Shadowing Practice: 12 highlights: Mark Zuckerberg's Harvard commencement speech - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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If I get through this speech today,
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If I get through this speech today,
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it'll be the first time I actually finish something here at Harvard.
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How many of you remember exactly where you were
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and what you were doing when you got that email telling you you got into Harvard?
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I was playing the video game Civilization,
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and I ran downstairs and got my dad,
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and for some reason his first reaction was to video me opening the email.
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That could have been a really, really sad video.
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But I swear, getting into Harvard is the thing my parents are most proud of me for.
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I was running late for class,
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so I threw on a t-shirt,
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and I didn't realize until afterwards that I put it on inside out
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and backwards and my tag was sticking out the front.
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I couldn't figure out why no one in class would talk to me.
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Except for this one guy, KXGin.
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He just went with it.
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We started doing our problem sets together and now he runs a big part of Facebook.
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And that, class of 2017,
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is why you should be nice to people.
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As luck would have it,
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Priscilla was at that party with her friends,
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and we met in line for the bathroom in the Foho bell tower,
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and in what must be one of the all-time most romantic lines,
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I turned to her and said,
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I'm getting kicked out in three days,
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so we need to go on a date quickly.
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Actually, any of you graduating today can use that line.
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But I'm not here to give you the standard commencement about finding your purpose.
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We're millennials.
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We try to do that instinctively.
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Instead, I'm here to tell you that finding your purpose isn't enough.
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the challenge for our generation is to create a world where everyone has a sense of purpose.
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I remember that night I launched Facebook from that little dorm in Kirkland house.
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I went to Noakes with my friend KX,
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and I remember telling him clearly that I was excited to help connect the Harvard community,
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but one day someone would connect the whole world.
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The thing is, it never even occurred to me that that someone might be us.
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And I know that a lot of you are going to have your own stories just like this.
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A change in the world that seems so clear that you are sure someone else is going to do it.
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But they're not.
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You will.
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A couple years in, some big companies wanted to buy us.
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I didn't want to sell.
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I wanted to see if we could connect more people.
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Nearly everyone else wanted to sell.
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Without a sense of higher purpose,
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this was their startup dream come true,
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and it tore our company apart.
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After one particularly tense argument,
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one of my close advisors told me if I didn't agree to sell the company right now,
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I would regret that decision for the rest of my life.
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Relationships were so frayed that within a year or so,
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every single person on our management team was gone.
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That was my hardest time leading Facebook.
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Movies and pop culture just get this all wrong.
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The idea of a single eureka moment is a dangerous lie.
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It makes us feel inadequate because we feel like we haven't had ours yet.
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And it prevents people with seeds of good ideas from ever getting started in the first place.
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Oh, and you know what else movies get wrong about innovation?
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No one writes math formulas on glass, okay?
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Alright?
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That's not a thing, okay?
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In our society, we often don't take on big things because we're so afraid of making mistakes
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that we ignore all the things wrong today if we do nothing.
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The reality is, anything we do today is going to have some issues in the future.
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But that can't stop us from getting started.
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An entrepreneurial culture thrives when it is easy to try lots of new ideas.
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Facebook wasn't the first thing I built.
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I also built chat systems and games,
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study tools and music players, and I'm not alone.
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J.K.
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Rowling got rejected 12 times before she finally wrote and published Harry Potter.
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Even Beyonce had to make hundreds of songs to get Halo.
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The greatest successes come from having the freedom to fail.
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We all know you don't get successful just by having a good idea or working hard.
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You get successful by being lucky too.
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If I had to support my family growing up instead of having the time to learn how to code,
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If I didn't know that I was going to be fine,
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if Facebook didn't work out,
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then I wouldn't be standing up here today.
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And if we're honest, we all know how much luck we've had to get to this point in our lives.
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The forces of freedom, openness,
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and global community against the forces of authoritarianism,
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isolationism, and nationalism, forces for the flow of knowledge,
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trade, and immigration against those who would slow them down.
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This is not a battle of nations.
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It is a battle of ideas.
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There are people in every country for more global connection,
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and there are good people against it.
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Even global change starts small with people like us.
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In our generation, the struggle of whether we connect more,
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we achieve our greatest opportunities comes down to this.
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Your ability to build communities and create a world where every single person has a sense of purpose.

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Context & Background

Mark Zuckerberg's commencement speech at Harvard is a memorable event that inspires many, especially in the context of pursuing one's dreams and creating meaningful connections. In this speech, Zuckerberg shares his personal experiences, highlights the importance of relationships, and emphasizes a collective sense of purpose for his generation. His anecdotes, from the excitement of being accepted into Harvard to the founding of Facebook, resonate deeply with graduates and provide meaningful lessons. As you engage with this speech, focus not only on the words but also on the emotions and intentions behind them. This approach will enhance your english speaking practice as you learn to convey similar messages.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "How many of you remember exactly where you were when you got that email?": Use this phrase to ask about memorable experiences, a great icebreaker.
  • "Finding your purpose isn't enough.": A powerful reminder that seeking purpose is essential, encouraging deeper conversations about goals.
  • "You will." : A simple, motivational phrase to foster confidence in yourself and others.
  • "I want to see if we could connect more people.": Ideal for expressing intentions to build relationships and networks.
  • "Be nice to people.": A straightforward piece of advice that can lead to discussions about kindness in various situations.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use this speech for shadow speech and improve your english pronunciation, follow these steps:

  1. Watch the video: Start by watching Mark Zuckerberg's speech once to familiarize yourself with the content and overall tone.
  2. Listen closely: Play a short segment, preferably 1-2 minutes, focusing on his pronunciation, intonation, and pacing.
  3. Pause and repeat: After listening, pause the video and try to imitate his speech. Focus on matching his tone and rhythm as closely as possible. This will enhance your ability to learn English with YouTube.
  4. Record yourself: Use your phone or a recording device to capture your voice as you shadow his speech. This will help you identify areas for improvement.
  5. Review and refine: Listen to your recording and compare it with the original. Identify aspects of pronunciation and intonation that need refinement. Repeat the shadowing practice several times.

By following this guide, you'll not only gain insight into Zuckerberg's impactful messages but also significantly enhance your communication skills, making your journey of improving English pronunciation both fun and productive.

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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