Shadowing Practice: Advanced English Phrases Native Speakers Actually Use 🚀 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you would like to be a highly competent speaker, I have some super useful phrases that you can use to help you achieve that goal.
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And let's go ahead and get started with our first phrase, which is to bide your time.
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This means to wait patiently for the perfect opportunity to do something.
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And I really wanna emphasize the perfect opportunity because when you are biding your time, you're not just waiting passively, you are waiting strategically.
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So you might bide your time waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask for a promotion,
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or you're biding your time waiting for the perfect opportunity to ask someone out on a date.
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I could say instead of rushing into the market, the tech company is biding its time to see how its competitors' products perform first.
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So you don't want to rush into things.
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You want to wait for the perfect opportunity.
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So really keep that in mind that you are waiting strategically to do something whenever you are biding your time Yeah,
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all right, then I don't want to seem like an ogre I'll bide my time and twist in the wind slowly
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Slowly right if you don't block you're not gonna start start By my time it is stupid tricks, right?
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Everyone helps you get out of here, okay?
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professor.
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Oh, maybe I'm just biding my time.
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Now, if you want to build your vocabulary, develop your English fluency, please subscribe, turn on notifications.
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That way I can become your teacher.
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My name is Wes.
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The channel is Interactive English.
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It is all about helping you reach your fluency goals.
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And I would love it if you subscribe.
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It's important to me, but maybe you think this is just much ado about nothing.
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And really what I want to do is just lead you in to that expression because that's our next phrase, much ado about nothing.
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This refers to a lot of fuss, excitement, or trouble about something that is unimportant or trivial.
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And the phrase is a literary reference to Shakespeare's comedy, much ado about nothing.
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But today, you can use this whenever you want to criticize an overreaction.
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Somebody is overreacting and you could say, look, it's much ado about nothing.
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Or maybe you are overreacting and you could use this phrase.
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So in that case, I could say, I spent all night worrying about the presentation,
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but it turned out to be much ado about nothing because the boss just wanted a quick update.
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And therefore I was worrying about it.
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It turned out to be unimportant or rather trivial.
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So I could say it was much ado about nothing.
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She made me realize that this little dust-up between you and me is much ado about nothing.
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This departure can only mean more trouble for Steel Dragons.
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The band continues to struggle to maintain its status.
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Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's much ado about nothing, you know.
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Still four of us left with the original four.
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I can't believe it's a real possibility, Michael.
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I've come to the conclusion it's much ado about nothing.
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To keep someone in the dark.
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This really has a negative connotation because it means to intentionally withhold information from someone.
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And you're trying to keep this person uninformed.
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So there really may be one of two reasons why you may keep someone in the dark.
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It could be because of a lack of trust.
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You don't trust this person and therefore you don't want to tell them everything and you keep them in the dark.
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Or maybe it's a strategic move and you want to keep someone in the dark
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because you don't want them to interfere with whatever it is you're doing, maybe your work.
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And therefore, you want to make sure that this person is uninformed and you keep them in the dark.
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To give you an example, I don't like when my doctor keeps me in the dark about the potential side effects of new medications.
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And this is just the example that I came up with, but yes, I think it's true.
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I don't think anybody wants their doctor to keep them in the dark.
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It's a reprimand. For what?
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Keeping me in the dark.
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You expect us to believe that your wife is keeping you in the dark?
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That this new park would put all other water parks out of business.
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Typical big water, always keeping the public in the dark.
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The next phrase is to jog your memory.
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This means to help someone remember something that they have forgotten.
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Now, usually this involves some sort of a trigger, like a photo, a word,
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or some place, and it helps someone remember whatever it is that they're trying to remember, and it jogs their memory.
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So, keep that in mind that you're often going to use this whenever you or someone else is trying to remember something.
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I think a common example is when people lose or misplace their keys.
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It happens to everyone and maybe this happens to you
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and then I say maybe if we walk through the events of
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that night it will help jog your memory about where you left your keys
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and you're trying to remember it and jog your memory.
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And another example is that I always ask you to subscribe and hit the like button.
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And yeah, I really just want to help jog your memory because it's there, it's in front of you.
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But sometimes you may forget to do that.
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And perhaps you think this is just much ado about nothing.
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Like, look, it's trivial.
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It's unimportant, but it's important to me.
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And I just want to jog your memory in case you have forgotten subscribe hit
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that like button But also just it's a good way to review and practice using these phrases
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Let's jog your memory Marinette Monday morning absent from PE actually, you know Re-establishing a normal routine of activities might help jog your memory.
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I don't know what you're talking about Maybe this is a jog your memory names dates phone numbers, emails, bank statements, wire transfer.
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Then we have to downplay something.
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I like this phrase probably because I certainly use it from time to time.
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It means to make something seem less important, serious or significant than it actually is.
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Now, often you may hear people use this in politics or business whenever they want to minimize
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or downplay the impact of bad news or a mistake.
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I'm even using it as I'm trying to give you an example, downplay the impact.
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And that really leads me into the next thing that I wanna say, which is there are some common collocations with this phrase.
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And collocations are words that are frequently used together, a great way to just supercharge your vocabulary.
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So you may downplay the impact, significance, or importance of something.
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You could also downplay the risk, dangers, damage, or severity of something.
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And really, you're just trying to diminish or reduce this bad news or some mistake.
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So let me give you an example.
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This is a real-life example.
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The government tried to downplay the economic impact of the new trade tariffs.
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This happened.
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they imposed these tariffs and then they tried to downplay the economic impact real life example
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somebody with your past doesn't want to be seen downplaying the
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importance of security from our communist allies comedian yes why i
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don't think your honor she's downplaying this she's going on the
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road with shy baldwin it's a huge thing i'm sure you
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might find something useful in there to help you get your
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footing you don't have to downplay your excitement on my account stevie Then there's to make a beeline for some place.
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This means to go quickly and directly to something or someone.
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It's a very descriptive phrase because it accurately describes this situation.
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And it really implies that there are no distractions.
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You're not wasting any time when you make a beeline for some place.
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It does not mean that you're running.
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You are just moving from one point to the next quickly without any stops or delays.
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And once again, there are some useful collocations with this phrase.
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Maybe you make a beeline for the toilet.
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I think we've all done this.
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Or you make a beeline for the exit.
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If a concert or a movie, it ends, you want to get out of there and you make a beeline for the exit.
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Or you go to the airport, you're running a little behind and you make a beeline for the gate.
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I could say when he arrived at the party, he made a beeline for the snack table.
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And in this situation, perhaps he was really hungry.
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But I think this is a great phrase that we can all relate to, because I'm sure at one point or another, we have all made a beeline for the toilet.
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Because when you gotta go, you gotta go.
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I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna make a beeline for the place that gives you a princess makeover.
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I used to run up here a lot with Pepper and she would always make a direct beeline to this rock.
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Remember Pepper?
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I think I must have eaten something bad that day.
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Anyway, my stomach was upside down, so I made a beeline to the stall, but then I pulled down my pants, sat down, but instead of shit, I threw up into my pants.
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Then we have another phrase that I really like because, again, I use it quite often and I like to think that I am a competent speaker,
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and that is to get your second win.
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This means when you feel a sudden burst of energy after feeling tired
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or exhausted and you get your second win this was originally a sports term
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but nowadays you could use it to talk about any situation
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if you are working late or traveling for a long time
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and then you get that sudden burst of energy and you get your second win.
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Let me give you a couple of different examples.
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Let me give you a sport example.
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I was exhausted halfway through the hike
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but after a quick snack I got my second win and made it to the summit.
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And you had that sudden burst of energy.
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Or a work example.
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We were working late at night
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and around 11 p.m the team got their second win
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and finished the project and you just had that strength
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and energy in order to finish the project and you get your second win.
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Great phrase and hopefully it makes a bit more sense now
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that I've given you a couple of examples with each of those contacts.
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Well, hurry up and get your second win because I've got our day all planned out.
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You want pie?
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Yeah.
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I'm getting my second win.
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Me too.
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Look at this.
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Last night he's swimming in Jack Daniels and now he can lead Todd Billings in a single bound.
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A second, wait.
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Sit down, both of you.
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Good.
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Then there's to catch flack or to catch a lot of flack.
