Shadowing Practice: 25 Audio Track - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Track 25, Speaker 1 I moved here about two years ago.
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Although I loved the peace and tranquility of the area where I grew up, I wanted to be an interior designer, and there are very limited opportunities for that type of work there.
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So I really had no choice but to become an urbanite.
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I have to say, I do miss the fresh air, though.
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But living in the country can have its disadvantages, too.
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I only have to walk down the street now to my local supermarket, which is really convenient.
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But where my parents live, you have to travel for several hours to get to the nearest shops.
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Speaker 2 I came here after I graduated from university.
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I've always wanted to be a vet, but city vets really only deal with pets, and I wanted to work with larger farm animals.
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It's really interesting work, but because all the properties are so spread out, it's easy to feel isolated at times.
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That's why it can be tough for children out here.
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They don't have a lot of choice when it comes to education.
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They either have to go to boarding school or be schooled at home.
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Having said that, they have a lot more freedom here because it's a really safe environment for them.
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I love my life here now, and I don't miss the city at all.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 16 sentences and 231 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:22. The speaker talks at a natural 169 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| pet noun | /pɛt/ | An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use. |
| designer noun | /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ | A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession. |
| convenient adjective | /kənˈviː.niənt/ | Serving to reduce a difficulty, or accessible with minimum difficulty; expedient. |
| vet verb | /vɛt/ | To thoroughly check or investigate particularly with regard to providing formal approval. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| disadvantage noun | /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/ | A weakness or undesirable characteristic; con; drawback. |
| isolate verb | /ˈaɪ.sə.leɪt/ | To set apart or cut off from others. |
| tranquility noun | /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/ | American standard spelling of tranquillity. |
| urbanite noun | Someone who lives in a city or similar urban area. | |
| interior noun | /ɪnˈtɪ.ɹi.ɚ/ | The inside of a building, container, cavern, or other enclosed structure. |
| graduate verb | /ˈɡɹæd͡ʒueɪt/ | To be recognized by a school or university as having completed the requirements of a degree studied at the institution. |
| travel verb | /ˈtɹævəl/ | To be on a journey, often for pleasure or business and with luggage; to go from one place to another. |
| opportunity noun | /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/ | A chance for advancement, progress or profit. |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| shop noun | /ʃɑp/ | An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. |
| spread out verb | Become further apart. |
| walk down verb | To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's… |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've always wanted |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be schooled |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | supermarket, which is |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the nearest |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shop /ʃɑp/, fresh /fɹɛʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, disadvantage /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/, tranquility /træŋˈkwɪlɪti/, interior /ɪnˈtɪ.ɹi.ɚ/, opportunity /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/
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 pet, designer, convenient.
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.