Shadowing Practice: A1 English Listening Practice - The English Language - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey everybody!
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Welcome to this A1 English Listening Practice video.
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You can use this video to practice your listening and comprehension as I speak.
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And remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars at polyglasa .com
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and download our free listening time podcast so you can practice your listening skills.
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So today, I'm gonna talk about the English language.
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This is an important topic for all of you because you're all learning English.
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In this video, I'm gonna give you some interesting facts about the English language.
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This should be fun.
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Okay, so the first thing I want to talk about is how many people speak this language.
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Well, almost 400 million people speak English as their first language.
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These people are native English speakers.
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Most of these speakers are in the US, of course, but there are many other English -speaking countries.
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Obviously, countries like the UK, Australia, Canada, and Ireland speak English.
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But there are also a lot of other countries where people speak English.
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For example: English is the major language of Belize,
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Guyana, Jamaica, the Bahamas, and other countries too.
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There are a lot of English -speaking countries Also, many people around the world speak English as their second language.
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In every country there are people who are learning English.
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As a teacher, I've taught students from over 80 different countries.
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cool huh We don't know exactly how many people speak English as a second language, but there are a lot.
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Okay, now let's talk about the history of English.
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The first form of English appeared in the 5th century AD.
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Today, we call this Early English Old English.
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Old English was very different from modern English.
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I can't understand Old English.
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In the 11th century, Old English became Middle English.
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Middle English is a little closer to Modern English, but it's still very different.
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Finally, modern English began at the end of the 14th century.
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But English continues to change, so today's English looks a little different from the English of the past few centuries.
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Another important thing to know about English is that other languages have influenced it a lot.
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So, which languages?
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Well, for example, some experts say that almost 30 % of English words come from Latin,
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and almost 30 % of English words come directly from French.
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That means that almost 60 % of modern English words come from Latin or French.
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That's a big influence.
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Also, around 6 % of English words come from Greek, And there are many words from other languages too.
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But what language family does English belong to?
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English is a Germanic language.
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That means English is related to languages such as German, Dutch, and Swedish.
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However, English speakers can't understand these other languages.
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If I hear German or Dutch, I don't understand anything.
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English is related to these languages, but they're very different.
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For example: Americans who only speak English can usually understand much more Spanish than German.
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That seems strange because English and Spanish are not related but English and German are related.
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The reason why English speakers can understand many words from Spanish,
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French, or Italian, is because these languages have many cognates.
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Cognates are words that have the same origin.
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For example, in English we have the word patience And in Spanish, this word is paciencia.
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These words look very similar because they're cognates.
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So, if an English speaker hears the Spanish word "paciencia", they can probably understand the meaning.
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Okay, one last interesting thing about English is that it has many, many words.
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Some people say that English is the language with the most words.
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I think this is probably true, because English has taken many words from other languages, like I said before.
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Alright, now I'm gonna ask you some questions about the video to see if you understood.
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Write your answers in a comment down below.
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Number one: When did Old English appear?
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Number two: What language family does English belong to?
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And number three: What are cognates?
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Okay, before we go, remember to sign up for our $1 listening practice seminars
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and download our free Listening Time podcast to practice your listening skills.
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And of course, subscribe to the channel, click on the bell, and follow us on Instagram.
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I'll see you next time.
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Bye.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This A1 English listening practice video serves as an excellent resource for learners aiming to enhance their English speaking practice. By engaging with the content, you can improve your listening comprehension and gain insights into the nuances of the English language. Hearing the speaker discuss interesting facts about English not only familiarizes you with the vocabulary but also exposes you to different structures of speech.
Utilizing this video for practice can significantly benefit your ability to understand and respond correctly in conversations. As you listen, try repeating phrases or sentences after the speaker to enhance your fluency and pronunciation. This technique, often referred to as shadowing, is especially beneficial when used alongside a shadowing app to track your progress and refine your skills.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The transcript showcases several key grammatical structures that are useful for English learners:
- Use of Present Simple Tense: The speaker frequently uses this tense to provide information: "Almost 400 million people speak English as their first language." This structure helps in defining facts and general truths.
- Question Forms: The speaker includes questions to encourage viewer interaction: "When did old English appear?" Understanding how to form questions is vital for effective communication.
- Cognates: The explanation of cognates, words that share a common origin, is a helpful concept. For example, "patience" in English and "paciencia" in Spanish offer learners insight into linguistic connections that can aid vocabulary acquisition.
These structures promote practice not just in listening but also in speaking, essential for IELTS speaking practice or everyday conversations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
While engaging with the video, learners may encounter specific words with tricky pronunciations. For instance:
- Comprehension: Be careful with the pronunciation of this word, as many learners mistakenly say 'compre-hension' instead of 'com-pre-hen-sion.'
- Cognates: Although similar in form, the pronunciation of cognates like "patience" and "paciencia" can differ significantly and may confuse learners.
- Majority: The pronunciation of this word is often mispronounced; the correct form emphasizes the 'jor' syllable: "ma-jor-i-ty."
Taking note of these nuances will help improve your English pronunciation and boost your confidence as you interact with native speakers or participate in language assessments.
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 | I've taught · have influenced · has taken |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna talk · gonna give · gonna ask |
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.