Shadowing Practice: #96 At a swimming lesson (Med) | SBS Learn English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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You know, learning English makes swimming class less confusing.
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SBS acknowledges the traditional custodians of country and their connections and continuous care for the skies,
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lands and waterways throughout Australia.
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You stand outside the pool, watching kids laugh and run past.
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The bright blue pool looks big and a little scary.
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You really want to swim.
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But what if you don't understand the instructor?
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You worry that your English isn't strong enough to follow every word.
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I'm Josipa and my English isn't perfect.
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But that's okay, I'm learning all the time.
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I can do this, you tell yourself.
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Before your first swimming lesson,
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you've practiced some key words and phrases to help you feel ready and confident enough to join in.
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Your heart beats faster, but excitement wins over fear.
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Today you step closer to the water.
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Today you know how to listen and how to speak during a swimming lesson.
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Now, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the water.
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Alan is the instructor, teaching Claire how to swim.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a back float.
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I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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Okay, I think I'm floating.
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Fantastic.
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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Well, done.
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I'm tired already.
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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Claire worked hard to keep her head above water in her swimming today.
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You can also say someone is keeping their head above water when they are managing, even if it's tough.
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Actually, there is even a podcast with the same name, Head Above Water, where comedians and good mates,
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Sashi and Surin, dive into what Australians love about water.
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One of them loves swimming, the other doesn't even like getting wet.
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I'll share a preview with you later in the episode.
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Now, let's go through Alan and Claire's dialogue together so you can keep your head above water while learning new phrases.
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Alan first said...
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a back float.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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The shallow end is the part of the pool where the water is not very deep.
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If you don't know how to swim, that's exactly where you want to be.
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Alan also asked Claire.
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Try to do a back float.
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Here Alan is asking Claire to lie on her back in the water and float without sinking.
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A back float is when you lie on your back in the water.
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Your face stays above the water.
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Your body is relaxed.
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Your arms and legs are spread out a little so you can stay on the surface.
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That's what we call a back float.
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You can also do a front float.
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That is the opposite of a back float.
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You lie on your stomach in the water.
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You stretch your arms forward and keep your face in the water while you float.
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When I do a front float, I hold my breath or blow bubbles to stay relaxed.
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Clare then said, I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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Okay, I think I'm floating.
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We already heard that floating means staying on the surface of the water without sinking.
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For example, you can say, I'm floating on my back.
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Here, floating is a verb.
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The word float can also be used as a verb.
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I can float without moving my arms or legs.
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But when we say afloat, it's a noun. For example.
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I did afloat for a few seconds.
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Next, Alan said...
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Fantastic!
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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The deep end is the part of the pool where you usually can't touch the bottom.
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It's best for people who can swim well.
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Beginners often start in the shallow end to practice floating, kicking and swimming before moving to the deep end.
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At the end of the dialogue, Alan said...
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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Swimming freestyle.
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Freestyle is a swimming style or we can say stroke.
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Actually the word stroke also means one complete movement of your arms while you are swimming.
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We can also use it to talk about different ways of moving in the water or different styles of swimming like freestyle.
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So freestyle is a swimming style or stroke where you lie on your stomach
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and move your arms forward one after the other while you kick your legs.
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It's the fastest stroke or swimming style.
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If that sounds like your style, you could say...
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I mainly swim freestyle.
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There are many different strokes of swimming.
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Perhaps you have seen them when watching the Olympics.
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Have you heard of the backstroke?
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I usually swim backstroke.
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Or the breaststroke?
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I want to practice breaststroke.
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There's also the butterfly stroke.
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I try butterfly sometimes, but it's really challenging.
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At the end of our dialogue, Alan also said...
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Now, just tread water to rest.
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To tread water means to stay in one place in the water without sinking.
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You move your arms in small circles and kick your legs gently to keep floating.
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When I feel tired in the water, I tread water and take a break.
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Now that you have learned some key phrases and vocabulary, let's listen to Alan and Claire's dialogue one more time.
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After that, we can test the waters ourselves.
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By the way, to test the waters means to slowly and carefully try out something new before fully committing.
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Just like when we think the water in the pool might be very cold, so we test it out with one foot before jumping in.
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But you can use this expression to test the waters in many different situations.
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For example, before starting a new hobby, I like to test the waters by watching tutorials online.
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Maybe your new hobby could be listening to our bonus episodes,
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designed so you can practice speaking by repeating after Alan and Claire.
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Not sure yet?