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I think often people will use this phrase with a lot of.
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To catch a lot of flack.
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This means to receive strong criticism or opposition.
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Now, flack originally refers to anti-aircraft fire.
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Nowadays, you can use this whenever you're referring to any type of strong criticism criticism
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that you feel like you're getting from all sides.
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And then in that case, you could say you are catching flack or catching a lot of flack.
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The mayor is catching a lot of flack for his decision to close the local library.
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And he is catching flack for that decision.
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I also want to point out
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that often you may follow this phrase with for whenever you are sharing why someone is receiving this criticism
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and you are catching flack for something.
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To give you a little more context, here are some news headlines.
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Gen Z workers catch a lot of flack.
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It's become TV's favorite punchline.
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Trump officials catch flack for preserving their own safety.
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And finally, why some PEI fishermen caught flack for catching lobsters on Sunday.
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And they caught flack for doing this thing.
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Year after year, I catch a lot of flack on this particular award because year after year, I present this award to a guy instead of a girl.
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Hottest in the office goes to Danny Cordray!
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Talk about a recluse.
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He only comes out once a year, and he never catches any flack for it.
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I'll be this up there to avoid detaching.
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You know, folks, it's been an interesting couple of weeks here at Chappelle's Show.
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A lot of flack I've been getting for the racially charged sketches.
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It happens.
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Then we have the phrase, an eye-opening experience.
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I love it very descriptive phrase because it describes a situation
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that teaches you something unexpected or surprising and it's something
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that really changes your perspective because this is a positive way of saying
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that you have come to some sort of realization or learning
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and often it's used when talking about some cultural
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or social awareness volunteering at the shelter was an eye-opening experience that changed how I view homelessness.
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So this is a great phrase whenever you want to add emphasis and describe that moment of realization.
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Your brother's a real assbag.
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Yes.
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Yes, he is.
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This whole thing's been a very eye-opening experience.
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I'm sorry for the way I treated you.
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That night, she had an eye-opening experience.
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Charlotte hadn't been that excited since she tried on her JV cheerleading uniform for the first time.
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Hey, Denise, this is me, Nissey I had an eye-opening experience earlier today.
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I'm calling to apologize for the way I treated you.
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Then there's to sell yourself short.
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This means to underestimate your own value or abilities.
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And essentially, you're just not giving yourself enough credit whenever you're selling yourself short.
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We often use this as advice to encourage someone to be a bit more confident.
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Perhaps going in for a job interview or negotiation.
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Look, just don't sell yourself short.
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So I perhaps I tell you, you are an incredible designer.
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Don't sell yourself short by asking for such a low salary.
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And one thing I want to point out is that I think often people use that stand alone statement, telling someone else, don't sell yourself short.
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If someone is underestimating their own value or ability, that is when you can use this phrase and tell that person, look, don't sell yourself short.
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Oh, but I'm such a loser.
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She'll never let me do that.
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Come on, Chris.
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Don't sell yourself short.
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You are every bit as good as that bag of garbage.
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Stop selling yourself short.
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You got it going on.
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You just got to show him.
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Don't sell yourself short.
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Allow yourself to grow with roads, share experiences, build memories.
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To be in over your head.
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This is a phrase that I can certainly relate to.
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I've been in over my head more than once.
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And it means to be involved in a situation that is too difficult or complex for you to handle.
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And really, it does provide a visual that if you are in water
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that is too deep and you're in over your head, you're struggling to keep going, to survive, to figure it out.
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And you could just tell someone, look, you are in over your head.
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I thought that I could fix the plumbing myself, but I was definitely in over my head.
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And I'm giving you this example
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because this is how I feel whenever I try to fix or repair something around the home.
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I feel like I'm in over my head.
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And typically I am.
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But unlike yourselves, I was born without taste buds.
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Let me demonstrate.
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I'm in over my head here.
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Truth is, we're in over our heads.
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I know Clay thought we could make this work, but we can't.
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The market's crashing.
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You're in over your head.
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Maybe you're in over your head.
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Then there's the phrase, to put it in layman's terms.
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I love this phrase because this is something that I ask other people to do.
