Shadowing Practice: 24 - 7 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Welcome to English in a Minute, where we teach you about idioms in American English.
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Our language is full of fun expressions.
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And here at The Voice of America, we offer you high quality English lessons 24-7.
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But what does this mean?
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I'm learning English at the University.
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Where are you learning English?
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I'm learning English with Voice of America.
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Their learning English website is available 24-7.
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24-7?
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Wow!
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Maybe I should learn English at VOA too.
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There are 24 hours in a day and 7 days in a week.
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When you say 24-7 in a conversation, it refers to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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It is another way of saying all day and all night, every day of the week.
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And that's English in a Minute.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "24 - 7" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good ideashould learn
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowI'm learning

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →