Shadowing Practice: A2 English Listening Practice - Clothes and Fashion - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey everybody, welcome to this A2 English listening practice video.
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Hey everybody, welcome to this A2 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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You ready?
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So today, I'm going to talk about clothes and fashion.
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This is a topic that I don't really like that much, but it's an important one.
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Everybody wears clothes and everybody has some kind of fashion, or lack of fashion.
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I might be one of those people that lacks fashion, but we'll get into that in a minute.
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First let's talk about when we first develop our own fashion sense and take it seriously.
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For me, this was around the time when I was in middle school.
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Middle school is when I started paying attention to what kind of clothes I was wearing, what brands, what styles, and what colors.
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One of the first phases that I went through was the one where I wore really baggy clothes.
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Baggy clothes are clothes that are too big for you and they come down lower than normal clothes.
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My shirts were too long and my pants weren't pulled up high enough.
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It wasn't a good phase for me.
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I'm sure many of you can remember going through something like this when you were young.
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If we look back at our middle school pictures, some of us would be horrified.
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So once I got into high school, my style changed because I started playing more basketball.
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Thus, I started buying all kinds of Air Jordans, Nikes, and other brands of basketball shoes.
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I used to match the color of my shoes with the color of my shirts.
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I was super color coordinated.
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Then after that, I ditched the basketball phase and I started wearing more casual clothes.
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And then finally, by the time I started college, I'd stopped caring so much about what clothes I wore.
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Nowadays, I'm the least stylish person you'll meet.
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I wear what's comfortable and I don't have many clothes.
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So, now let's talk about some of the popular clothing stores that are out there.
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Back when I was 17, I got my first job at a clothing store called Hollister.
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Some of you might know this store, actually.
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It was really popular back in my high school days, but I don't know how popular it is now.
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Now when I go shopping, I either go to stores like H&M or I go to department stores like JCPenney.
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Department stores are really big stores that sell all kinds of clothes, jewelry, electronics and other things from many different brands.
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I like these stores because they have a huge selection of clothes.
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Some of the most popular Other athletic clothing stores in the U.S.
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include Nike, Foot Locker, and Dick's Sporting Goods.
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For women, Forever 21, Sarah, and Abercrombie & Fitch are some of the popular stores.
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Do you have these stores in your country?
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In the U.S., most popular clothing stores are found in shopping malls.
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Here we just call them malls.
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You can find malls everywhere in the U.S.
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I think most of them are indoor malls, but there are plenty of outdoor malls too.
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I'm not a big fan of malls, but there are definitely times when I need to go there to buy something.
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And during the Christmas season, I have to spend much more time at the mall buying presents for everyone.
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OK, that's all for today.
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Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite clothing store is.
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I'll see you next time.
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We'll see you next time.
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Context & Background

In this A2 English listening practice video titled "Clothes and Fashion," the speaker discusses their personal experiences with fashion over the years. They reflect on different phases of their style from middle school to college, touching on early fashion preferences, experiences shopping at various clothing stores, and how their style has evolved. This context creates a relatable atmosphere for learners, inviting them to think about their own fashion journeys while using the opportunity to practice their listening and comprehension skills.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I started paying attention to what kind of clothes I was wearing.”
  • “My style changed because I started playing more basketball.”
  • “I used to match the color of my shoes with the color of my shirts.”
  • “Department stores are really big stores that sell all kinds of clothes.”
  • “Do you have these stores in your country?”

These phrases are crucial for everyday conversations, centered around personal experiences and the topic of fashion, making them highly applicable for learners looking to improve their English-speaking skills.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use this video for language practice, follow these steps utilizing the shadowing technique:

  1. Watch and Listen: Begin by watching the video once without focusing on the text. Get a feel for the speaker's tone and rhythm, especially regarding their thoughts on fashion.
  2. Listen Actively: Play the video again and pay attention to pronunciation, word stress, and intonation. It helps to repeat phrases out loud to improve English pronunciation.
  3. Shadow Speak: As you listen, try to speak along with the speaker. This will not only improve your fluency but also help you understand sentence structures better. You are essentially engaging in a practice called "shadowspeak."
  4. Pause and Rewind: Don’t hesitate to pause and rewind sections of the video. This allows you to focus on challenging phrases and practice them until you are comfortable.
  5. Summarize: After completing the video, summarize what you learned about the speaker's fashion journey or your personal connection to the topic. Writing and speaking about it helps reinforce your learning.

By utilizing these techniques, you will gradually enhance your speaking capabilities and comprehension through targeted practice. Embrace the shadowing technique as a tool to build versatility in your English conversation skills!

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.

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