Shadowing Practice: 20 Minutes a Day English Study Plan: From Elementary to Intermediate - Learn English Speaking with Video
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A lot of elementary students believe that they just need more grammar, more vocabulary drills to reach intermediate level.
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But sometimes that's exactly what keeps them stuck.
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In this video, we'll go through five activities that really work for a lot of students.
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They are the ones backed by language acquisition research and proven by real student success stories.
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To walk you through these strategies, I invited one of our favorite LinguaTrip teachers, Anastasia.
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She has a degree in linguistics, is fluent in five languages including Russian, English, Spanish, French, and Italian,
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and has over a decade of experience helping students break through language learning plateaus.
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These aren't complicated techniques.
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They're practical daily habits that work with your brain's natural learning process.
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Anastasia has used them herself when learning multiple languages
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and has seen hundreds of students break through their plateau using these exact same methods.
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Let's start with the most powerful language learning tool.
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Over to you, Anastasia.
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Hello everyone!
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There are 5 main things you should do to quickly advance from the elementary to the intermediate level.
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We'll discuss each one in detail in today's video.
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The first and the most essential part of any language learning journey is reading.
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I completely agree with Stephen Krashen, who often discusses the power of reading in language learning.
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According to him, we acquire language through input.
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And reading is the most powerful source of input.
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And it's 100 % true.
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In fact, reading for pleasure is one of the most effective ways to improve your vocabulary.
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grammar, and writing.
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Even more effective than formal instruction.
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When you read books that interest you and are slightly above your level, you effortlessly learn new words and structures.
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You begin to truly understand the language, how sentences are constructed, how words fit together, and what sounds natural.
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I've experienced this firsthand while learning every language I speak, and I speak a few.
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Most of the phrases, grammar patterns, and cool idiomatic expressions that I know and use come from books.
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That's why the first question I ask every student who joins my one -on -one sessions is, are you reading anything in English?
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According to research, students who read a lot, write better, and use a richer vocabulary,
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spell words more accurately, develop a more intuitive sense of grammar, and perform better on standardized tests,
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even without direct test preparation.
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However, there are two important things to remember.
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The book must be interesting to you, and you should understand at least 50 % of what you read.
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When reading, don't translate every word you don't know.
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At first, imagine that you can't translate any words.
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Just try to read and understand as much as possible then check the meaning of words
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that repeat and seem important
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if you read regularly
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you'll learn the language almost effortlessly to make things easier for you i've compiled a list of books
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that are suitable for each level
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and can help you improve your english skills these are just suggestions
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so you don't have to follow them exactly but i try to choose the most interesting ones.
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Start with Muhammad Ali by Bernard Smith.
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It tells the story of Muhammad Ali, an American professional boxer and activist.
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Although the story has been simplified, it's interesting for people of all ages and backgrounds.
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It's written at the beginner level and is very easy to understand.
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If you are at the elementary level, you might find it too simple but that's the goal
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when you're just starting out you want to work with the easiest material possible
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then read girl meets boy by derek strange it's another enjoyable
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and easy to understand book after
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that move on to elementary level books you can choose from the little prince the secret garden
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and the hound of the baskervilles if you find them too easy limit yourself to reading one book.
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If you struggle, read all of them.
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Next, proceed to the intermediate level.
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My absolute favorite and my students' favorite too is Meet Me in Istanbul.
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by Richard Chisholm.
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It's an engaging, light -hearted detective story that really pulls you in.
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It's also full of useful travel vocabulary and everyday words that every student should know.
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It's simple enough that you won't feel like you're making a big jump from the A2 to the B1 level.
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After finishing it, move straight to the B2 level adaptation of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.
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It may feel challenging at first, but after a couple of chapters, you'll be completely absorbed by the plot.
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The story is more intense and full of drama and romance than Meet Me in Istanbul.
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Whether or not you've seen the movie, you'll find it fascinating.
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Next, you can move on to a few C1 books.
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You can choose from The Notebook, The Hobbit, and Jane Eyre.
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Jane Eyre is one of my personal favorites.
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However, if you're still unsure about reading complex texts, start with The Notebook.
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Finally, feel free to try unadapted books that haven't been edited for easier understanding.
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At first, it's better to choose detective or love stories because they're usually simple to follow.
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I'll list all the books in the description below, so you can download the ones you like and start reading.
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Make sure to read out loud for at least 5 minutes a day, because it will help improve your fluency.
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Let's do a small challenge to prove that reading really works.
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In the comments below, write the name of the book you've chosen to read.
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Then share updates about how your English is improving after reading for a few days, a week, two weeks, three weeks, and one month.
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Even if you don't think you enjoy reading, give it a try.
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All of my students who started reading said they didn't have time at first,
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but later became interested and began reading more even in their native language.
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One of my current students is at the pre -intermediate level, and while reading
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Meet Me in Istanbul, she told me she caught herself feeling like she didn't even remember whether she was reading in English
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or in her mother tongue.
