Shadowing Practice: A Four-Day Work Week: Would It Really Work? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
33 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Greg, do you have a minute before the meeting?
2
Sure, as long as it's quick. What's up?
3
I've been reading about the four-day work week!
4
Oh no. I had a feeling this was coming.
5
Come on, just hear me out for five minutes.
6
Fine. But who answers the phones on Fridays?
7
Our clients don't stop working just because we do.
8
That's fair, but we could split the team.
9
Half of us take Monday off, half take Friday.
10
And what about deadlines? We're already stretched thin.
11
Actually, there was a big trial in the UK.
12
Around sixty companies tried it for six months in 2022.
13
Really? And how did that turn out?
14
Most of them decided to keep it afterwards!
15
Wait, most of them? Not just a handful?
16
Exactly. People said they felt far less burned out.
17
And honestly, think about how many meetings we have.
18
Don't remind me. I had four of them yesterday.
19
With four days, we'd have to cut the pointless ones.
20
Okay, I'll admit that part sounds tempting.
21
But if a client complains, it lands on my desk.
22
I understand. That's why we should measure everything.
23
Response times, sales, and how stressed people feel.
24
And if the numbers drop, we go straight back?
25
Absolutely. No hard feelings, I promise.
26
You've clearly done your homework, Hannah.
27
Here's my offer. Three months, one team only.
28
Seriously? You're actually willing to try it?
29
Let's start with yours, since it was your idea.
30
Deal! I'll set up the tracking this week.
31
But if Friday turns into chaos, you're answering the phones.
32
Fair enough! Thank you for giving it a chance, Greg.
33
Don't thank me yet. Let's see what the numbers say.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A11,012
Can You Swim? What Can You Do?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2982
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
B1471
Discipline Beats Motivation
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1405
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1174
A Day in My Life 1: Getting Up
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A1282
Lunch Break: What Do You Want to Eat?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1440
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B2144
Why a Song Gets Stuck in Your Head
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A21,435
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1118
Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2152
Lunch in the School Canteen
American AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2811
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A150
Fast and Slow: The Big Race
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A282
Speaking Challenge: A Family Holiday I Remember
British AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21,310
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C1127
IELTS Speaking Part 3: Health, Fast Food and Exercise
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A2411
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A2596
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1194
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A199
What's in My Lunchbox?
British AccentKidsDaily Conversation
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B2455
28 sentences
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B249
24 sentences
Dinner Party Debate: Should We Work a Four-Day Week?
American AccentBritish AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
140 sentences
I woke up at 5am for 30 days
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B270
42 sentences
The Importance of Work-Life Balance - TIPS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B21
170 sentences
老闆明明寫著「No rush」，星期一卻問我怎麼還沒處理｜Real Life Office English
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B28
154 sentences
How to stop GIVING UP on your routines and ACTUALLY stay consistent
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B28
151 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 1 – Work and Study | Work Focus
IELTS PrepBusiness EnglishInterview English
B28
22 sentences
Business English Shadowing for Pronunciation, Intonation, and Fluency
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B13
302 sentences
The Office BUT It's Just Outdated Tech
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B213
30 sentences
Two Is the Wrong Number of Days Off
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
134 sentences
A Day as a Purchasing Staff | English Story + Business Vocabulary I Intermediate B1-B2 Level
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B26
125 sentences
Is it possible for people in Asia to adopt a 4-day working week?
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “A Four-Day Work Week: Would It Really Work?”. This video has 33 sentences and 280 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:58. The speaker talks at a steady 142 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. 11 of its 33 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| desk noun | /dɛsk/ | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a… |
| afterwards adverb | /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/ | At a later or succeeding time; after that; |
| remind verb | /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ | To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person). |
| stretch verb | /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ | To lengthen by pulling. |
| chaos noun | /ˈkeɪˌɑs/ | The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony. |
| complain verb | /kəmˈpleɪn/ | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| deadline noun | /ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/ | A time limit in the form of a date on or before which something must be completed. |
| handful noun | /ˈhæn(d)fʊl/ | The amount that a hand will grasp or contain. |
| sixty noun | /ˈsɪksti/ | A commercial lasting 60 seconds. |
| pointless adjective | /ˈpɔɪntləs/ | Having no point or sharp tip; terminating squarely or in a rounded end. |
| tempt verb | /tɛmpt/ | To provoke someone to do wrong, especially by promising a reward; to entice. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| burn out verb | To destroy by fire. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Greg, do you have a minute before the meeting?
- I've been reading about the four-day work week!
- Our clients don't stop working just because we do.
- That's fair, but we could split the team.
- You're actually willing to try it?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, you're. 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 thin, desk, afterwards.
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.