Shadowing Practice: A Day in the Life | General Contracting Site Supervisor | Sierra Construction - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

112 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hey, I'm Mike Forge, I work for Sierra General Contractor.

I'm a site super and this is a day in the life of...

So, what we're going to go check on now because the day started.

We got trades on site, they're coming.

We've got about five, six guys doing an orientation right now.

No matter how far along you are on a site, it seems like you're always doing orientations.

We had the heaters going all weekend.

The heat's going so the drywall is just still taping on the inside

which we'll go through later

but right now we're gonna go shoot temperature of the roof for the decking only

because our roofers require it to be no more than minus 10 out

which it is but then the decking itself can't be higher than minus 10

because otherwise their adhesive and their material won't apply and they can't roof.

Typical day is chaos.

Don't mind where it's a little warmer.

In the building every single trade here has a jar card that they've got to fill out.

We sign off and it's going to indicate what work they're doing, where they're doing it and how they're doing.

So with that, it's going to point out the hazards, how they're going to do it safely, and then we review it.

Because sometimes they're nearsighted, where you've got to think of a whole project.

So all the trade, we'll think about their job, their job only.

But we have to think of the whole thing.

So if he's putting in ductwork over there, who's under it?

Who's around it?

Everything we do has to be scheduled so the next guy can keep going so no one's holding each other up.

And when you're walking by, you see stuff like that, like the guys on the lift, you always have to look to see,

make sure they're tied off, so your head's always doing something.

You always got to be looking for something.

I saw that both of their harnesses, they're on, they're tied down, it's safe, they're good to go.

They've already taken out their permits to do it, so we're fine.

That guy up there, he's tied off, right?

So it's as simple as

that you're not we're not hounding anyone just got to make sure they're doing their job safely and correct

uh just it's the part of the job i really like is being able to rip food on it and then

then catching this stuff like it is the best part of

our job is like going how are we going to get it done right

and get it done and make sure it's actually done

So right now, obviously it's dark earlier.

So if it was a new build, they can't really even start until the sun comes out because there's nothing going on.

So on those typical days, you know, you're 7 o 'clock.

When the job progresses to the point where we're putting up steel, the trades want to start earlier, we start earlier.

Me typically, I like to be here a half hour earlier because I got a daily I got to start.

I got jar cards I got to fill out.

I got any hazards

I got to deal with as well as just kind of

get your head in the game for what's going to happen

because nine times out of ten there's going to be people showing up all the time supers were here early

but your trades they show up that they're usually at their shop for seven

so that means they're not on your site till eight nine ten o 'clock depending on

if they got to go get material or what but when

that happens they usually come go hey I need an orientation

and the big thing there is so that we can as supers explain to them is there hazards on site

They don't know.

They've never been here.

So they don't know if we're using some sort of, you know, chemical that can affect them a certain way.

We don't know their allergies.

There are people that break out in hives from paint, from dust.

So those things are the reasons why you have to come do an orientation.

So then we can, well, eliminate the hazard.

If there is a problem somewhere, it's either PPE or vented or go work somewhere else, right?

And that's a constant struggle for supers.

but that's a day in the life of a super.

So as a super we got to know everything.

We got to be the smartest person in the building.

We have to know how to build everything

or at least have a mindset of at least we think we know how to build everything.

So when these guys all show up to site they know absolutely nothing other than their one job.

I'm doing concrete, I'm doing electrical, I'm doing this.

But we as super has got to be able to make sure

that we know how to do it with them so it's effective.

I always said that if I can do your job, I would, but I can't.

I have to rely on you and your knowledge to get stuff done effectively.

I almost said .

So what I'll have to do is if I get a set of drawings, the first thing I'll do is I'll start from the foundation

or the footing and I'll color them because some buildings have different size puddings, different size, everything.

In order to make it easy, you color it.

Like this is this thick, make it yellow.

This is this big, make it red.

So when the traits come to do concrete, then it's here.

This is what I have.

You're able to use it, but you have to do your own drawing but I'm here to help.

We're here to help.

So the best way to help is make an idiot proof.

Color it.

