Shadowing Practice: 2 Idioms You May Be Saying Incorrectly - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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hello aubry how's it going today i'm great how are you
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lindsay fantastic i am super excited to talk about idioms in today's episode have you ever realized
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that you were saying an expression
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or an idiom incorrectly yeah this has happened to me a
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couple times in fact the other day my partner meant to say bits
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and pieces and said bits and pizzas and pizzas like the pizza you eat
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and we laughed so hard
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because i mean it happens sometimes you just accidentally say it incorrectly
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or sometimes you've been hearing it incorrectly
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so you say it incorrectly oh my gosh there's definitely a number of these
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that I have always said incorrectly and then
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when I'm like 25 I realized
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that all of a sudden I've been saying this wrong my entire life yes I'm excited
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that we're gonna get into this one of the ones we're
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teaching today I've said wrong my entire life yeah someone pointed it out
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and I was like what what is an acorn by the way
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that word egg corn what the heck does
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that mean it's a weird word right these are called egg corns
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which means you're saying the wrong word as a result of mishearing something
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and this happens native english speakers will incorrectly say an idiom
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because they heard it wrong and often like
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if you see it written then you're like oh i get it
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but when you hear it it sounds like different words
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so you make a mistake interesting this can happen with songs
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too right absolutely misheard lyrics yeah it happens with kids too a lot of times with misheard lyrics
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but adults as well and then
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when you're all of a sudden singing along to a song with a friend
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and they they sing it differently you think oh who's wrong
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who's right who's wrong here we gotta google it's pretty funny
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so i mean why are idioms important
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when it comes to the b2 level aubrey what does it matter yeah
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when we're at
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that b1 level it's really easy to make these mistakes with idioms it's hard to feel confident using them
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because they do have to be used word for word or the meaning is lost.
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It doesn't make sense.
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So it's really important that we get to B2 where we're more comfortable with these very native natural phrases.
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Yeah.
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So B2 is that place where we can get stuck.
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It's that upper intermediate place.
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Aubrey, you probably experienced it in French, right?
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I know that I've experienced it in Spanish to some extent where I'm just using the same words, the safe words the easy words
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and i'm not pushing myself i'll never get to advance
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if i don't push through that b2 level right
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and that's keeping us from having those interesting
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and deep conversations in a second language we want you to have those conversations in english
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but if you get stagnant there at
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that intermediate level that's difficult to do yes stagnant is the key word right stagnant
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or there's really a plateau at the upper intermediate level
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that i think a lot of our listeners might be stuck in
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that place and when we get that to
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that place to get past it we actually need a plan right aubrey it's not exactly at
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that point it's it's you have to do more than just jumping around the internet
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and consuming entertaining content exactly right the same old thing you've
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been doing is not pushing you there you need a plan you need really good courses
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and lessons there's going to be more that's required to push you to those advanced levels Yep.
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And that's why we launched, we are launching our brand new B2 English fluency course.
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And this week we have a special deal because it is shiny
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and new is the first time we've ever launched it, Aubrey.
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How are you feeling, by the way, about this course launch?
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I'm so excited about this course because we were really able to interview some very interesting people.
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It's full of conversations with some of the most interesting people we know and none of it's scripted.
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So it's native natural conversations, which will really push you past that level where you're just stagnant with those kind of scripted conversations.
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You got it.
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Yes.
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Interesting conversations, interesting people eventually creates confidence and connection.
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That's what we're all about guys at the end of the
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episode a little later in a few minutes after we go
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through these idioms we're gonna talk about the special deal that's available this week only all right
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so hang on guys
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but first let's talk about a couple of egg corns right yep exactly what's the first one
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that you that you have made a mistake with Aubrey yes
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so this is chomping at the bit
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which means you're impatient we'll say oh I'm really chomping at
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the bit to go on this vacation means you can't wait for it to happen.
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Have you heard this?
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Have you said this chomping at the bit?
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Yeah, I have before.
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I think of a horse, right?
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Because a horse wears a bit and you imagine a horse in the gate before the horse race or something, right?
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Exactly.
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But it's actually a mistake.
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It should be champing at the bit.
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Are you serious?
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I didn't know that.
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But most was me neither.
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I know I said it incorrectly for a long time.
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And then finally someone was like, it's actually champing.
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It's like, what?
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I had to Google.
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Whoa, okay.
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You're blowing my mind today.
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So chomping exists in English.
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We kind of talk about people chomping their food, like biting.
