Shadowing Practice: 15-minute Shadowing Practice with The Devil Wears Prada - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

C1
Hey everyone, it's Hedar.
⏸ Paused
353 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hey everyone, it's Hedar.
2
Thank you so much for joining me.
3
Today we are going to practice shadowing to improve your pronunciation,
4
grammar, and vocabulary, and we're going to do that with The Devil Wears Prada.
5
We're going to shadow Meryl Streep as she plays Miranda Priestly.
6
We are going to focus on understanding her authoritative and composed voice.
7
We're going to practice tone of voice, intonation, rhythm, and stress.
8
If you're new to my channel, my name is Hadar.
9
I'm a non-native speaker of English.
10
I'm a fluency and pronunciation coach,
11
and I'm here to help you speak English with clarity, confidence, and freedom.
12
Let's get started with our shadowing episode.
13
By the way, if you want to work with a script,
14
you can download it.
15
It's absolutely free, and I wrote all the notes about the stress words and pronunciation notes all in there,
16
And you also have a link to this video.
17
So if you want to download it and have access to it all the time,
18
feel free to do that.
19
The link is in the show notes and the description below.
20
First, let's watch the scene.
21
This stuff.
22
Oh, okay.
23
I see.
24
You think this has nothing to do with you.
25
You go to your closet and you select,
26
I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater,
27
for instance, because you're trying to tell the world
28
that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back.
29
But what you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue,
30
it's not turquoise, it's not lapis, it's actually cerulean.
31
And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002,
32
Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns.
33
And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent,
34
wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets.
35
I think we need a jacket here.
36
And then Cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers.
37
And then it filtered down through the department stores
38
and then trickled on down into some tragic casual corner where you no doubt fished it out of some clearance bin.
39
However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs.
40
And it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry,
41
when in fact you're wearing a sweater
42
that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
43
All right, let's begin with the first line.
44
This stuff?
45
This stuff?
46
I want you to channel all the contempt and dismissal energy and put it in this phrase.
47
This stuff.
48
Stuff.
49
She connects the S of this with the S of stuff.
50
Listen to it again.
51
This stuff.
52
It's a little pause.
53
This stuff.
54
Oh, okay.
55
I see.
56
Oh, okay.
57
I see.
58
So it's a little sarcastic, a little ironic.
59
She doesn't really see.
60
She wants to make her feel bad and small.
61
So, this is why this tone of voice sounds the way it is.
62
Oh, okay.
63
I see.
64
Right?
65
Now, again, think of the phrase,
66
I see, and it could be said in a genuine way.
67
Oh, okay.
68
I see.
69
Thank you for telling me.
70
Oh, okay.
71
I see.
72
Hey, good.
73
Right?
74
Like, you see how that changes the meaning?
75
And let's listen to how she says it.
76
Oh.
77
Oh.
78
Okay.
79
I see.
80
So when the tone is a little lower,
81
when you have that vocal fry, I see.
82
Oh, okay.
83
It means that the tone is not genuine.
84
It's more sarcastic.
85
Okay, so let's listen to what she says.
86
You think this has nothing to do with you.
87
What is she stressing here?
88
Let's listen to it again.
89
Which word is she stressing?
90
Pay attention.
91
And a stressed word is usually longer, louder, higher in pitch.
92
I see.
93
You think this has nothing to do with you.
94
You think this has nothing to do with you.
95
So it's the you versus us.
96
Because right before she's saying that,
97
Andrea was kind of like smirking or laughing at what they said.
98
Andrea is played by Anne Hathaway.
99
She's like, kind of like, I don't get it.
100
I don't get like this stuff.
101
So, she's saying this has nothing to do with you,
102
what we're doing here.
103
This is why she stresses the word you.
104
You go to your closet.
105
You go to your closet.
106
Again, the two words are stressed.
107
Say it with me.
108
You go to your closet.
109
Go to, go to, go to,
110
go to your, go to your closet.
111
Now I'm going to play a line and I want you to repeat right after it.
112
And you select, I don't know,
113
that lumpy blue sweater, for instance.
114
And you select, I don't know.
115
So the, I don't know,
116
say it as a connected unit.
117
It's like a filler word.
118
Okay.
119
I don't know, that lumpy blue sweater, for instance.
120
For instance is for example.
121
So that needs to be said together as well.
122
I want you to say it again.
123
Okay, I'm going to play the line again and you repeat it with the same intonation and the same connected phrases.
124
Let's do it.
125
And you select, I don't know,
126
that lumpy blue sweater, for instance.
127
And then the next line is...
128
Because you're trying to tell the world.
129
Because you're trying to tell the world.
130
Because you're trying to tell the world.
131
Let's listen to this again.
132
Because you're trying to tell the world.
133
Because you're trying to tell the world.
134
Now, this is a tricky phrase if the R is difficult for you.
135
So let's soften it a little bit.
136
First of all, focus on the word world.
137
World.
138
Not O, world, but world.
139
You're trying to...
140
Notice what she does here.
141
You're trying to...
142
Not trying to.
143
Trying to tell the world.
144
trying to tell the world.
145
We also have the dark L here.
146
So, just practice that phrase a few times.
147
Trying to tell the world.
148
Trying to tell the world.
149
Just repeat after me.
150
Shadow me.
151
Trying to tell the world.
152
That you take yourself too seriously.
153
That you take yourself too seriously.
154
That you take yourself too seriously.
155
To care about what you put on your back.
156
To care.
157
Right?
158
I want you to kind of like land on that care.
159
To care about what you put on your back.
160
To care about what you put on your back.
161
Now, that lift at the end means that something else is coming up.
162
Do not speak.
163
I'm speaking.
164
To care about what you put on your back.
165
What you put on your back,
166
but what you don't know.
167
But what you don't know, right?
168
Like that condescending tone, patronizing, condescending.
169
But you don't know...
170
Say that with me without attitude.
171
What you don't know...
172
What you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue.
173
That that sweater is not just blue.
174
So what I really want you to practice here is being able to land and to stretch those stressed words,
175
all the U's and the blues and the backs and the cares, right?
176
What you don't know is that that sweater is not just blue.
177
Because for a lot of you watching this video,
178
your language doesn't tend to stretch words that are stressed.
179
And it's going to feel very strange to do that in English unless you practice it, right?
180
Let's do that part again.
181
Because you're trying to tell the world that you take yourself too seriously to care about what you put on your back,
182
