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What did they eat?
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Guatemalan food.
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They ate Guatemalan food and drank beer.
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Did they drink beer or did they drink water?
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They drank beer where did they drink beer they drank beer in the cemetery
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when did they drink beer ah November 1st the day of the dead they drank beer
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when did they
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eat they ate right on November 1st the day of the dead did they chat together
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yes they chatted together who chatted together the families of course the families chatted together.
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When did they chat together?
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Yes, November 1st, the day of the dead.
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And people laughed and smiled.
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In the United States, cemeteries are always somber.
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Are cemeteries happy in the United States?
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No, no, no,
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never cemeteries aren't happy in the United States cemeteries are always somber sad
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and serious are cemeteries serious in the United States
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yes yes they are in cemeteries are always somber
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they are always serious in the United States are cemeteries somber
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or are cemeteries happy somber right cemeteries
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are always somber in the United States was
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the cemetery somber in Guatemala no no it wasn't
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somber in Guatemala the cemetery wasn't somber in Guatemala but in the United States cemeteries are always somber.
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Are cemeteries always somber in Guatemala or in the United States?
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In the United States cemeteries are always somber.
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Where are cemeteries always somber?
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The United States that's right in the United States cemeteries are
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always somber are they happy no no they are always somber
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cemeteries in the United States are always somber very very somber we certainly never have festivals or parties next to graves.
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Do we have parties next to graves?
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No, we don't.
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We don't have parties next to graves.
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Do we ever have parties next to graves?
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No, we never have parties next to graves do
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we ever have parties in restaurants yes yes we have parties in restaurants
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but we never have parties next to graves do we ever
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have parties in houses yes yes we do we have parties in houses
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but we never have parties next to graves do we
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ever have parties next to graves no never we never have parties next to graves.
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Where do we never have parties?
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Next to graves.
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We never have parties next to graves.
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Do we ever?
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No. Never.
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We never have parties next to graves.
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Not ever.
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Never.
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Remember, we don't laugh or play music or fly kites in cemeteries either.
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Do we laugh in cemeteries usually?
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No, we don't.
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We don't laugh in cemeteries. Where don't we laugh?
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In cemeteries, that's right okay I found
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that I preferred the Guatemalan approach did I find
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that I preferred the American approach or did I find
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that I preferred the Guatemalan approach well the Guatemalan approach I found that I preferred the Guatemalan approach.
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Did I find that I preferred the American approach?
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No, I didn't.
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I didn't find that I preferred the American approach.
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I found that I preferred the Guatemalan approach.
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Which approach did I prefer?
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I preferred the Guatemalan approach.
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Did I prefer the American approach?
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No. who preferred the Guatemalan approach me AJ
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right I preferred the Guatemalan approach I found
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that I preferred the Guatemalan approach I liked the way they remembered and celebrated those who had passed away did they celebrate
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those who were alive no no they didn't celebrate those who
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were alive they celebrated those who had passed away did they celebrate those who had passed away
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or those who had become rich they
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celebrated those who had passed away who celebrated those who had passed away
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Guatemalans right Guatemalans celebrated those who had passed away
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when did they celebrate those who had passed away
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on the day of the dead November 1st on the day
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of the dead November 1st they celebrated those
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who had passed away who celebrated
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the Guatemalans the Guatemalan families celebrated who
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did they celebrate they celebrated those who had passed away I liked
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that they acknowledged death instead of denying it the way Americans do who liked
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that they acknowledged death yeah me AJ right me I liked that they acknowledged death.
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Did they acknowledge money or did they acknowledge death?
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They acknowledged death.
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What did they acknowledge?
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Death they acknowledged death. Who acknowledged death?
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Guatemalans, right?
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Guatemalans acknowledged death.
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Did they acknowledge death
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or did they acknowledge money they acknowledged death
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instead of denying it who denies
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death Americans right Americans deny death do Guatemalans deny death no no No,
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not Guatemalans, Guatemalans don't deny death, Americans deny death.
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Do I like that Americans deny death?
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No I don't, I don't like it, I don't like that Americans deny death,
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but I like that there is life as well as death in Guatemalan cemeteries I liked
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that did I like their cemeteries yes I
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liked their cemeteries what did I like their cemeteries Guatemalan cemeteries I liked Guatemalan cemeteries.
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Did I like Guatemalan cemeteries or did I like Guatemalan restaurants?
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I liked Guatemalan cemeteries whose cemeteries did
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i like guatemalans right guatemalan cemeteries i
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liked the guatemalans cemeteries guatemalans cemeteries whose cemeteries did i like the Guatemalans cemeteries.
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I liked the Guatemalans cemeteries.
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Guatemalans call it the day of the dead, but it is also a day to appreciate life.
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Okay, that is all for this mini story.
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This was a very slow and soft mini story
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so this mini story is good for beginning level
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learners for intermediate learners for advanced learners I use many stories
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that are much faster and more difficult but this mini story is for beginners okay see you next time bye bye
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “1.01b A Day For The Dead MS - Effortless Original English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cemetery, graves, guatemalan, dead, cemeteries. This video has 278 sentences and 2726 words to shadow. The speech runs for 36:25. The speaker talks slowly, about 75 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cemetery noun | /ˈsɛm.ɪˌtɛɹ.i/ | A place where the dead are buried; a graveyard or memorial park. |
| grave noun | /ɡɹeɪv/ | An excavation in the earth as a place of burial. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| curious adjective | /ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/ | Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| kite noun | /ˈkiːtɛ/ | A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae. |
| acknowledge verb | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in. |
| admire verb | /ədˈmaɪɹ/ | To regard with wonder and delight. |
| colorful adjective | /ˈkʌl.əɹ.fl̩/ | Possessing prominent and varied colors. |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| picnic noun | /ˈpɪknɪk/ | An informal social gathering, usually in a natural outdoor setting, to which the participants bring their own food and drink. |
| gray adjective | /ɡɹeɪ/ | Of a color between black and white, having neutral hue and intermediate brightness. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sit around verb | To spend time sitting idly, not doing anything important. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. |
| pass away verb | To die. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Was I angry about this holiday?
- Was I sad about this holiday?
- Do we have parties next to graves?
- Do we ever have parties next to graves?
- Where do we never have parties?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | those who had · those who were |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was happening · were sitting · was sitting |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will do · will make · will stop |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to say · must answer |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: cemetery /ˈsɛm.ɪˌtɛɹ.i/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/
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 cemetery, grave, arrive.
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.