Shadowing Practice: 5-Day English Shadowing Challenge | Day 2: Grammar - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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- This is day two of my five -day shadowing challenge.
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Today's focus is grammar, and in under 30 minutes, you'll strengthen some structures that make your English sound clear and natural.
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If this is your first day joining the challenge, make sure you start with day one so that you can follow the story from the beginning.
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There's a link in the description that takes you to the full five day shadowing challenge playlist.
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where you can watch all the lessons in order and track your progress as you go.
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And I have some great news.
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Day two of your free consolidation course is now unlocked.
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I've prepared some interactive grammar exercises with instant feedback, so there's no guessing and no waiting.
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These activities go even deeper than today's lesson, giving you more examples, more contexts,
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and more chances to see how the grammar structures work in real life.
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If this is your first day here, welcome.
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The consolidation course is completely free, and you'll get immediate access to days one and two.
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You'll find the link to join for free in the description, or you can scan the QR code on screen now.
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Once you're in, everything unlocks automatically.
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I think you're going to love it.
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And a quick reminder, when you join the consolidation course, you also automatically join my Black Friday waiting list.
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This is my biggest sale of the year with the best discounts I offer.
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If you're serious about reaching the B1, B2 or C1 level, this is the sale you've been waiting for.
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You'll be the first to know when it goes live.
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Right, let's start today's grammar lesson.
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We will start with B1, the intermediate level.
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"Shadow me" or "Listen, pause and repeat after me".
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I've been trying to take the train more often recently.
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So, I booked a ticket from London to Inverness.
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When the day finally arrived, I boarded at King's Cross.
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And as we picked up speed, I watched London disappear behind me.
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Okay, what tense can you see in the first clause?
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It's the present perfect continuous.
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The structure is subject plus have been plus ing verb.
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We can use this tense to talk about an action that began in the past and continues up to now.
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The focus is on the ongoing, unfinished nature of the action.
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In fast speech, we tend to contract 'I have' to I've.
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and pronounce 'been' then I've been.
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I've been trying.
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In your Day 2 consolidation course exercises,
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You'll practice the difference between present perfect simple and present perfect continuous with interactive activities.
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I've designed these activities to help you really understand when to use each tense, so that you stop second guessing yourself.
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Okay, here's the next part of our story.
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Shadow or repeat.
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If I'd known the route was so beautiful, I'd have booked a window seat.
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the journey which took around eight hours, passed surprisingly quickly.
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Before I knew it.
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I was in Inverness.
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Okay, which conditional structure is in the first sentence?
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It is the third conditional.
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The basic structure is 'if' + 'subject' + 'past perfect',
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comma, subject plus would have plus past participle.
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The past perfect tense is 'had' plus past participle.
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So it's, if I had known, I would have booked.
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We use the third conditional to imagine a different past.
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often to express regrets in the listening passage i had was contracted to eyed And then there was a double contraction.
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'I would have' is contracted to 'I'd have'.
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Did you notice that both had and would are contracted to apostrophe D.
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When you want to say or write the full form, be careful to use the correct word.
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The next structure is a relative clause in this second sentence.
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"Which took around eight hours" is a non -defining relative clause.
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It gives extra but non -essential information about the journey.
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We can remove the clause and the sentence still makes perfect sense.
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The clause starts with the relative pronoun 'which' and is separated from the rest of the sentence with commas.
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When speaking, I pause slightly before and after saying this clause.
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"Shadow me" or "Listen, pause and repeat after me".
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If I'd known the route was so beautiful, I'd have booked a window seat.
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the journey which took around eight hours, passed surprisingly quickly.
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Before I knew it, I was in Inverness.
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If you're working towards B1, my beautiful British English B1 programme teaches grammar differently.
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You'll build solid foundations through 31 expertly designed grammar lessons with hundreds of interactive exercises that give you instant feedback.
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follow Grace's story as she moves to Australia, and watch how present perfect continuous, conditionals, modal verbs, reported speech,
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and relative clauses actually work in real conversations.
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No isolated rules to memorise.
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You learn these structures naturally as Grace navigates her new job, makes friends and explores her new home.
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The grammar clicks because you're living it through her experiences.
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By the end, these structures feel effortless, not forced.
