Shadowing Practice: 8 THINGS EVERY LANGUAGE LEARNER SHOULD DO DAILY - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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hey guys welcome to my channel today we're gonna talk about top seven things
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that you could do at home that i used to do
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when i was back in russia and wanted to practice english
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but had no one to speak english to if you're interested i'm gonna share all those things today let's do it
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thing number one technology you can talk to you can have
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a google assistant at home you can have alexa you can
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have whatever you have in your country i have an alexa
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and i talk to her all the time mostly to set timers when i cook alexa countdown 15 minutes
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alexa countdown 15 minutes second timer 15 minutes starting now you
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see first time i mispronounced something she didn't get me sometimes
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that happens this makes me talk with a good accent uh
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it makes me think about the way i pronounce words
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so it understands me she can also tell jokes but i don't like them alexa tell me a joke
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actually my friend Jimmy Fallon wants to tell a joke let's
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give him a shot what did the horse say to the
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scarecrow hey okay sometimes you think should I let Jimmy tell the jokes for a
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while no no problem I'll keep you laughing but
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if you do want to hear one of his jokes just say tell me a Jimmy Fallon joke thank you Yeah, sometimes I don't get them.
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Alexa, stop!
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Alexa, stop!
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Oh, sometimes she does weird stuff, but who cares?
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Okay, second thing.
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This one is really weird.
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Like, I would do it if you're alone at home.
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I have my husband there.
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I think he's used to me being weird, so he doesn't care, but let's try okay what i do what i used to do i don't do it anymore
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but i talk to myself about whatever i'm doing like oh
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i want to get some coffee let's get some coffee what
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kind of coffee do i want i have caramel i have
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vanilla i have chocolate okay let's let's go for don't fall let's go for caramel
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ready so whatever you do you just talk to yourself about whatever you're doing you can just think about it
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or you can say it out loud i would recommend saying it out loud
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because you're practicing your intonation or whatever uh but
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if you're not alone at home i would recommend just keeping it to yourself
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because otherwise people might think you're weird
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but you're just practicing right this is your thing
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number three you can write in english in your notebook you
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can plan in english this is what i used to do
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since i was like 14 i told myself hey i'm gonna try
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and practice try to do everything in english starting with my notebook
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and I still do it like everything is in English it's not well this is in Russian
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but never mind the majority of stuff is in English still practicing you know even uh
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when you're in America uh my husband is Russian
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so we don't speak English to each other and sometimes
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when this is a weekend and just talk to him sometimes also mispractice
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so these things they just keep me practicing all the time
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We drove 40 minutes from San Francisco and guess what?
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It's sunny here, San Francisco is so foggy today.
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So we came to Mountain View because our CTO is here
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and we're going to work today and I'm going to continue talking about things we should do to practice when you're alone.
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Another thing that I do all the time, you don't have to do it, but I do it and it helps a lot is blogging, blogging in English.
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So for example, you can shoot a video but you don't have to.
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There is also Instagram which I do in two languages.
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I do the first part in English and the second part in Russian
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because I still have another channel and people from another channel which is in Russian follow me on Instagram.
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But another cool tool for you to use to practice your english is twitter you're basically limited to 270 symbols
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so every day just make this habit that you sit down
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and post about whatever you want to post like you don't
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do it for getting followers though it's a good residual
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if you get followers and you might become famous
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but Who knows? just write whatever is happening to you i'm
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glad you're following my advice yes always check your text in fluent express okay even emails like
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if you have a job that's connected with english that's awesome
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so basically um what dima is doing he's checking his email on fluent express
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and a native speaker it's going to tell him whether he made any mistakes we'll see the thing is
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when you learn your language there are a lot of things
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that you can do to improve your listening because there are
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so many videos so many books and so many things you can do
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but the problem is who do you have to chat with now I told you about Alexa
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and Google assistant which is a great thing
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but also like producing your thoughts in a written form
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and then checking yourself is a great tool as well because
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when you're gonna talk it's the same process you create thoughts so let's see it's very yellow I'm sorry
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what does that mean Yeah,
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yeah some grammar stuff How cool is this place, huh?