but what you don't know is that that sweater is It's not just blue.
183
It's not turquoise.
184
It's not lapis.
185
It's actually cerulean.
186
Okay.
187
It's not just blue.
188
It's not turquoise.
189
Turquoise.
190
Turquoise.
191
It's not lapis.
192
Lapis.
193
Different colors of blow.
194
It's actually cerulean.
195
It's actually cerulean.
196
Okay, next part.
197
And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that...
198
Let's take that phrase.
199
And you're also blithely unaware of the fact.
200
Blithely unaware.
201
Blithely means being indifferent in a way that is improper, right?
202
Like blithely, so incredibly disconnected with reality,
203
blithely unaware, so unaware, so incredibly blithely unaware of the fact,
204
aware of the fact, aware of the fact.
205
Listen to these reductions.
206
And you're also blithely unaware of the fact that in 2002,
207
Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns.
208
In 2002, and I would try to say that with your most royal and authoritative voice.
209
In 2002, in 2002, 2002 Oscar de la Renta did a collection of cerulean gowns.
210
Okay?
211
A collection of, a collection of, a collection of.
212
Just practice with me.
213
Yeah, you might not say a collection of cerulean gowns ever in your life,
214
but you might need to use the phrase a collection of.
215
And that's what I love about shadowing.
216
You can just copy this phrase and paste it when using it in other situations.
217
And to be able to use it,
218
you need to repeat it again and again,
219
which is what we're trying to do here.
220
A collection of, a collection of, a collection of.
221
And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent,
222
wasn't it, who showed cerulean military jackets?
223
And then it was Yves Saint Laurent.
224
He's using her French.
225
Wasn't it?
226
Wasn't it?
227
Wasn't it?
228
Say it with me.
229
So I'm going to play it and you repeat after.
230
And then I think it was Yves Saint Laurent, wasn't it?
231
Who showed cerulean military jackets.
232
Who showed cerulean military jackets.
233
Raise your pitch at the end.
234
Military jackets.
235
Military jackets.
236
Who showed cerulean military jackets.
237
Let's listen to it again.
238
Who showed Cerulean military jackets.
239
You.
240
Repeat after.
241
And then Cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers.
242
And then Cerulean quickly, quickly,
243
quickly, say that with me,
244
quickly, quickly, quickly showed up in the collection of eight different designers.
245
Eight different designers.
246
Connect it.
247
I'm going to play it again and have you repeat right after her.
248
And then Cerulean quickly showed up in the collections of eight different designers.
249
Good.
250
I'm going to filter down through the department stores.
251
And then, uh, uh, as a filler word,
252
almost deliberate, filter down through the department stores.
253
Department store is a set phrase stresses on department.
254
Let's hear it again.
255
I'm going to play it.
256
You repeat right after.
257
I'm going to filter down through the department stores.
258
And then trickle down down into some tragic casual corner.
259
And then trickled on down.
260
It's kind of like slowly went down,
261
trickle down like rain or like raindrops on the window to trickle on down.
262
Okay.
263
Slowly, slowly come down and then trickled on down.
264
So the T-R at the beginning are pronounced as a ch.
265
Trickled, trickled, trickled.
266
And then trickled on down into some tragic, another T-R transition.
267
Tragic casual corner.
268
Okay.
269
I'm going to play it again.
270
I want you to repeat it.
271
Trickled on down into some tragic casual corner.
272
And the next line.
273
Where you no doubt fished it out of some...
274
When you no doubt fished it out of some.
275
Fished it out of some clearance bin.
276
When you fished it out some clearance bin.
277
See it?
278
Good.
279
Fished it out.
280
To fish something out.
281
It's kind of like to find something out of a pile of other things, right?
282
Like to pull it out,
283
like, like fishing a fish.
284
You fished it out.
285
However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs.
286
Okay.
287
However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs.
288
So, we have millions stressed and countless stressed.
289
So now paying attention to that.
290
Repeat.
291
However, that blue represents millions of dollars and countless jobs.
292
Next.
293
And it's sort of comical.
294
And it's sort of comical.
295
Ka, ka, comical.
296
Say it with me.
297
And it's sort of comical.
298
How you think that you've made a choice
299
that exempts you from the fashion industry you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry,
300
exempts you, meaning you're not included.
301
It removes you from it, right?
302
You're not a part of it.
303
You think you're not a part of it.
304
Okay?
305
This is what she's saying to her.
306
So, let's play it.
307
And it's sort of comical how you think that you've made a choice that exempts you from the fashion industry.
308
Moving on.
309
When in fact.
310
When in fact.
311
When in fact.
312
This is another phrase you can start using more regularly.
313
When in fact.
314
You're wearing a sweater that was selected for you.
315
You're wearing the sweater that was selected for you.
316
Again, it's about her, right?
317
Like she's making it about her.
318
Hear it again.
319
You're wearing a sweater that was selected for you.
320
Say it.
321
By the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
322
By the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
323
Mm.
324
Let's hear that part again.
325
You're wearing a sweater that was selected for you by the people in this room from a pile of stuff.
326
All right.
327
Very, very good.
328
Well done.
329
So today we practiced our authoritative voice.
330
We practiced tone of voice and we worked on connected speech and stressed words.
331
Now, listen, sometimes when it comes to shadowing,
332
it might feel like you're not doing something actively,
333
but the beautiful thing about shadowing is
334
that you kind of like absorb a lot of the sounds
335
and the nuances and the intonation patterns subconsciously when you repeat someone else's words.
336
And this is why I love doing these exercises.
337
if it's just repeating someone else without analyzing it too much like we did today.
338
So it's always good to pay attention to one thing,
339
like the stress words or the connected speech or the intonation or the tone of voice.
340
It's always good to be mindful of it because then it registers better.
341
But sometimes even just repeating after the character and doing it again and again and again,
342
thinking about common phrases that you might not use regularly
343
and you might want to use more and you repeat those more often.
344
This is what's going to make this practice very,
345
very effective and help you use these phrases and these intonation patterns and connected speech spontaneously and automatically.
346
All right.
347
If you want more content and shadowing exercises,
348
go to my website at hadarchemish.com or you can check out all the playlists listed in the description below.
349
And like I said, if you want the script with intonation and pronunciation notes, it's absolutely free.
350
I will link it in the description below this video.
351
Have a beautiful, beautiful rest of the day,
352
and I'll see you next week in the next video.
353
Bye.