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And with Black Friday coming up, you'll soon get the chance to join this transformative 12 -week course for a fraction of the price with huge bonuses.
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You won't believe it.
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Okay, let's move on to B2, the upper intermediate level of English.
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Shadow me now if you can.
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But the adventure was far from over.
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All I could think was: "By the time I reach my cottage,
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'I'll have been travelling for more than 13 hours.' I picked up my rental car and I was off.
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Okay, we have a beautiful B2 level structure to focus on here.
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The future perfect continuous.
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The basic structure is 'subject' plus 'will have been' plus 'ing verb'.
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I will have been travelling.
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We use this tense to talk about an action in progress that will continue to a specific point in the future.
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The continuous tense emphasises the duration.
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Thirteen hours is a long time.
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And did you notice another double contraction?
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I will have became I love two syllables with a schwa in the second.
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I love.
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And again, in fast speech we usually say: bin.
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I'll have been rather than been.
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In your day two consolidation course, You'll work through exercises comparing the future perfect simple and future perfect continuous.
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These can be tricky tenses, but the interactive format makes them so much clearer.
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You'll get instant feedback on every answer.
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Shadow me again now and give that double contraction a go.
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But the adventure was far from over.
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all I could think was: "By the time I reach my cottage,
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'I'll have been travelling for more than 13 hours.' "I picked up my rental car." And I was off.
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Okay, here's the next part of our story at B2 level.
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I'm so used to endless traffic jams in London that I couldn't believe how quickly I got out into the country.
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And "The further I drove, the more beautiful it got.
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Okay, first, a structure that confuses even my advanced students.
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To be used to.
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If you are used to something, it is normal for you.
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"Be used to" is followed by a noun or a gerund.
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I'm used to traffic jams.
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or I'm used to sitting in traffic.
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The next sentence contained an interesting comparative structure.
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we can see the plus comparative comma the plus comparative further and more beautiful are the comparatives.
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This structure shows a cause and effect.
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One thing happens, I drive further, and something changes in response.
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It gets more beautiful.
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The two clauses are separated by a comma, so when speaking, we pause slightly between them.
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Shadow me again now.
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I'm so used to endless traffic jams in London that I couldn't believe how quickly I got out into the country.
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And, "The further I drove, the more beautiful it got.
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So, do you think you're ready for B2?
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My beautiful British English B2 programme gives you 24 comprehensive grammar lessons covering complex conditionals,
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Question tags, relative and participle clauses, the passive voice, cleft sentences, and so much more.
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you'll get hundreds of targeted exercises with downloadable PDFs that break down exactly how these structures work.
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Follow Ryan as he adapts to British life and you'll see the future perfect continuous,
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advanced adverb placement and sophisticated verb patterns used naturally as he finds a flat, navigates London and builds friendships.
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Each week builds confidence until higher level grammar flows effortlessly.
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That is learning grammar the right way.
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And when Black Friday week arrives, this programme will be part of something very special.
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huge savings, massive bonuses, and life changing lessons.
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everything you need to make English flow naturally.
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Okay, we're moving on to C1 now, the advanced level of English.
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Shadow me if you can.
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'What struck me as I drove along was how changeable the weather is there.' One moment it was really dull.
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And the next, it was bright sunshine.
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The drive wound past glens and locks, On and on.
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Okay, there's a lovely structure at the start of that passage, a cleft sentence.
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It starts with 'what' followed by a clause.
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Then we have the linking verb 'to be', 'was'.
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and another clause.
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We tend to use cleft structures for emphasis, and in this case, the focus is on the information in the second half of the sentence,
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which is often new or interesting.
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In your Day 2 consolidation course materials, we dive deeper into cleft structures with clear examples and practice exercises.
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This is advanced grammar that makes you sound sophisticated and natural.
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The exercises help you better understand these structures so they become instinctive.
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Shout in me again now.
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'What struck me as I drove along was how changeable the weather is there.' One moment it was really dull.
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And the next, it was bright sunshine.
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The drive wound past glens and locks, On and on.
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We'll listen to the final part of our story now.
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Just as I was on the verge of giving up ever finding it,
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"The cottage came into view." Little did I realise how far it was from civilisation.
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And, of course, I'd forgotten to buy any food.
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I wolfed down a bag of crisps and tumbled into bed.