And everyone works together.

It works.

It works good.

I tell all my trades, don't do anything without coming to look at my drawings first because all the RFIs,

all the change orders, I'll tape them to the drawing.

So if there's a change that they don't know about, they need to come look at it.

This is my typical daily.

You know, They have key points in here that we're supposed to look at.

It'll upload automatically the weather time and the weather conditions, wind speed, everything like that.

This is basically the day -to -day what's going on.

Anything I do, it's put into here.

It's supposed to be like a story, so everyone can track it through the day, what comes up, anything that happens,

orientations, materials, everything goes in here.

So right off the hop, you know, was there any scheduled delays?

Not a real delay, but we can't do the roofing because of weather conditions

100

So I have to input that and then I have to put that in its own delay tracker

101

So then down the road we can we have a reason right as every job we do is based on a schedule

102

Which is a set time and it's one thing holds up another it's always a chain effect

103

So it's important to keep as many notes as you can I've been a Sierra for 19 years Hitting 20.

104

I like the fact that it's challenging every day.

105

They have different styles of buildings

106

You get to meet and talk to cool people, get different ways of thinking.

107

There's more than one way to do everything.

108

So it's a giant, vast of ways of doing stuff.

109

It's really cool because construction is always changing.

110

And that's the day in the life of a Sierra Sight Super.

111

See ya.

112

Have a good day.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

241 sentences

Creating Iron Man suit. Full workflow by @AlexLab. Real life Iron Man exosuit with a box of scraps)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “A Day in the Life”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: super, trade, site, orientation. This video has 112 sentences and 1311 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:47. The speaker talks fast, about 193 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
orientation noun	/ˌɔː.ɹi.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/	The determination of the relative position of something or someone.
hazard noun	/ˈhæzəd/	The chance of suffering harm; danger, peril, risk of loss.
delay noun	/dɪˈleɪ̯/	A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
concrete adjective	/ˌkɑnˈkɹit/	Real, actual, tangible.
tape noun	/teɪ̯p/	Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
clock noun	/klɑk/	A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
deck noun	/ˈdɛk/	Any raised flat surface that can be walked on: a balcony; a porch; a raised patio; a flat rooftop.
safely adverb	/ˈseɪfli/	In a safe manner; without risk; using caution above all else.
minus	/ˈmaɪ.nəs/	Made less or reduced by (followed by an expression of number or quantity).
vast adjective	/væst/	Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).
thick adjective	/θɪk/	Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension.
electrical adjective	/ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/	Related to electricity (or electronics)
dust noun	/dʌst/	Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber…
indicate verb	/ˈɪndɪˌkeɪt/	To point out; to discover; to direct to a knowledge of; to show; to make known.
input noun	/ˈɪnpʊt/	The act or process of putting in; infusion.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
fill out verb	/fɪl ˈaʊt/	To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information.
show up verb		To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.
tie off verb		To close, seal, or end something by tying a knot.
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
hold up verb		To wait or delay.
point out verb		To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

We got trades on site, they're coming.
We don't know their allergies.
I'm doing concrete, I'm doing electrical, I'm doing this.
Anything I do, it's put into here.
I like the fact that it's challenging every day.

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	They've already taken · They've never been · I've been
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be scheduled · is based

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 60 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, we're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: orientation /ˌɔː.ɹi.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/, electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/, eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/

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 orientation, hazard, delay.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: A Day in the Life | General Contracting Site Supervisor | Sierra Construction - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Construction Safety Training Video // Over 40 Topics

Everything Anthony Mackie Does in a Day | Vanity Fair

I built my dream podcast studio in Austin.

Asking Your Manager for a Day Off

Cheated On, Divorced, & Broke: A Single Dad’s Fight to Raise 2 Kids

They HATED Me in MARSOC Assessment & Selection… But THIS Saved Me

Fixing a gate and draining paddocks [Life in New Zealand season 2 #502]

Working as a Fire Protection Engineer - First Six Months Experience

Managing a Small Strata? Here's How to Handle the Biggest Challenges

Day in the Life: Heart Surgeon

Ice Cooled Tent Camping