Shadowing Practice: 13-year-old schoolboy's marvellous MAGIC! | Auditions | BGT 2023 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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134 sentences
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1
Hello.
2
Hello.
3
What's your name?
4
My name is Killian O'Connor.
5
Nice to meet you, Killian.
6
How old are you and where are you from?
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I'm 13 years old and I come from County Meath, Ireland.
8
Amazing.
9
Hello.
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When I grow up, I want to be a magician.
11
What do I like about magic?
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It's just trying to make people smile.
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Yay.
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If I can make them believe in magic and then perform at the Royal Variety Show, I would legitimately cry.
15
Honestly, before I had the magic, my social skills were very bad.
16
I would just be in the corner.
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I didn't want to be within 50 feet of anyone.
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Lots of people.
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Just go in and enjoy the moment.
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My legs would be shaking, my arms would be trembling.
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Oh Good luck when you're ready
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Simon think of a playing cards got it.
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What is it?
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You don't mess around here seven of diamonds wrong Sometimes everything is not quite as it seems.
25
Watch.
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The black hole.
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A journey...
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that begins where everything ends.
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I'd like to bring you on my journey.
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I've learned that having autism is not a disability, it's an ability.
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When I was younger, I was unable to interact with people.
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I felt a bit empty, incomplete.
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I felt invisible.
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That was good, wasn't it?
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After discovering magic, my life changed.
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It was like a light switch coming on inside my head.
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I found a way to interact with people through my magic.
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No way the milk's not in there.
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It is, you know.
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Magic is my universe and my life is now whole.
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It is great, isn't it?
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It is brilliant.
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Really good.
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I have a notepad here, and written on each page are some of my favourite sweets.
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Have a look and see.
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Yeah.
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Please, say stock.
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Stock.
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Could you please call out the treat you have stocked on?
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Jelly beans.
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Jelly beans.
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Earlier I left a special gift for you.
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Could you please remove the lids and reveal the gift inside?
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Sure.
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Oh no!
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Oh my god!
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How did he do that?
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Wow.
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Now Simon, before you eat the sweets, I'd like you to guess how many jelly beans are inside the jar.
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Okay, got it.
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What is this?
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It's so weird.
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Um, 2500.
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2500. Would you be impressed if I told you that you've guessed rice?
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Yeah.
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That's impossible, isn't it?
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Literally impossible Could you please remove the lids and read the notes I placed inside before the show
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What that is amazing Oh my god.
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That is amazing.
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Blessing.
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Oh.
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Wow.
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That's unbelievable.
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Earlier, I asked you to think of a playing card.
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Could you please remind everyone what that card was?
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Seven of diamonds.
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Seven of diamonds.
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Could you please remove the one face sound carrots?
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Yep.
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Got it.
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Please show it to everyone.
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Here we go.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Oh, I love what it means to him.
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Oh!
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God!
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Oh, God!
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Oh, God!
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Oh, God!
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Oh, God!
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Oh, God!
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Why am I crying?
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Why am I crying?
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You'll make us cry!
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Oh, my God, wonderful.
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Wow, wow.
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You are unbelievably talented.
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Seriously.
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I love him.
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I love him.
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That absolutely freaked me out when I saw that.
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There's something really, really incredible about you.
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And I do believe in magic and you're such an amazing performer.
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Thank you.
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You're brilliant.
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Brilliant.
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You've made me and Elisa a mess.
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You were amazing.
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Thank you.
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I mean, absolutely phenomenal.
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Great showmanship.
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I'm really glad that magic has changed your life and given you so much confidence.
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But above all of that, you are a little superstar, so well done.
115
Thank you.
116
I loved everything about it, but I especially love you, your passion, your personality.
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Thank you.
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And it's clear to everyone just how much this means to you, which makes this extra special.
119
I was totally, totally captivated about what you were doing.
120
And for somebody so young, it's an incredible quality.
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You have a fantastic future in front of you.
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I agree.
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Okay, we're gonna take a vote.
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Bruno.
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Say yes for me!
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Alicia, say yes!
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This world makes you crazy, taking all you can do.
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It's a yes from me!
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Call me a four yeses.
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Oh, bless the God. That is mama.
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You were amazing.
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You were amazing all day.
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Amazing.
134
Wonderful.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “13-year-old schoolboy's marvellous MAGIC!”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: magic, amazing, inside, jelly, diamonds. This video has 134 sentences and 722 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:17. The speaker talks slowly, about 87 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| jelly noun | /ˈd͡ʒɛli/ | A dessert made by boiling gelatine (or a plant-based alternative such as agar or carrageenan), sugar and some flavouring (often derived from fruit) and… |
| bean noun | /ˈbi(ː)n/ | Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. |
| lid noun | /lɪd/ | The top or cover of a container. |
| interact verb | /ɪn.təˈɹækt/ | To engage in communication and other shared activities (with someone). |
| captivate verb | /ˈkæptəˌveɪt/ | To attract and hold (someone's) attention and interest; to charm, to entrance, to fascinate, to enchain. |
| legitimately adverb | In a legitimate manner, properly, fair and square. | |
| notepad noun | A pad of paper, often bound, in which one jots down notes; a notebook. | |
| showmanship noun | /ˈʃəʊ.mən.ʃɪp/ | The quality or skill of giving an engaging or compelling performance; a stage presence. |
| tremble verb | /ˈtɹɛmbl̩/ | To shake, quiver, or vibrate. |
| unbelievably adverb | In a manner that one does not or cannot believe. | |
| carrot noun | /ˈkæɹət/ | A vegetable with a nutritious, juicy, sweet root that is often orange in colour, Daucus carota, family Apiaceae, especially the subspecies sativus. |
| phenomenal adjective | /fɪˈnɒmɪnəl/ | Very remarkable; highly extraordinary; amazing. |
| performer noun | /pɚˈfɔɹmɚ/ | One who performs for, or entertains, an audience. |
| superstar noun | /ˈsuː.pəˌstɑː/ | Someone who has accumulated a vast amount of fame; a high-level celebrity. |
| incomplete adjective | /ɪn.kəmˈpliːt/ | Not complete; not finished. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| call out verb | To specify, especially in detail. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
| mess around verb | To fiddle idly. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How old are you and where are you from?
- What do I like about magic?
- Would you be impressed if I told you that you've guessed rice?
- Could you please remind everyone what that card was?
- Could you please remove the one face sound carrots?
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 | I've learned · have stocked · you've guessed |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | am I crying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 18 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'd, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: showmanship /ˈʃəʊ.mən.ʃɪp/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/
- Long words — get the stress right: phenomenal /fɪˈnɒmɪnəl/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/, disability /dɪsəˈbɪlɪti/
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 jelly, bean, lid.
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.