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Okay, first, let's look at to be on the verge of.
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This means to be very close to experiencing or doing something.
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We often say someone is on the verge of tears, meaning about to cry.
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At C1 level, you move beyond simply using tenses to discuss time and add in other advanced structures.
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Next, we have a super advanced grammar point.
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In the phrase 'little did I realize', What do you notice about the word order?
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Well, the subject -verb order of an affirmative sentence is inverted like in a question.
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When we use negative or limiting adverbs like little at the beginning of a sentence, we invert the word order.
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Inversion is used for emphasis.
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When there's no auxiliary verb, we use do or did, like in our example.
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Another sentence like this: Never had I eaten anything so delicious.
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Shadow me again now, just as I was on the verge of giving up ever finding it.
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"The cottage came into view." Little did I realise how far it was from civilisation.
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And, of course, I'd forgotten to buy any food.
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I wolfed down a bag of crisps.
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and tumbled into bed.
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At the C1 level, grammar becomes an art form.
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My beautiful British English C1 programme delivers 24 precisely designed advanced grammar lessons that explore topics like paraphrasing,
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compound adjectives, negative inversions, subjunctive mood and lots more.
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You'll master the subtle differences that change meaning, tone and impact.
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Follow Lottie through 12 weeks as she builds a new life in a British village, and you'll discover why fluent speakers choose specific structures in debates,
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emails, presentations and casual conversations.
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with extensive exercises, downloadable grammar guides, and opportunities for teacher feedback, you don't just learn how advanced structures are formed,
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you understand the precise meaning they convey.
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By the end, you'll use advanced grammar not because you studied it, but because it's become part of how you communicate.
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And come Black Friday week, Your path to C1 level fluency will feel closer than ever.
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Prepare yourself for extraordinary savings.
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incredible bonuses.
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and the chance to transform the way you use English forever.
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Brilliant work today.
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You've just wrapped up day two and your grammar is shaping up nicely.
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Our day three lesson is going to be practical.
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It's all about pronunciation and trust me, It's going to be a lot of fun.
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Don't forget to do your day two consolidation course exercises.
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Those interactive grammar tasks will really make everything stick.
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I can't wait to see you for day three.
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Bye!
Context & Background
Welcome to Day 2 of the 5-Day English Shadowing Challenge, where our focus shifts to grammar! In this lesson, the speaker aims to enhance your understanding of English tenses, particularly for intermediate learners striving to sound more natural and fluent. Shadowing involves mimicking the speaker to improve pronunciation and rhythm, making it an essential practice for effective communication. Remember, this lesson builds on what was introduced in Day 1, so it’s beneficial to engage with the entire series for the best learning experience.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "I've been trying to take the train more often recently." - Use this to express ongoing attempts or habits.
- "If I'd known the route was so beautiful, I'd have booked a window seat." - This reflects regrets or missed opportunities using the third conditional.
- "The journey passed surprisingly quickly." - A great phrase to describe time during travel.
- "I watched London disappear behind me." - A vivid way to express scenery and experiences while traveling.
- "Before I knew it, I was in Inverness." - This phrase is useful for describing how quickly circumstances can change.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To maximize your learning from this grammar-focused shadowing lesson, follow these steps:
- Begin with Listening: Allow your ears to adjust to the natural flow of the speaker's voice. Pay attention to how grammatical structures are utilized in real conversation.
- Pause and Repeat: After identifying a sentence that resonates with you, pause the video. Use shadow speech by repeating what you've heard, mimicking the intonation and rhythm of the speaker.
- Focus on the Tenses: In today’s session, practice distinguishing between the present perfect continuous and the present perfect simple tenses. You can find specific exercises in the consolidation course that will reinforce this understanding.
- Explore Conditionals: Pay special attention to conditional sentences, especially the third conditional that reflects on hypothetical past situations. Practicing these will enhance your ability to express regrets or alternative past actions effectively.
- Engage with Interactive Exercises: Don't miss out on the free grammar exercises provided. They offer immediate feedback and are designed to help you solidify your understanding without any guesswork.
By using a shadowing app or joining a shadowing site, you can practice these techniques consistently to improve your speaking skills. Remember, it's all about repetition and active engagement, so take your time and enjoy the learning process with shadow speak!
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.