Shadowing Practice: A difficult Celebrity- American English File 3 - EP2 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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136 sentences
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1
You work hard but your money's all spent
2
Haven't got enough to pay the rent
3
You know it's not right and it makes no sense
4
To go chasing, chasing those dollars and cents
5
Chasing, chasing those dollars and cents That was great, Kerry.
6
Thanks.
7
Yes.
8
Kerry, you used to be in a band.
9
Now you play solo.
10
Why did you change?
11
What happened with the band is private.
12
I've already said I don't want to talk about it in interviews.
13
All I'll say is that I have a lot more freedom this way.
14
I can play and say what I want.
15
Did your relationship with the band's lead guitarist affect the breakup?
16
No comment.
17
I never talk about my private life.
18
Your dad was in a famous punk band and your mum's a classical pianist.
19
Have they influenced your music?
20
Of course they have.
21
What do you think?
22
Isn't everyone influenced by their parents?
23
When did you start playing?
24
I started playing the guitar when I was about four.
25
Four?
26
That's pretty young.
27
Yeah, the guitar was nearly as big as me.
28
I think that your new album is your best yet.
29
It's a lot quieter and more experimental than your earlier albums.
30
Thank you.
31
I think it's my best work.
32
So, what have you been doing recently?
33
Well, I've been writing and recording some new songs, and I've played at some of the summer festivals in the UK.
34
And what are you doing while you're in the States?
35
I'm going to play at some clubs here in New York.
36
Then I'm doing some small gigs in other places.
37
I just want to get to know the country and the people.
38
It's all very new to me.
39
Good job, Rob.
40
She isn't the easiest person to interview.
41
She's okay.
42
Okay, and this video clip will work great online.
43
Well, thank you for coming in today, Carrie.
44
Now I suggest we have some lunch.
45
Rob, could you call a taxi?
46
All I'll say is that I have a long time.
47
Uh, sure.
48
So, when will you be coming back to New York, Carrie?
49
Oh, I don't know.
50
Hi guys, is everything okay?
51
Yes, it's delicious, thank you.
52
That's great.
53
New York waiters never leave you alone.
54
I really don't like all this hi guys, is everything okay stuff.
55
What, you mean waiters aren't friendly in London?
56
Oh, they're very friendly.
57
Yes, they're friendly, but not too friendly.
58
They don't bother you all the time.
59
Can I get you anything else?
60
More drinks maybe?
61
No, thanks, we're fine.
62
Fantastic.
63
See what I mean?
64
Personally, I think people in London are a lot more easy -going.
65
London's just not as hectic as New York.
66
Sure, we all like peace and quiet, but in my opinion, New York is possibly...
67
Well, no. It's definitely the greatest city in the world.
68
Don't you agree?
69
To be honest, I definitely prefer London.
70
Come on, Rob.
71
You've lived in both.
72
What do you think?
73
Oh, well, I have to say, London's very special.
74
It's more relaxed, it's got great parks, and you can cycle everywhere.
75
It's dangerous to cycle in New York.
76
Why would you cycle when you can drive a car?
77
You can't, to be serious.
78
Okay, I agree.
79
London has its own peculiar charm.
80
But if you ask me, nothing compares with a city like New York.
81
The whole world is here.
82
But that's the problem.
83
It's too big.
84
There are too many people.
85
Everybody's so stressed out.
86
And nobody has any time for you.
87
I don't think that's right, Carrie.
88
New Yorkers are very friendly.
89
Oh, sure, they can sound friendly with all that have a nice day stuff.
90
But I always think it's a little bit fake.
91
You've got to be kidding me.
92
Oh, I'm sorry.
93
I'll just have to take this.
94
Hello?
95
Yes?
96
You're who?
97
The taxi driver?
98
What did she leave?
99
Her cell phone.
100
Right, okay.
101
Yes, we're still at the restaurant.
102
See you in about five minutes.
103
Thank you for a nice lunch, Don.
104
You're welcome.
105
Thanks for coming, guys.
106
Have a nice day.
107
See?
108
Nice, friendly service.
109
Maybe.
110
But I think she saw the big tip you left on the table.
111
Did you mean what you said in the restaurant, Rob?
112
Did I mean what?
113
About missing London.
114
Sure, I miss it, Jenny.
115
Really?
116
But hey, not that much.
117
It's just that moving to a new place is always difficult.
118
But you don't regret coming here, do you?
119
No, no, not at all.
120
It's just that you seemed so homesick in there.
121
The parks, cycling.
122
Well, there are some things I miss, but...
123
Oh, hang on a minute.
124
Look over there.
125
Taxis.
126
Come back.
127
Excuse me, ma 'am. For me?
128
What is it?
129
I believe this is your cellphone.
130
You left it in my cab.
131
What?
132
Oh, wow, thank you.
133
Have a nice day.
134
That was so kind of him.
135
See?
136
New Yorkers are really friendly people.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “A difficult Celebrity- American English File 3 - EP2”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: friendly, London, chasing, Rob, Carrie. This video has 136 sentences and 828 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:38. The speaker talks at a steady 125 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 33 of its 136 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| bind verb | /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ | To tie; to confine by any ligature. |
| guitar noun | /ɡɪˈtɑɹ/ | A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). |
| waiter noun | /ˈweɪ̯təː/ | A male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| regret verb | /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/ | To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead. |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| experimental adjective | /ɪkspɛɹəˈmɛntəl/ | Pertaining to or founded on experiment. |
| classical adjective | /ˈklæs.ɪ.k(ə)l/ | Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. |
| clip noun | /klɪp/ | Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another. |
| punk noun | /ˈpʌŋk/ | A passive or effeminate homosexual man. |
| charm noun | /t͡ʃɑɹm/ | An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| look over verb | To check quickly; to make a brief or cursory visual inspection of. |
| stress out verb | To become stressed. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Did your relationship with the band's lead guitarist affect the breakup?
- Have they influenced your music?
- When did you start playing?
- Rob, could you call a taxi?
- Can I get you anything else?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have you been doing · I've been writing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've already said · Have they influenced · I've played |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | your best · my best · the easiest |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | start playing · started playing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 chase, taxi, bind.
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.