Download App

AI scoring for every sentence you speak

Scan To Download
Scan To Download
Download on theApp Store
Get it onGoogle Play
TRENDING

Popular

Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking through shadowing is incredibly beneficial for English learners, and Hadar's 15-minute session with The Devil Wears Prada offers a prime opportunity. By mimicking Meryl Streep's character, Miranda Priestly, you immerse yourself in a real conversational context that enhances your fluency. This method not only sharpens your pronunciation and rhythm but also builds your confidence in using English in everyday situations. As you learn English with YouTube, consider how the authoritative tone and sophisticated vocabulary used in the film can elevate your speaking abilities. This practice can significantly improve your overall communication skills, making it an essential part of your English speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The dialogue from the video contains several key structures worth noting:

  • Reported Speech: The phrase “you think this has nothing to do with you” demonstrates how to convey someone’s thoughts. It allows learners to practice indirect communication.
  • Conditional Statements: The expression “when in fact you’re wearing a sweater that was selected for you” illustrates how to construct sentences that express conditions and the implications tied to them.
  • Descriptive Clauses: Phrases like “that lumpy blue sweater” exhibit the use of adjectives and descriptors that add color and depth to your speech. This is crucial for creating engaging narratives in conversation.
  • Emphatic Structure: “But what you don’t know is that…” emphasizes the contrast and help learners understand how to create drama or tension in their dialogue.

Common Pronunciation Traps

English pronunciation can be challenging due to subtle nuances in accent and stress. Here are a few tricky words and phrases demonstrated in the video:

  • Cerulean: This color name can trip up non-native speakers. Focus on the correct pronunciation, stressing the second syllable: ‘ce-RU-le-an’.
  • Dismissive Phrases: The phrase “this stuff” requires attention to intonation and rhythm to capture the contempt conveyed by Miranda Priestly. Practice connecting sounds smoothly to emulate her delivery.
  • Connectors: Notice how the speaker connects phrases like "this stuff" and "stuff," blending them in a way that maintains the flow of speech—critical for mastering shadow speech.

Incorporate these elements into your shadowing app practice to address common pitfalls in pronunciation. As you shadow dialogues, you'll progressively hone your English speaking skills, rendering your communication more natural and effective.

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.

☕ Buy us a coffee