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So it makes sense that we make this mistake.
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The word, the verb for a horse fighting their bit
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or.. you know is actually champing so a horse is champing at its bit
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if it doesn't want that piece in its mouth
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and we just either hear it incorrectly or don't realize
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that champing is a separate word and
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so we often you're going to hear guys chomping at the bit for sure
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that is fascinating you're breaking my brain you're blowing my mind
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today aubrey this is a mistake that's gone viral in among
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the native speaker community i mean we all say chomping at the bit i yeah absolutely
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so the good news is you can say chomping at the
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bit most people aren't going to know that's what you're going
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to hear you can say it don't stress about it there could be someone
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that says to you like they said to me i think
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it's actually champing it might be more it might be used correctly outside of the u .s more
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but within the u .s you're going to hear chomping at the bit it's a very common error
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and that brings up an interesting conversation which is one we would have at the upper intermediate level.
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At what point do you choose to actually say it incorrectly?
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Because it's what everyone is saying.
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I would argue for this one, I might say it incorrect, continue to say it incorrectly because it's what everyone recognizes and says.
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It almost would be, you'd be more likely to be corrected if you say like, you know, be patient, you're champing at the bit.
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There's a good chance someone would be like, I think it's chomping at the bit.
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And then it might actually break the connection if you're like, let's Google.
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I'm Right.
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Yeah.
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I think that that is the litmus test right there.
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You always think what is going to maintain the connection?
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If I go with the correct version or the incorrect version, what is going to be better?
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Maybe that would open an interesting conversation and debate, which could be connection in that moment
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or it could be the opposite where you just want to say it wrong
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because that's what everyone is saying and that's not the point of that conversation.
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Exactly.
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So it depends on who you're talking to, what type of conversations you have.
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So, but either way, this is interesting to know.
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You won't learn this in any textbook.
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I love it.
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All right.
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So, and this is the kind of thing that we clear up at this level, at the B2 level to, to advance into the higher levels and to advanced English.
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So this next one, I love, I identify with this completely.
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What is it, Aubrey?
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Okay.
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For all intensive purposes, intensive being one word.
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Have you ever said this
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or heard this lindsay i i think i might have actually
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thought until today um well actually well now i'm not sure
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which one it is so intense
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and purposes intense that's the correct one okay okay for all intense
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and purposes which
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if you think about the words this makes more sense right
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for every intent for every purpose yes it doesn't make sense
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to have the word intensive there for all intensive purposes
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but this is an egg corn
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because people hear it incorrectly they don't see it written we say it quickly we run our words together
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and it sounds like for all intensive purposes they sound the same it completely sounds the same all intents
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and purposes um let's give some sample sentences for this one
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aubrey how about this i dropped my phone in the pool
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so for all intents and purposes it's useless exactly
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so the meaning means essentially right something has the same outcome or result as something else.
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So you might say, for all intents and purposes, this contract does what we need it to do.
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But of course, I'm emphasizing the words so you can tell the difference on the podcast.
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We're actually going to say, for all intents and purposes, this contract does, and it sounds the same as the egg corn, as the mistake.
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Oh, I could see in one of our fluency parties or our conversation clubs, getting into a conversation like this with our students live, right?
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Over, you know, what do you do do you move to
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which one would be connection which the wrong one
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or the you know the correct one what do we do in these moments
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and I get questions like this a lot in open conversation club
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because our students are at this higher level they're hearing these mistakes they're not sure
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which to use really helps to have a native speaker teacher
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and also other language learners to bounce these ideas of have these really interesting conversations about
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which should we use I love it I love it
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so let's talk a little bit more because I am
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so excited about the launch of our brand shiny new B2 Fluency course, Aubrey.
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So let's talk a little bit about our method, the connection method, which is baked into this course and every course.
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How is it different from all of the other courses out there?
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What's the key differentiator here?
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Well, we start with real English, how native speakers really speak.
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Most programs, a lot of courses manufacture the English, just like textbooks, right?
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Scripted conversations with the vocabulary they want to teach.
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And it's pretty unnatural.
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But with real native conversations, you're learning real English.
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Yeah.
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Because if we inherently tell the person we're interviewing, okay, we're going to interview you, but please use these three words.
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It's not going to be real.
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It's going to be manufactured.
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So we do the opposite.
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Aubrey, you interviewed a couple of very interesting people for this course.
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Who did you interview in this course?
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Yes, I interviewed my friend Orla from Ireland.
