Shadowing Practice: A Protocol For The Imperfect Evenings - Learn English Speaking with Video
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15 sentences
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1
There is a version of yourself who finishes work on time, eats a clean dinner, trains for 45 minutes, journals, meditates, calls a friend,
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and sleeps by 10 o 'clock.
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But that version does not exist.
4
Real evenings have late calls, and delayed trains, and sick kids, and client fires, and mad bosses, dishes, and laundry.
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When everything is going against you, it's better to stop chasing the perfect evening.
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Aim for what I call the enough evening.
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Three things for the evening that has already gone out of hand.
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First, remove.
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Ask yourself, what small decisions or distractions can you remove?
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Second, reflect.
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Pick three questions and ask them every night before bed.
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What did I learn today?
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What did I improve today in my life or someone else's life?
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And what did I smile about today?
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And third, rest.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “A Protocol For The Imperfect Evenings”. This video has 15 sentences and 139 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:56. The speaker talks at a steady 148 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 4 of its 15 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. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| delay noun | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| laundry noun | /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/ | A laundering; a washing. |
| distraction noun | /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/ | Something that distracts. |
| meditate verb | /ˈmɛ.dɪˌteɪt/ | To contemplate; to keep the mind fixed upon something; to study. |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| client noun | /ˈklaɪ.ənt/ | A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services. |
| train noun | /ˈtɹeɪn/ | The elongated back portion of a dress or skirt (or an ornamental piece of material added to similar effect), which drags along the ground. |
| remove verb | /ɹɪˈmuːv/ | To delete. |
| clean adjective | /kliːn/ | Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled. |
| finish verb | /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ | To complete (something). |
| sick adjective | /ˈsɪk/ | In poor health; ill. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Ask yourself, what small decisions or distractions can you remove?
- What did I learn today?
- What did I improve today in my life or someone else's life?
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 | has already gone |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop chasing |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is going |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/, finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/
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, clock, 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.