Shadowing Practice: A2 Imitation Lesson | English Speaking Practice - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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In this video, we're going to practice speaking with the imitation technique.
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It is one of the most effective ways that can improve your accent and fix your pronunciation problems.
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As a result, you will be able to speak English more clearly and confidently.
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This technique teaches you to listen to the sounds
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and the patterns of English and then trains you to produce the same sounds yourself through repetition and controlled practice.
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We will explain each step so that you know exactly what you need to do.
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This imitation lesson is designed for A2 learners.
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To practice with the imitation technique, there are three simple steps that you need to follow.
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The first one is to listen and read.
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You just need to listen to what I say and read the words on the screen as I say them.
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Step 2 is to listen and repeat.
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You'll be listening to what I say but then there'll be a pause so that you can repeat what I said.
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You need to copy me exactly as you hear me.
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You can repeat this step until the words are coming out of your mouth automatically.
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And it's okay to practice many times before you move on to the third step.
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And step three is to shadow.
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You're going to be listening to me and saying what I'm saying at the same time.
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Although this step is the trickiest one, it's the best way to fine-tune your natural speaking skills.
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And that's pretty much like practicing along to your favorite song.
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In today's imitation lesson, you're going to listen to Alice describing a vacation.
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Let's get started.
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Step 1.
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Listen and Read.
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Last winter my boyfriend and I went on vacation to Kenya for three weeks.
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We rented a beach hut on a beautiful white sandy beach for the first week.
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And the second week, we decided to go on safari.
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We planned a perfect vacation, but it didn't begin well.
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On the first day, we arrived at the beach hut.
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There were lots of young people in the other beach huts.
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Some of them invited us to a party on the first night.
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Soon after we got there, my boyfriend started flirting with one of the girls at the party.
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He didn't dance with me but spent the evening talking to the girl.
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The atmosphere was romantic and magical, but not for me.
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I was angry.
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We argued about everything after that.
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Although we weren't getting along well, I still wanted to go on the safari.
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When we got on the bus, I saw the girl from the party.
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That was the end.
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We were camping and we all ate together every night.
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It was terrible.
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I felt so sad and lonely, and my boyfriend looked so happy with the other girl.
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We broke up when we got back to Los Angeles.
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My boyfriend went to Florida with his new girlfriend.
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I took lots of photos on vacation, but I can't look at them now.
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I'd love to go back to Kenya one day.
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But next time I'm going on my own.
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Step 2.
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Listen and repeat.
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Last winter my boyfriend and I went on vacation to Kenya for three weeks.
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We rented a beach hut on a beautiful white sandy beach for the first week.
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And the second week, we decided to go on safari.
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We planned a perfect vacation, but it didn't begin well.
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On the first day, we arrived at the beach hut.
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There were lots of young people in the other beach huts.
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Some of them invited us to a party on the first night.
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Soon after we got there,
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my boyfriend started flirting with one of the girls at the party.
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He didn't dance with me but spent the evening talking to the girl.
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The atmosphere was romantic and magical, but not for me.
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I was angry.
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We argued about everything after that.
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Although we weren't getting along well, I still wanted to go on the safari.
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When we got on the bus, I saw the girl from the party.
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That was the end.
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We were camping and we all ate together every night.
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It was terrible.
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I felt so sad and lonely, and my boyfriend looked so happy with the other girl.
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We broke up when we got back to Los Angeles.
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My boyfriend went to Florida with his new girlfriend.
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I took lots of photos on vacation, but I can't look at them now.
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I'd love to go back to Kenya one day.
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But next time I'm going on my own.
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Step 3.
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Shadow.
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Shadowing means hearing the sounds and saying them at the same time.
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Let's start.
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Last winter my boyfriend and I went on vacation to Kenya for three weeks.
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We rented a beach hut on a beautiful white sandy beach for the first week.
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And the second week, we decided to go on safari.
80
We planned a perfect vacation, but it didn't begin well.
81
On the first day, we arrived at the beach hut.
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There were lots of young people in the other beach huts.
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Some of them invited us to a party on the first night.
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Soon after we got there, my boyfriend started flirting with one of the girls at the party He didn't dance with me
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but spent the evening talking to the girl The atmosphere was romantic and magical,
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but not for me I was angry We argued about everything after that Although we weren't getting along well,
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I still wanted to go on the safari When we got on the bus, I saw the girl from the party.
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That was the end.
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We were camping and we all ate together every night.
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It was terrible.
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I felt so sad and lonely, and my boyfriend looked so happy with the other girl.
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We broke up when we got back to Los Angeles.
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My boyfriend went to Florida with his new girlfriend.
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I took lots of photos on vacation, but I can't look at them now.
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I'd love to go back to Kenya one day.
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But next time I'm going on my own.
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Congratulations on making it through the end of the lesson.
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If you enjoyed this lesson, let me know in the comments below.
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We'll upload more imitation lessons like this for other levels very soon, so if you're new here, make sure to subscribe and stay tuned.
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See you in the upcoming videos.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “A2 Imitation Lesson”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: boyfriend, beach, vacation, step, hut. This video has 100 sentences and 1073 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:58. The speaker talks at a steady 120 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.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vacation noun | /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ | An extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure. |
| safari noun | /səˈfɑːɹ.i/ | A trip into any undeveloped area to see, photograph or to hunt wild animals in their own environment. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| romantic adjective | /ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/ | Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person). |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| lonely adjective | /ˈloʊnli/ | Unhappy due to feeling isolated from contact with other people. |
| magical adjective | /ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/ | Of, relating to, or by means of magic. |
| sandy adjective | /ˈsændi/ | Covered with sand. |
| hut noun | /hʌt/ | A small, simple one-storey dwelling or shelter, often with just one room, and generally built of readily available local materials. |
| flirt verb | /flɚt/ | To throw (something) with a jerk or sudden movement; to fling. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. |
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. |
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | weren't getting · were camping |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | practice speaking · started flirting |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most effective · the trickiest |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are coming · I'm saying · I'm going |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, imitation /ɪmɪˈteɪ̯ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, imitation /ɪmɪˈteɪ̯ʃən/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
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 vacation, safari, lesson.
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.