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Why don't you test the waters first?
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I'll give you a chance to practice soon.
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But first, let's hear the dialogue.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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Try to do a backflow.
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I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
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OK, I think I'm floating.
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Fantastic.
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OK, now let's jump in the deep end.
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Well, done.
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I'm tired already.
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See?
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Keep with it.
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Eventually, you'll be swimming freestyle.
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Now just tread water to rest.
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It's time to practice.
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See if you remember the meaning before hearing the answer.
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What does it mean to keep your head above the water?
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To keep your head above water means to manage things, even when it's tough.
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What does it mean to test the waters?
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To test the waters means to try something new carefully before fully committing.
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Now it's your time to speak.
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Just repeat after Alan and Claire.
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Let's start in the shallow end.
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I did a float for a few seconds.
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I mainly swim freestyle.
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I usually swim backstroke.
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Before I go, I'd like you to check out a podcast called head above water.
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It answered a lot of my questions about Australian waters, whether it's lakes, rock fishing, or even dealing with a fear of swimming.
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We lost 323 people to drowning incidents in Australia,
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and a big percentage of those people who lost their lives were from multicultural backgrounds.
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Australia is surrounded by water.
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Wherever you look in this country, there's a new place to explore.
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There's so much coastline.
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There's rivers and waterfalls.
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It can be exhilarating, breathtaking.
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Or sometimes, to be honest, a little bit scary.
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What do you find scary, Saren?
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Well, the most terrifying thing in the world to me is I go to the beach
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and I end up on Bondi Rescue, wearing cargo pants.
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What about you, Sashi?
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I always worry as soon as I can't feel the ground beneath my toes when I'm swimming.
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Always makes me panic.
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Some of the things Aussies take for granted about water culture have made us laugh and scratch our heads.
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I could not get over the shark siren on Cottesloe Beach.
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Yeah, or those tiny little bathers.
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What do they call them?
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Budgie smugglers?
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I'm Sashi Pereira, a second generation Sri Lankan Australian comedian, writer, and recovering lawyer.
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And I'm Saran Jiamana.
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I'm also Sri Lankan Australian and I have never learnt to swim.
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Like, I'm a grown man.
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I'm 38 years old.
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I've got a bank account and a job.
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I know how to change a tyre, but I don't know how to swim.
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Don't worry, Saren.
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I'm going to help you and other new Australians to learn how to be more comfortable in and around the water.
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You can find the Head Above Water series as part of the Australia Explained podcast from SBS Audio.
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If you want to keep learning and practicing, check out more tips and resources on our website and socials,
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Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Just search for SBS to learn English and you'll find videos, exercises and bonus content made just for you.
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I'm Josipa and thanks for diving into English with me today.
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Keep swimming through new words and phrases and I'll see you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “At a swimming lesson”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: swimming, float, Alan, swim, freestyle. This video has 170 sentences and 1530 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:24. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| float verb | /fləʊt/ | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). |
| freestyle noun | /ˈfɹiːˌstaɪl/ | A swimming event in which the contestants may choose any stroke. |
| shallow adjective | /ˈʃæloʊ/ | Having little depth; significantly less deep than wide. |
| tread verb | /tɹɛd/ | To step or walk (on or across something); to trample. |
| dialogue noun | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| backstroke noun | /ˈbækˌstɹoʊk/ | A backhanded stroke or blow. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| afloat adjective | /əˈfloʊt/ | Floating. |
| breaststroke noun | /ˈbɹɛstˌstɹoʊk/ | A swimming stroke in which the swimmer lies face down, the arms being swept forward, outward and back under the water and the legs are kicked like a frog's |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| butterfly noun | /ˈbʌ.tə(ɹ).flaɪ/ | A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| get over verb | To overcome. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| run past verb | To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of (someone) in order to obtain their opinion. |
| spread out verb | Become further apart. |
| try out verb | To test (something) to see how it works or whether it is suitable. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- But what if you don't understand the instructor?
- Let's start in the shallow end.
- I'll try, but I'm a bit scared.
- Have you heard of the backstroke?
- Why don't you test the waters first?
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 | you've practiced · have seen · Have you heard |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are spread · is surrounded |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who can · people who lost |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | loves swimming · practice floating · keep floating |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 42 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathtaking /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/, beneath /bɪˈniːθ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- Long words — get the stress right: comedian /kəˈmiː.di.ən/, multicultural /ˌmʌltiˈkʌlt͡ʃəɹəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like swim, float, freestyle.
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.