Shadowing Practice: 5-Day English Shadowing Challenge | Day 1: Vocabulary - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
Hello everyone and welcome to English with Lucy.
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Hello everyone and welcome to English with Lucy.
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This is the first video of my very special five-day shadowing challenge.
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Shadowing is a technique where you speak along with or just after another speaker.
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The goal is to copy the speaker's pronunciation,
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rhythm and intonation, helping you to sound more natural in English.
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It will take you less than 30 minutes per day to make a noticeable improvement in your English.
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Across the next five days,
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we're following a connected story while you practice six short texts,
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two at each level, B1, B2 and C1.
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On day one, we're focusing on vocabulary.
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Day two is grammar, day three is pronunciation,
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and day four is a conversation.
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On day five, we'll do a review and then a final test.
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Now here's the exciting part.
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I've created a free online course to help everything you learn over these five days really stick in your mind.
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It's called the Consolidation Course.
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You'll get extra lessons, interactive vocabulary banks and engaging exercises that go far beyond what we can cover here.
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Each day, new materials unlock to match that day's lesson.
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You can access day one right now by signing up using the link in the description box
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or you can scan the qr code on screen once you've
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signed up you can start the exercises for free straight away oh
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and one more thing
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when you join the consolidation course you will automatically be added
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to my black friday waiting list i save my biggest discounts
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and best offers on my b1 b2 and c1 courses for black Friday.
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So if you're serious about taking your English to the next level,
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you'll want to be on that list.
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I've already decided my Black Friday offer and it's bigger and better than ever.
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So click the link below or scan the QR code to unlock the consolidation course
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and join the waiting list for Black Friday.
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Let's start with B1, the intermediate level of English.
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The first time, shadow me or pause and repeat after me if you want to.
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You'll hear the text again after we've looked at the vocabulary.
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I'm planning my next big adventure and I'm keen to do a road trip and rent a cottage in the countryside somewhere.
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Let's go through some words and phrases.
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First, keen.
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If you're keen to do something,
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you want to do it very much.
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Use the long E sound,
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keen, and the weak form of two before consonant sounds.
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Keen to do.
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Keen to do.
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Our next phrase is road trip.
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This is a long trip or holiday that you take by car.
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Next, cottage.
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A cottage is a small house, often in the countryside.
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Make sure to get the I sound in the second syllable.
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It's cottage, not cottage.
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Use the weak form a again for the article.
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A cottage.
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Remember, you can practice what you're learning with the consolidation course that goes with this video.
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It's free.
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Now, try shadowing me again.
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I've marked the text on screen with the words and sounds we've talked about.
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I'm planning my next big adventure and I'm keen to do a road trip and rent a cottage in the countryside somewhere.
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Here's the next part of our story at B1.
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Shadow me or listen, pause and repeat after me.
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I'd love to explore more of the UK,
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but I keep changing my mind about the exact destination.
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We'll look at three pieces of vocabulary now.
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First, to explore.
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This means to travel around a place to see what it's like.
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The stress is on the second syllable, explore.
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Our next phrase is to change your mind.
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If you change your mind,
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you change your decision or opinion about something.
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And third, we have destination.
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This is the place where someone is going.
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The third syllable is stressed and T-I-O-N is pronounced shun, destination.
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Before you shadow me again,
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let's look at some linking sounds that make these words easier to say.
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I add a soft w sound to glide between two explore, to explore.
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I also use a linking er to join more of, more of.
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And I use a soft y to link the two vowel sounds in the and exact.
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The exact.
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Now shadow me again.
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I'd love to explore more of the UK,
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but I keep changing my mind about the exact destination.
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If you're working towards B1,
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imagine learning English by living it, not just studying it.
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In my beautiful British English B1 programme,
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you'll follow our fictional character,
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Grace, as she moves from Scotland to Australia,
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meets new people and starts a new job.
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Every chapter of her story is filled with the real vocabulary you need for daily life.
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Travel, work, family and everyday conversations.
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You'll get 14 vocabulary lessons expertly designed by experienced curriculum designers of interactive exercises,
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downloadable PDFs, and vocabulary banks with audio pronunciation guides for every new word and phrase.
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By the end, English won't feel like something you're studying.
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It'll feel like something that's already part of you.
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And don't forget, Black Friday week is coming and trust me,
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you'll be so glad you're on the list.
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The discounts and bonuses are unbelievable and they'll help you begin your journey to natural, confident English.