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That's the exact feeling you want to achieve when you forget
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that you're studying a language and start using it naturally without thinking.
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I'll be waiting for your comments about the book you've chosen.
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In the meantime, let's move on to the second activity.
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Are you enjoying how Anastasia explains as much as I do?
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If you're watching this and thinking it all sounds great, but you know that alone you won't do this and you need more guidance,
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if you need a teacher and a group of people who are going to study alone with you, we've got something perfect for you.
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It's called From Elementary to Intermediate, and here's just what makes it different.
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In just seven weeks with 30 practical lessons, you'll build a truly solid foundation and finally feel confident in your English.
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Yes, we cover all the essentials, articles, tenses, conditionals, passive voice, everyday vocabulary, phrasal verbs, and pronunciation.
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But instead of old -fashioned textbook English, you get modern, real -life examples you'll actually use.
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And instead of boring drills, you get a clear, step -by -step system with fun, engaging exercises that make even the toughest topics enjoyable.
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The basic package gives you 3 -month access with all 30 lessons over 7 weeks,
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lecture notes, homework, and monthly live Q &A sessions with Venya, our incredible teacher.
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Now, if you're serious about improving, I advise you to go for the standard package.
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Get everything in the basic, plus your homework checked by Venya Pak himself, access to a group chat with him,
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and the challenge mode where you're paired with a steady buddy to complete tasks, climb the leaderboard, and win amazing prizes.
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And here's the thing.
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I recently asked what you guys find most challenging about learning English, and the answer was clear speaking.
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Because let's be honest, you can't get fluent without actually speaking.
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So in standard and pro packages, you get access to weekly speaking practice with native speakers and you'll be able to practice everything you learn.
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Over 10 ,000 students have already transformed their English with this program.
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So if you're at the A2 to B1 level and ready to finally break through that language barrier, reserve your spot now.
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The link is in the description.
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Activity number two, involves doing daily dictations.
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What is a daily dictation?
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It's a simple yet effective language learning exercise in
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which you listen to short recordings every day and write down exactly what you hear.
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I learned Italian this way and it was a game -changer.
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This exercise doesn't just help you passively absorb English, it helps you start using it when you speak.
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Here's how it works and why it's useful.
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First, you listen to a short audio clip.
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Maybe one or two sentences from a podcast, a short news clip, or a YouTube video,
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and try to write down everything you hear.
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Then you check what you wrote against the transcript or subtitles and correct your mistakes.
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You can listen as many times as you need to catch all the words.
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Some learners prefer to simply repeat after the speaker without writing anything down, which is also fine.
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You can alternate between these two versions of the exercise.
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One day write down what you hear, and the next day just repeat it aloud.
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Here is the process.
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First, listen and write down or repeat what you hear.
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Second, check your text using the transcript.
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And third, listen again while reading and focus on the speaker's pronunciation and rhythm.
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Why is this helpful?
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Daily dictation training sharpens several language skills at once.
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First, it improves your listening comprehension.
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If you practice regularly, you'll begin to notice small details such as prepositions, articles, and connected speech.
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Second, it strengthens your spelling and grammar skills.
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As you write, you have to think about how words are spelled in English.
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And just like with the reading, you'll naturally pick up grammar structures without memorizing them.
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Third, it makes your pronunciation better.
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As you listen, you'll begin to notice how words are actually pronounced in real speech.
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And of course, it helps you activate your speaking skills.
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When you say new words and phrases out loud a few times, they become much easier to use in conversation later on.
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Try doing this for just 5 or 10 minutes every day, and you'll see significant progress
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you can find free dictation exercises on the daily dictation website start with the easy level
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then progress to more difficult tasks one of the new toefl speaking tasks is actually quite similar to this exercise
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you'll need to listen to and repeat seven sentences
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within a limited time frame so if you're planning to take the toefl in the future
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However, daily dictation practice will definitely come in handy.
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That third activity is really good for improving your speaking skills and expanding your vocabulary.
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It is organizing debates in English on any topic.
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You can do this with a friend or family member who studies English.
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Your language teacher, chat GPT, or even yourself, simply pick a topic.
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For example, you could debate tea versus coffee and think of arguments to support your position.
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If you're practicing alone, you'll have to defend both sides.
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If you practice with a friend or teacher, you can switch roles.
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First, defend the position you agree with.
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Then, switch to the position you don't support.
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It's really fun and helps you learn to generate ideas quickly and explain your position in English.
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For example, I often find myself trying to convince my students that coffee is good even though I don't drink coffee myself.
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The most important thing is to provide examples and details
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and to imagine that you are in a real debate and you must outsmart your opponent.
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You can carefully plan the topics of these debates or come up with the first thing you see.
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For instance, while walking down the street, ask yourself, is it better to take the bus or walk somewhere?
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Then engage in defending both sides one by one.
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The fourth activity is another indispensable part of language learning.
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It involves drilling verbs and tenses.