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So she has this amazing Irish accent, but she's lived in the States for a long time.
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She's a very successful leader at Microsoft.
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And there were so many interesting conversations that we were able to pull these awesome lessons from.
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You learn so much vocabulary and also strategies that you couldn't learn from a scripted conversation.
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Yeah.
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So that is the key difference, right, of the connection method at All Learns English is we start with the real English.
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It's unscripted.
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It's spontaneous.
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It is not manufactured.
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How long does it take for a student to actually complete this course?
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What is the time commitment?
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What are we talking about here to get through the B2 course?
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Yeah, we recommend 20 minutes a day, three to five days for week and
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that would take you about 90 days right yeah this will help you build
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that habit you have a clear study plan where your time is organized
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and you are improving every single week yeah exactly i mean
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the thing is you don't have to complete a course like
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this in 90 days right you have lifetime access for our courses now
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so you could you could complete it in two years
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but the key is we do something every day
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or at least five days a week three to five days
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a week to build the consistency the momentum right it's momentum building exactly
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and this is new and exciting
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if you're not yet in one of our courses you might not realize this
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that we have added tons of speaking practice yes
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if you are in any of our courses you are part
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of our community we have a weekly open conversation clubs
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that are so fun they're over zoom we get to chat with you
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and get to know you you get to meet other members
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of our community other speaking partners as well as monthly fluency parties.
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Lindsay and I are both there.
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They're so fun.
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You guys need to get to this fun speaking practice.
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Yeah.
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The cool thing about the fluency party is
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that you're always going to get it to meet at least two members of our podcasting team.
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We have a team of four podcasters here and you'll get to meet two out of four of the team members, which is incredible in itself.
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Yes.
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It's so fun.
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Yeah.
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What is the topic?
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So this month you and Jessica are actually hosting it
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and what is the topic this month of our fluency party
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yes we always have a really interesting discussion sort of diving deep about one topic
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and we'll share a little bit of vocabulary to talk about
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that and we're getting into health care this month so
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if you have ever wanted to talk about health care in
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your country what it's like around the world find out from other people how it's different
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because people in open conversation clubs are from countries all over the world.
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And then we go deep.
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It's not just like, what's healthcare like?
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What should it be like?
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What should be changed and why?
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I had a really interesting conversation with a student about socialized medicine.
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And it's going to be interesting to dive into pluses and minuses of something like that.
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Oh, that is going to be such a rich conversation topic this month.
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And it kind of stems off of the conversation I had in our B2 fluency course, one of the lessons with my friend denise who used to
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work as a doula right yeah aubry what's a doula by
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the way that's someone who assists in childbirth a lot like a midwife
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and yeah that's really interesting because we don't usually get an inside peek into
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that type of profession so i'm excited for you guys to hear
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that interview yeah we talk about is it actually
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that safe to have a baby in the us right what are some of the challenges
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and some of the data is surprising, right?
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So guys, that is one of the lessons along with the interview Aubrey did with Orla in the B2 Fluency Course.
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So this content is waiting for you.
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It is being unveiled this week.
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It's ready for you to build fluency with this content.
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So Aubrey, I think our listeners need to know about the deal at this point.
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Yes, you guys need to join now
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because we are offering special early bird access
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so not only do you save up to a hundred dollars
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and you will also get a special bonus five cool phrases in english
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which is an amazing course that jessica created i love it but also
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when you join before june 1st you get another course how to be polite in english i mean exactly exactly
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so we're offering the early bird bonus to are amazing podcast listeners, because we know you guys are, you're ready for this.
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This is exactly for you at this level.
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So when you join before the early bird date of June 1st, you get the how to be polite in English.
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But after June 1st, that extra bonus does go away.
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Now, Aubrey, where should our listeners go to get it?
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Yes, go to allearsenglish .com slash B2, the letter B and the number two
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and you got to go now guys for
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that special early bird discount yeah don't miss it aubrey do
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we have time to run through the role play i think
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we have a few minutes why don't we do a quick role play you
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and i are at a wedding in this role play i'll start us out all right
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so we're coming back to the egg corns right
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that we talked about at the beginning of the episode so let's see how come up in a conversation.
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Yes.
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I know the mother of the bride has been champing at the bit for this day to come.
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I'm not surprised.
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So much planning goes into a wedding.
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So when it's all said and done, I'm sure everyone is a bit relieved.
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Yeah.
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Her dad told me he was really hands -off with preparations.