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We are working from a co -working area in our CDO's home
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which i love because it's so sunny here so different from san francisco
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and i love this concept of housing when you have a gym
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when you have a community area where you can work we're currently six people working from a big room
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which is totally cool
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another advice is watch a video in english every day it
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can be from your favorite youtuber it can be a short
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video on instagram like any video just create this rule for yourself
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that you watch a video a day that could be my video as well
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so this video counts already it can be entertaining it can be educational this is up to you
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but the thing is the only source for you to get real language is watching videos by real people
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because when you're watching a movie sometimes they use phrases
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that you wouldn't really use in your normal life it's all edited it's all written by professional screenwriters
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but when it's a blogger talking just holding his camera
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and walking around this is real language and this is what you're gonna hear
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when you come to the United States of America to Canada this is the real language
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and it's amazing how you can hear all of those accents
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because when I was 14 like 15
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when I had to learn a language at home the only resource I had were the CDs
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and tapes that came together with my textbook
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and they had nothing to do with real English
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so you guys are really lucky
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so make this rule for yourself a video a day for perfect english
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if you are not a fan of entertainment videos and you want to improve
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i've talked a lot about this platform and i'm gonna tell about it a little more
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it's called skillshare and this is where real people teach you real skills
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and they have more than 25 000 different classes from different professionals what i love about skillshare is
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that people are real it's not like this is a professor
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from a university i watch their marketing courses I watch their editing courses
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and it's always a professional from that industry but he's
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so real he's just sitting in front of a camera at home
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and teaching whatever works for him
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so you can totally check the courses out again my favorites are marketing editing photo editing
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and blogging premium membership gives you unlimited access
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so you can join the classes and communities
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that are just right for you
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and your new year goals by the way one One of my goals for 2019 is to become a homeowner.
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I don't know if you watched my previous video on the goals, but because I want to become a homeowner, I really need to earn more money and Skillshare can also help you with that.
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Like if you're launching your own course, which is a huge trend.
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If you're doing some freelance job, Skillshare can help you with your new year's resolutions.
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Skillshare is also super affordable
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and annual subscription is less than $10 a month the first 500 people
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that click the link below this video are going to get two months of access to Skillshare for free.
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Sending them into a huge black hole.
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He knew he would be the best employee in any company.
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Another great thing that I've started doing is listening to audiobooks while driving home.
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It would take me around 15 minutes to go from Mountain View to San Francisco.
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Dima is driving and i'm enjoying the book
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and thank you it's a great way to read a lot of books
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because with audible with like listening to audiobooks i started reading six to seven books a month
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which is awesome uh it goes pretty fast because you're doing something else
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so huge advice to you listen while you're driving while you're cleaning
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while you're cooking whatever just listen to an audiobook unhealthy dinner
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place shake shack like mcdonald's first mcdonald's in russia it's like
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yeah it's like mcdonald's back in the 90s in russia it's
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crazy like people in silicon valley see burgers for the first
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time that's why it's been a month since shaysha opened here
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and people are lighting up crazy stuff you got it finally it's good
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came back home super tired came back to a huge mess oops i'm even scared to show you
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that but i'm gonna clean the room i'm gonna go to the gym
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and my last advice for you guys is to listen to a song
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that you really like but together with the lyrics first you can sing along
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and this way you're gonna practice your singing
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and your english second you can just read the lyrics at the same time
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when your favorite singer is singing this way you will practice your listening
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because sometimes you listen to a song
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and it doesn't make a lot of sense but
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when you read the lyrics you'll be like oh that's what he meant
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so practice that and comment down below with a method
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that works for you when you're really really tired and
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when you have to practice english but you're
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so tired to read any book or watch a video comment down below
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if you're not subscribed to this channel hit the subscribe button it's the red one down here it says subscribe
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and um i will see you soon in the next vlogs
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Sometimes I find myself sitting back and reminiscing Especially
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when I have to watch other people kissing And I remember when you started calling me a missus All the play -fighting,
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all the flirtatious misses That's what I mean So that really helps me practice Okay, that was it Bye
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “8 THINGS EVERY LANGUAGE LEARNER SHOULD DO DAILY”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: english, practice, whatever, alexa. This video has 152 sentences and 1896 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:57. The speaker talks at a natural 159 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 |
|---|---|---|
| edit verb | /ˈɛdɪt/ | To change a text, or a document. |
| lyrics noun | /ˈlɪɹ.ɪks/ | The words to a song (or other vocal music). |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| notebook noun | /ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/ | A book (physical or digital) in which notes or memoranda are written. |
| countdown noun | /ˈkaʊntˌdaʊn/ | A count backward in fixed units to the time of some event, especially the launch of a space vehicle. |
| timer noun | /ˈtaɪmɚ/ | A device used to measure amounts of time. |
| follower noun | /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/ | One who follows, comes after another. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| membership noun | The state of being a member of a group or organization. | |
| tape noun | /teɪ̯p/ | Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| light up verb | To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten. |
| sit back verb | To recline while still in a seated position, with one's back on the frame of the seat. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
| walk around verb | To walk with no planned destination; to meander. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to do |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | channel which is · assistant which is · course, which is |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | i've talked · I've started |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 65 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, skillshare /ˈskɪlˌʃɛɹ/, flirtatious /flɚˈteɪʃəs/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, unlimited /ʌnˈlɪm.ɪ.tɪd/, residual /ɹɪˈzɪd͡ʒ.u.əl/, audiobook /ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/
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 edit, lyrics, subscribe.
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.