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We're moving on to B2 now,
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the upper intermediate level of English.
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Here's the next part of the story.
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Remember, shadow me this time if you want to,
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or listen, pause and repeat after me.
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I've got quite a modest budget,
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so I need to be careful with money,
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but I've decided to just go for it.
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I really want to make the most of my precious time off.
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Let's go through some vocabulary.
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Modest means small in amount or not expensive.
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A budget is the amount of money available to spend on something.
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So, a modest budget is a fairly small amount of money.
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Like with cottage, pronounce the final syllables with an i sound.
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Modest.
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Budget.
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Not modest or budget.
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Modest budget.
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Next, the phrase to make the most of something.
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Meaning to use or enjoy something as much as possible.
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Notice the weak form of, not of.
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To make the most of something.
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And finally, we have precious,
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which means very important and valuable.
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Something you don't want to waste.
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It's pronounced precious with a sh, not precious.
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Precious.
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Make sure you've joined the consolidation course to explore these ideas in more depth and see how they work in real life.
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Alright, shadow me again.
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I've got quite a modest budget,
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so I need to be careful with money,
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but I've decided to just go for it.
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I really want to make the most of my precious time off.
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Are you ready for the next part?
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Shadow me now or listen,
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pause and repeat after me.
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The idea of going somewhere fairly isolated has captured my imagination.
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It'd give me the chance to truly relax.
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I always struggle to do that in a city or anywhere that's absolutely packed.
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Now, our vocabulary.
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First, isolated, meaning far away from other people, buildings or places.
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Stress the first syllable.
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Isolated.
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To capture means to make someone feel very interested or excited about something.
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Notice how I pronounce it.
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Capture.
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Capture.
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With a ch sound in the middle.
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In the passage, it was used in the collocation, captured my imagination.
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Next, the verb to struggle means to find something difficult or to have trouble doing it.
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We often say you struggle to do something.
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And our final word, packed, meaning completely full.
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You can say this place is packed,
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meaning very crowded with lots of people.
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Or packed with.
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The documentary was packed with fascinating facts.
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Shadow me again now.
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The idea of going somewhere fairly isolated has captured my imagination.
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It'd give me the chance to truly relax.
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I always struggle to do that in a city or anywhere that's absolutely packed.
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If you're ready to reach B2 and speak with real fluency,
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you will love my beautiful British English B2 programme.
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You'll follow our character Ryan,
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who's just moved to the UK,
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as he settles into a new life,
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finding a flat, making friends,
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navigating British culture and learning to fit in.
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Through his story, you'll learn hundreds of expressions,
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idioms and collocations that we Brits use to talk about relationships,
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work, money and everyday situations.
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You'll get 12 expertly designed vocabulary lessons with hundreds of interactive exercises,
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downloadable PDFs, and vocabulary banks with audio pronunciation guides for every expression.
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By the end, you'll stop translating in your head.
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English will simply flow.
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And keep an eye out for Black Friday because it will be the moment you turn your English goals into a reality.
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We're talking big discounts, incredible bonuses and a chance to take your fluency further than ever at the best price ever.
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Okay, are you ready for C1?
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This is the advanced level of English.
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Shadow me or listen, pause and repeat after me.
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That's the only fly in the ointment,
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the crowds in some places during high season.
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The Scottish Highlands, a lifelong bucket list entry,
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has emerged as the ideal shoulder season spot.
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Our first phrase is the idiom,
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the fly in the ointment.
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And this is a small problem or disadvantage that spoils something that is otherwise very good.
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You'll also hear a fly in the ointment.
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You can use a y sound to glide smoothly between fly and in and the and ointment.
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Fly in the ointment.
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Now, high season.
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This is the time of year when a place receives the most visitors.
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Shoulder season is the time between high and low season,
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so there are some tourists, but not tons.
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Then we have the compound adjective lifelong,
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referring to something that has existed or lasted for your whole life.
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And And finally, bucket list.
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A list of things you want to do or experience in your lifetime.
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Lots of high level vocabulary there.
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Don't forget to join the consolidation course to practice what you're learning.
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Are you ready?
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Shadow me again now.
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That's the only fly in the ointment.
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The crowds in some places during high season.
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The Scottish Highlands, a lifelong bucket list entry,
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has emerged as the ideal shoulder season spot.
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Okay, let's finish the story now.
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Shadow me or listen, pause and repeat after me.