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So for all intents and purposes, this is her mom's show.
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I feel like that's often how, how weddings can go, right?
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Yeah, absolutely.
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And there's a little bonus in here another egg corn often people will say
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or write all set and done but it should be all said
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and done so this is an extra fun one interesting so
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that one i i'm pretty clear on i feel like i don't make
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that mistake but fascinating that we do you know these mistakes can go viral
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and sometimes again it's not a problem right uh
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and that's what we explore at this high intermediate level so
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so first you said i know the mother of the bride
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has been champing at the bit for this day to come She's been what?
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She's been...
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Impatient, like so excited, ready, waiting.
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And I like what you said, Lindsay.
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I probably would be more likely to say chomping at the bit
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if I were in the US because otherwise the next thing you said might've been like, wait, what do you mean chomping at the bit?
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I thought it's chomping at the bit.
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Am I wrong?
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I know.
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It's so funny.
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And then I said, I'm not surprised.
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So much planning goes into a wedding.
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So when it's all said and done, everyone is relieved.
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So when we say all said and done, it means when when everything's been said yeah right when
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when we consider all the details it's all over or or
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or what however you want to frame it
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and then you used our fun one intense
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and purposes what did you say aubrey yeah for all intents
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and purposes this is her mom's show it means like essentially like he the dad didn't do much
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so you know the mom was able to pick all of the details yeah wow okay
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so this is it i mean what's our takeaway for today's
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episode aubrey a couple of opportunities here for our listeners absolutely
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right using idioms idiomatic language really pushes you from intermediate to advanced
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but it can make you stagnant if you're stressed about using them incorrectly
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if you're not getting the speaking practice you need to practice using these in conversations
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so we want you to feel confident using them it makes language
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so much more fun yeah
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and overall we don't want you to get stuck at this
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intermediate level we want to move you through upper intermediate and eventually into advanced.
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And the way to do that is not to jump around the internet and find entertaining resources.
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That is not for learning.
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That is not for outcomes.
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The way to get an outcome that you want is a study plan.
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And we have it for you.
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Aubrey, we haven't launched a course in quite a while.
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The last time we launched a course was our business English course a few years ago.
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It's true.
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It's been a little while.
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So this is exciting for us we can't wait to share
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it with you we put a lot of work into it so guys go to allearsenglish .com
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b2 to check it out yeah be the first one ever to get into b2
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that is my challenge i think it's going to be a podcast listener
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and be the one guys to be the very first student in b2 it is open now
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so go to allearsenglish .com b2 that is the letter b
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and the number two we'll see you there awesome See you there.
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We'll see you at Open Conversation Club and Influency Parties.
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I'm so excited.
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All right.
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See you there, Aubrey.
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Take care.
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You too.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “2 Idioms You May Be Saying Incorrectly”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: conversation, word, Aubrey, interesting, english. This video has 89 sentences and 3628 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:24. The speaker talks fast, about 197 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| incorrectly adverb | /ˌɪnkəˈɹɛk(t).li/ | In an incorrect manner. |
| champ verb | /t͡ʃæmp/ | To bite or chew, especially noisily or impatiently. |
| intent noun | /ɪnˈtɛnt/ | Something that is intended. |
| corn noun | /ˈkɔːn/ | Any cereal plant (or its grain) that is the main crop or staple of a country or region. |
| intermediate adjective | /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/ | Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range. |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| intensive adjective | /ɪnˈtɛnsɪv/ | Done with intensity or to a great degree; thorough. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| bonus noun | /ˈbəʊ.nəs/ | Something extra that is good; an added benefit. |
| script noun | /skɹɪpt/ | A writing; a written document. |
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables. |
| intense adjective | /ɪnˈtɛns/ | Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering. |
| outcome noun | /ˈaʊtkʌm/ | That which is produced or occurs as a result of an event or process. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| jump around verb | To move erratically by jumping. | |
| bring up verb | To mention. | |
| get past verb | To continue around a blockage; to get around (something); to surpass something that is in the way. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| push through verb | To force (legislation or a plan) to be passed or agreed to or a decision to be reached. | |
| run through verb | To summarise briefly. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | you've been hearing · I've been saying · has been champing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has happened · have always said · I've said |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are called · is lost · might be stuck |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | conversations, which will · conversation which is · method, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 84 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, impatient /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, profession /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: incorrectly /ˌɪnkəˈɹɛk(t).li/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like incorrectly, champ, intent.
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.