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Ideally, you should practice each grammar topic you learn, but start by focusing on verbs because they are the key component of speech.
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When you're in a conversation and need to quickly explain your position, one thing that often slows you down is choosing the right verb and tense.
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To avoid that, practice with short, repetitive drills to make grammar automatic.
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You can combine these drills with your reading sessions.
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For example, while reading one book, practice using the present simple tense.
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Come up with simple sentences about yourself and practice saying them.
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For example, I like tennis.
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I don't like tennis.
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Do I like tennis?
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Why do I like tennis?
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Who likes tennis?
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I read books every day.
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I don't read books every day.
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Do I read books every day?
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Why do I read books every day?
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Who reads books every day?
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Try to do it as quickly as possible.
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Then summarize the chapter you've read using the present simple tense.
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When reading the next book, focus on the past simple tense.
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Write down the most common verbs you come across and create similar drills in the past simple.
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I went to work.
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I didn't go to work.
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Did I go to work?
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Why did I go to work?
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Who went to work?
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Repeat this pattern with different verbs and sentences.
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This kind of practice helps you use different verb forms and tenses automatically, so you can speak faster and more naturally.
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To practice several tenses at once, read a book written in the past out loud, it, changing all the verbs to the present.
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You can also do the opposite.
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For example, Meet me in Istanbul begins with a chapter written in the present, and I usually ask my students to convert it to the past.
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Pause the video now and try changing the paragraph to the past.
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Then keep watching to check your work.
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It was early morning on a sunny spring day in April.
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Heathrow Airport, London was busy as usual.
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Hundreds of people were arriving, leaving or waiting for planes.
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In the departure lounge of Terminal 1, a man was sitting reading a newspaper.
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He did not like airports.
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There were too many people and he was always nervous when he flew.
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He looked at his watch impatiently.
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Then, he heard the announcement over the loudspeakers.
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Once you can do this quickly and without hesitation, you've got it and can move on to a more difficult exercise.
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Finally, the last activity is to create a 5 -minute monologue daily.
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Every day, talk for 5 minutes about any topic.
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It could be a book you've read, a movie you've watched, your plans for the day, or what you're doing at the moment.
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The goal isn't perfection, but fluency and comfort.
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Even if you're just starting out, speak.
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Yes, you may speak slowly at first, with long pauses and hesitations, while trying to find the right words, but speak.
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By speaking freely for a few minutes, every day, You will train your brain to form sentences quickly and express ideas without hesitation.
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Over time, this daily habit will make your speech smoother and more confident.
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I usually like to discuss what happened during the day and describe what I'm doing at the moment.
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Of course, when I start learning a new language, such monologues feel incredibly slow and awkward.
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This is especially painful for someone who is a fast speaker and is used to speaking quickly in different languages.
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But you should still keep going.
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Say something like, at the moment I'm walking to work.
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Now I'm standing at the bus station waiting for the bus to arrive.
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Today it's sunny, cloudy or overcast.
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I have an important project at work.
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I'm a bit nervous, but I think I'll manage.
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Recently, I read a book about .
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Just make sure you don't try to translate from your native language.
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Simply forget about it and focus only on conveying your message.
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This way, your brain will start thinking in the language you are learning.
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These are the five activities that will help you transition from the elementary to the intermediate level.
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Let me know in the comments which ones you liked and which ones you are already using.
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Remember that consistency is key.
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Even if you practice for just 5 or 10 minutes every day, you will eventually see great results.
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Good luck, see you soon, bye!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “20 Minutes a Day English Study Plan: From Elementary to Intermediate”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: language, reading, student, english, learning. This video has 226 sentences and 2777 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:22. The speaker talks at a steady 143 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| tense noun | /tɛns/ | The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| elementary adjective | /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/ | Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something. |
| drill noun | /dɹɪl/ | A tool or machine used to remove material so as to create a hole, typically by plunging a rotating cutting bit into a stationary workpiece. |
| intermediate adjective | /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/ | Being between two extremes, or in the middle of a range. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| tennis noun | /ˈtɛnɪs/ | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| defend verb | /dɪˈfɪnd/ | To ward off attacks against (something or someone). |
| package noun | /ˈpæk.ɪd͡ʒ/ | Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| hesitation noun | /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/ | An act of hesitating |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| break through verb | To gain popularity. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| start out verb | To emerge suddenly; to jump out. |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
| fit together verb | To put the appropriate parts of (something) into a whole; to combine pieces that go together to create a finished object. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Why do I like tennis?
- Do I read books every day?
- Why do I read books every day?
- Did I go to work?
- Why did I go to work?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you practice regularly, you'll begin · If you're practicing alone, you'll have |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has used · has seen · I've experienced |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are constructed · has been simplified · be completely absorbed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | student who joins · students who read · students who started |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 66 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, you'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, preparation /ˌpɹɛpəˈɹeɪʃ(ə)n/, acquisition /ˌæk.wɪˈzɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
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 grammar, tense, verb.
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.