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It looks like I'll be spoilt for choice with its blend of rugged coastlines,
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historic villages and the legendary Loch Ness.
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Okay, vocabulary.
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First, we have the lovely idiom to be spoilt for choice,
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meaning to have so many good options that it's hard to choose.
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Use the weak form f here.
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Spoilt for choice.
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Next, we have blend, meaning a mixture of different things that go well together.
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It's also a verb, meaning to mix different things well.
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After that, rugged.
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This refers to rough, wild, often rocky land.
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And did you notice this irregular ED adjective is pronounced with two syllables?
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Rugged, not rugged.
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Rugged.
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Our last word is legendary.
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In this context, it means very famous.
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Loch Ness is famous, legendary.
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But it also plays with another meaning of legendary,
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meaning from a legend, an ancient story like the Loch Ness Monster.
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I pronounce this word with three syllables, legendary.
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Copy that as you shadow the final line again.
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It looks like I'll be spoilt for choice with its blend of rugged coastlines,
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historic villages and the legendary Loch Ness.
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At the C1 level, English becomes personal.
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It becomes much more about nuance and how you express yourself with precise language.
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In my beautiful British English C1 programme,
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you'll follow Lottie as she starts over,
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builds new friendships, and finds her place in a British village community.
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You'll receive 12 expertly designed vocabulary lessons,
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complete with hundreds of reinforcing interactive exercises,
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downloadable PDFs, and vocabulary banks covering advanced topics like lifestyle,
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rural and city living, comedy,
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personalities and fitting in, job hunting, and freelancing.
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Each week, the language gets richer,
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your understanding becomes deeper, and your confidence grows stronger.
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By the end, you'll speak with nuance,
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subtlety, and natural rhythm, the way fluent speakers do.
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And don't forget, we're just a few weeks away from Black Friday,
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the time you invest in yourself and your goals.
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The biggest discounts of the year are heading your way and they'll open the door to the advanced English you've always wanted.
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Well, my lovely students, you have just finished day one of the five-day shadowing challenge,
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where we focused on vocabulary across the B1, B2 and C1 levels.
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I hope you're already starting to feel more confident using these new words and expressions in your own speech.
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On day two, we'll continue with the same story,
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but we'll switch our attention to the grammar and how it gradually becomes more advanced.
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If you haven't accessed your day one consolidation course yet, do that now.
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Now is the perfect time.
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The link is in the description or you can scan the QR code on screen now to get started.
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It's free.
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I can't wait to see you for day two.
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Bye!
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Context & Background
In today's fast-paced world, mastering the English language is essential. Many learners seek practical methods to enhance their speaking skills, and shadowing is a proven technique ideal for this purpose. This initial video of the 5-Day English Shadowing Challenge introduces participants to a unique way to improve not only vocabulary but also pronunciation and rhythm in English. The speaker emphasizes the importance of mimicking a fluent speaker, helping learners sound more natural and confident. Whether you are at the B1, B2, or C1 level, engaging in shadow speech can lead to noticeable improvements in less than 30 minutes a day.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Keen: If you are keen to do something, it means you want to do it very much. For example, "I am keen to travel."
- Road trip: A road trip refers to a long journey taken by car, often for leisure. For instance, "We are planning a road trip this summer."
- Cottage: A cottage is a small house, usually in a rural area. You might say, "We rented a cottage in the countryside."
- Adventure: An adventure is an unusual, exciting experience. Example: "I’m looking for my next big adventure."
- Planning: When you are planning, you are thinking ahead about what you want to do. For instance, "I am planning my vacation for next month."
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique showcased in this video, follow these comprehensive steps:
- Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the video and listening to the speaker's pronunciation and intonation. Pay close attention to the vocabulary.
- Shadow Speak: Immediately after hearing a phrase, try to repeat it aloud. This is where the technique of shadowspeaks comes into play, as you will mimic the sounds and rhythm.
- Pause and Repeat: If you struggle to get the pronunciation right, feel free to pause the video and repeat the phrase. Ensure you master the sounds and stress patterns.
- Focus on Connections: As you practice, pay attention to how each new word connects with the context of the sentences. This will help you remember the vocabulary more effectively.
- Daily Practice: Dedicate less than 30 minutes daily to this exercise. Regular shadow speech practice can significantly boost your fluency.
This structured approach not only makes learning engaging but also ensures that the vocabulary sticks in your mind. Remember, the objective is to make every shadowing session valuable, ultimately paving the way for smooth, confident conversations 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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