Shadowing Practice: #43: Remote work | Fin's Daily British English Listening Practice - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Why is it so bloody difficult to learn English?
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Why is it so bloody difficult to learn English?
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Well, because it's so time-consuming.
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It takes up so much time studying,
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practicing, just learning and trying to understand things.
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It's difficult, but the best thing you can do is be consistent.
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And that's what we're doing here.
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Five minutes of British English listening practice every single day.
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Today's topic, remote work.
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Now, this is something that didn't really exist maybe 10 years ago.
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Obviously it existed, but it wasn't very common at all.
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It would only be digital nomads that go and live in Bali
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and have weird random jobs or only a certain type of job.
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but thanks to COVID it's become a very normal thing it has been normalized
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so to normalize is the verb to become normal to make something normal
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so COVID normalized remote working people often say home office
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and that's not really common in English it's not really used by native speakers,
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we say working from home.
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So where's John?
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Oh, he's working from home today.
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And but if your job is remote then you are working from home.
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But hybrid working, where you are at home and in the office,
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that seems to be one of the most common types, I guess.
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But there is still a lot of remote jobs out there.
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And it's a very weird thing, isn't it?
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Working from your house and I think many people struggle with it.
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Now, I, since university, since I've left university,
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I have only really had a remote job and that's it.
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So I started English teaching right after university and I do all of that online.
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So I do it at home.
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And I don't know, maybe it's a little bit easier for me
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because I just do my classes within a certain time frame.
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So they start at this time and they finish at this time
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and then I can go and I can relax and I can forget about it.
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And I think for many people it's very difficult when you have a typical nine to five.
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So when you're working all throughout the day and your head is full of a lot of stuff
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and it's very difficult to separate work from home.
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We often talk about a work-life balance
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and working from home makes it very difficult for people to have this work-life balance
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because when you commute so when you travel to
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and from work you have time you have time to think
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maybe you have time to decompress relax maybe you'll listen to music
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or you'll listen to somebody's five minutes of daily english listening practice
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or you'll listen to a different type of podcast or watch a film or something and this will
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make you forget about work and then
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when you get home you can start your normal personal life
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but But when you work at a desk in one room
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and you stand up and then you go and take 10 steps and you're in your kitchen,
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then it's a little bit harder to separate those lives.
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And when you are around the house all day,
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the whole house becomes a bit of a workspace and where you're thinking.
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So it becomes very difficult.
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Let me know.
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Have you guys ever struggled with this?
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And do you have any advice for anybody else that is struggling with this?
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I think it gets better over time.
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You get more used to it,
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maybe more disciplined and you have little tricks that help you.
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And one thing that helps me is what I wear.
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So obviously you cannot see all of me but I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt right now because it's a sunny day.
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It's kind of warm but in the winter in the UK most of the time it's cold
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and it's very tempting to stay in nice warm clothes
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and actually what I normally do is wear joggers
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so like the very comfy very very comfy trousers some people might call them tracksuit bottoms
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and they're yeah very comfy very cozy
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and they're what I wear to just relax in my house
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and often I'll wear a nice warm fluffy hoodie as well
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which is also what I would wear to relax in my house but
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I've noticed recently that if I get dressed so
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if I wear proper clothes that helps me to again make
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that separation between work and home life obviously I don't need to wear a suit
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and tie for my job but it really helps to have your comfy relax relaxing clothes
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and then
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when you put on a normal outfit even just normal day-to-day clothes it it helps helps your brain to make
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that distinction thank you guys thanks for watching and I'll see you back here tomorrow

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This video focuses on the increasingly relevant topic of remote work, a scenario that many learners may encounter. By engaging with this content, you not only improve your listening skills but also enhance your speaking abilities within a practical context. Speaking about remote work allows you to explore various aspects of the modern work environment, including work-life balance, the challenges of working from home, and the vocabulary associated with this topic. Utilizing the shadowspeak or shadowing technique, where you mimic and practice speaking along with the speaker, makes the learning process dynamic and interactive. This method encourages you to develop a more natural rhythm and flow in your speech, which is crucial for effective communication.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the transcript, several phrases and grammatical structures stand out that can enhance your English proficiency:

  • “Working from home” - This phrase is commonly used among native speakers and is essential for discussing remote work. Pay attention to its usage in various contexts.
  • “It has been normalized” - The present perfect passive form here emphasizes how something has changed over time, which is a useful structure in conversation.
  • “A work-life balance” - This expression encapsulates a significant topic in modern work discussions, making it crucial for everyday conversation.
  • “I guess” - This phrase reflects uncertainty or personal opinion; it’s an informal way to express one's thoughts and can add a conversational tone to your speaking.

By practicing these structures, especially through shadowspeaks, you will gain confidence in utilizing them in your conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking along with the video, be mindful of certain words and phrases that may present pronunciation challenges:

  • “Normalize” - The transition between the syllables can be tricky; be sure to emphasize the middle “m” sound correctly.
  • “Remote” - The pronunciation requires a clear emphasis on the second syllable. Listening carefully and repeating will improve your English pronunciation.
  • “Hybrid” - The 'h' sound at the beginning can often be dropped by non-native speakers, but it is essential for clarity.

By focusing on these pronunciation traps while utilizing the shadowing technique, you will become more adept at speaking fluently and confidently in English.

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.

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