Shadowing Practice: 12 Angry Men great scene - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
C1
All right, I don't have anything brilliant.
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All right, I don't have anything brilliant.
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I only know as much as you do.
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According to testimony, the boy looks guilty.
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Maybe he is.
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I sat there in court for six days listening while the evidence built up.
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Everybody sounded so positive.
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You know, I began to get a peculiar feeling about this trial.
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I mean, nothing is that positive.
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There are a lot of questions I would like to ask.
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I don't know, maybe they wouldn't have meant anything, but...
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I began to get the feeling that the defense counsel wasn't conducting a thorough enough cross-examination.
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I mean, he let too many things go by, little things.
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What little things?
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Listen, when these fellows don't ask questions,
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it's because they know the answers already and they figure they'll be hurt.
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Maybe it's also possible for a lawyer to be just plain stupid, isn't it?
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I mean, it's possible.
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You sound like you met my brother-in-law once.
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I kept putting myself in the kid's place.
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I'd have asked for another lawyer, I think.
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I mean, if I was on trial for my life I'd want my lawyer to tear the prosecution witnesses to shreds,
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or at least try to.
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Look, there was one alleged eyewitness to this killing.
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Someone else claims he heard the killing,
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saw the boy run out afterwards,
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and there was a lot of circumstantial evidence.
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But actually, those two witnesses were the entire case for the prosecution, supposing they're wrong.
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What do you mean, supposing they're wrong?
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What's the point of having witnesses at all?
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Could they be wrong?
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What are you trying to say?
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Those people sat on the stand under oath.
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They're only people.
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People make mistakes.
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Could they be wrong?
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Well, no, I don't think so.
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You know so.
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Oh, come on, nobody can know a thing like that.
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This isn't an exact science.
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That's right, it isn't.
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Okay, let's get to the point.
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What about the switch knife they found in the old man's chest?
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Wait a minute.
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There's some people who haven't talked to it.
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Shouldn't we go in order?
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They'll get a chance to talk to it.
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Be quiet a second, will you?
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What about it?
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The knife this fine, upright boy admitted buying...
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...the night of the killing.
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Let's talk about it.
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All right, let's talk about it.
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Let's get it in here and look at it.
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I'd like to see it again, Mr. Foreman.
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We all saw what it looks like.
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Why do we have to see it again?
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The gentleman has a right to see exhibits and evidence.
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Say, could you bring us the knife?
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The knife?
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Yeah.
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The knife and the way it was bought is pretty strong evidence, don't you think?
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I do.
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Good.
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Now, suppose we take these facts one at a time.
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One, the boy admitted going out of the house at eight
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o'clock on the night of the murder after being slapped several times by his father.
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No, no, no. No, he didn't say slapped.
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He said punched.
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There's a difference between a slap and a punch.
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After being hit several times by his father.
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Two.
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He went directly to a neighborhood junk shop.. where he bought one of those...
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Switch knives.
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Switch blade knives.
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This wasn't what you'd call an ordinary knife.
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It had a very unusual carved handle and blade.
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The storekeeper who sold it to him said it was the only one of its kind he had ever had in stock.
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Three.
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He met some friends of his in front of a tavern about 8.45.
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Am I right so far?
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Yes, you are.
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You bet he is.
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He talked with his friends for about an hour, leaving them at 9.45.
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During this time, they saw the switch knife.
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Four.
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They identified the death weapon in court as that very same knife.
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Five.
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He arrived home at about 10 o'clock.
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Now, this is where the stories offered by the state and the boy begin to diverge slightly.
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He claims that he went to a movie at about 11.30,
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returning home at 3.10 to find his father dead and himself arrested.
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He also claims that the two detectives arrested him and threw him down a half a flight of stairs.
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Now, what happened to the switch knife?
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He claims that it fell through a hole in his pocket on the way to the movie,
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sometime between 11.30 and 3.10,
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and that he never saw it again.
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Now there is the tale, gentlemen.
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I think it's quite clear that the boy never went to the movies that night.
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No one in the house saw him go out at 11.30,
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no one at the theater identified him.
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He couldn't even remember the names of the pictures he saw.
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What actually happened is this.
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The boy stayed home, had another fight with his father,
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stabbed him to death, and left the house at 10 minutes after 12.
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He even remembered to wipe the knife clean of fingerprints.
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Now, are you trying to tell me that this knife.. really fell through a hole in the boy's pocket?
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Someone picked it up off the street,
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went to the boy's house.. and stabbed his father with it just to test its sharpness?
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No, I'm just saying it's possible the boy lost his knife.. and that somebody else stabbed his father with a similar knife.
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It's just possible.
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Take a look at this knife.
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It's a very unusual knife.
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I've never seen one like it.
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Neither had the storekeeper who sold it to the boy.
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Aren't you asking us to accept a pretty incredible coincidence?
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I'm just saying a coincidence is possible.
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And I say it's not possible.
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Where did that come from?
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It's the same night.
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Where did you get it?
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I went out walking for a couple of hours last night.
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I walked through the boy's neighborhood.
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I bought that in a little pawn shop just two blocks from the boy's house.
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It cost six dollars.
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It's against the law to buy or sell switchblade knives.
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That's right.
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I broke the law.
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Listen, you pulled a real bright trick.
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Now, suppose you're telling me what it proves.
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Maybe there are ten knives like that.
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So what?
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Maybe there are.
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What does it mean?
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You found another knife like it.
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What's that, the discovery of the age or something?
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You mean you're asking us to believe that somebody else did the stabbing with exactly the same kind of knife?
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The odds are a million to one.
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It's possible.
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But not very probable.
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Context & Background
The scene from "12 Angry Men" portrays a pivotal discussion in a tense jury deliberation concerning a young man's life. The dialogue unfolds as one juror begins to express doubt about the evidence presented during the trial. This uncertainty opens up a vital conversation about the reliability of witnesses and the nature of testimony, encouraging the audience to think critically about justice and truth. It presents a rich opportunity for English learners to engage with complex themes, idiomatic expressions, and varied sentence structures.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I mean, nothing is that positive." - This phrase emphasizes skepticism and the need for careful consideration.
- "What do you mean, supposing they're wrong?" - A phrase that invites critical thinking and questions assumptions.
- "People make mistakes." - A reminder about human fallibility, applicable in many contexts.
- "What about the switch knife they found?" - Effective for drawing attention to specific details in discussions.
- "I'd want my lawyer to tear the prosecution witnesses to shreds." - A vivid expression of wanting thoroughness in defense, showcasing a strong stance.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use the shadowing technique with this video, follow these steps:
- Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the scene without any interruptions. Pay attention to the tone, intonation, and rhythm of the speech.
- Transcribe: Write down the parts of the dialogue that resonate with you. This will help you familiarize yourself with vocabulary and sentence structure. Focus on phrases that express opinion and doubt.
- Repeat: Use the shadow speech method. Play a segment of the video and repeat it immediately after the speaker. This helps with improving English pronunciation and fluency.
- Practice with Variation: Change your pitch and speed as you practice. Mimicking the emotional intensity of the characters can provide deeper insights into the dialogue.
- Engage with a Partner: If possible, practice with a fellow learner. One can take on the role of the jury members while the other plays the opposing view. This will enhance your English speaking practice skills.
By incorporating these steps into your learning routine, you’ll not only improve your language skills but also gain confidence in expressing complex ideas and emotions in English. Engaging with dramatic scenes like this one offers an immersive way to learn English with YouTube, expanding both your vocabulary and speaking abilities.
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.
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