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And it means to take complex or difficult language and make it simple for the average person to understand.
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So whenever there is really technical jargon, if it's legal or medical, it's something that I don't understand.
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And I might ask the doctor or a lawyer, whomever, hey, can you put it in layman's terms?
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Translate it so that somebody like me can understand what it is you're talking about.
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And I think we can all relate to this because not everybody's a professional in every subject.
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And if somebody's talking about their profession or career, it could be confusing.
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You could politely ask them, be like, look, I'm not following.
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Can you please just put it in layman's terms so that I can understand?
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Here's an example.
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I didn't understand the legal jargon in the contract.
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So I asked my lawyer to put it in layman's terms.
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Now, let me give you a bonus phrase just because I love you.
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And that is to dumb it down.
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This has a similar meaning.
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You are taking complex or difficult language and just putting it in much simpler terms.
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The difference is that to put it in layman's terms is a bit more neutral.
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You're just asking someone to translate it so that it's easier to understand.
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To dumb it down can be a bit more negative.
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If I were to say, look, do I have to dumb it down for you?
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That's a bit more rude.
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You could use this if you want to be a little more self-deprecating, and that's how I would use it If I don't understand something and I want to kind of pretend like,
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look, I have no clue what you're talking about.
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I'm kind of an idiot when it comes to this topic.
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You got to dumb it down.
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Please dumb it down for me.
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But in general, I think it's just good to know our universal phrase, be a little more neutral, and ask somebody to put it in layman's terms.
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It leads me to believe that maybe half of these accounts are casuistic.
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In layman's terms, please.
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That they're completely made up.
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What was your last job?
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I'm your theoretical particle physicist at Caltech focusing on M theory.
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In layman's terms, string theory.
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Cause of death was asphyxiation or smothering, in layman's terms.
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What does layman's terms mean?
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I hope that watching this lesson was an eye-opening experience.
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And I also hope that it was easy to follow, because I really do try to take these phrases
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and put it in layman's terms so that it is very simple to understand.
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Now, it's great if you learn some new vocabulary today.
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I would also be happy if this lesson helped jog your memory
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and reminded you and you remembered that you had learned this vocabulary once already and now you remember it.
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So I would recommend that you continue building your vocabulary.
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Watch another video lesson.
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I know that you're tired, but I think you can do it.
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Don't sell yourself short.
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I am confident that as soon as you start the next video, you're going to get your second win and you'll be able to understand the vocabulary.
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It's not going to go over your head.
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In fact, I think it's going to go right in your head.
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You'll be able to learn it, remember it and use it.
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And that's all I got.
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If you enjoyed this lesson and learned something new, you can let me know by hitting that like button.
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As always, thank you so much for watching and I will see you next time. So long.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 286 sentences and 3356 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:48. The speaker talks at a natural 170 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ (noun) — A short written or spoken expression.
- vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (noun) — A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
- lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
- subscribe /səbˈskɹaɪb/ (verb) — To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name).
- refer /ɹɪˈfɜː/ (verb) — To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
- sudden /ˈsʌd.ən/ (adjective) — Occurring quickly with little or no warning or expectation; instantly.
- relate /ɹɪˈleɪt/ (verb) — To tell in a descriptive way.
- burst /bɜːst/ (verb) — To break from internal pressure.
- trivial /ˈtɹɪv.i.əl/ (adjective) — Ignorable; of little significance or value.
- pants /pænts/ (noun) — An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers.
- rush /ɹʌʃ/ (verb) — To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
- exit /ˈɛɡzət/ (noun) — An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure.
- toilet /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ (noun) — A room, enclosed area or single-purpose building containing a fixture or fixtures used for urination and defecation; a bathroom or water closet.
- neutral /ˈnuː.tɹəl/ (adjective) — Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned.
- excitement /ɪkˈsaɪtmənt/ (noun) — The state of being excited (emotionally aroused).
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- wait for (verb) — To wait until the specified event occurs.
- ask for (verb) — To request; to order.
- get out of (verb) — To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- point out (verb) — To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body.
- sit down (verb) — To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 88 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: theoretical /ˌθi.əˈɹɛt.ɪ.kəl/, smother /ˈsməðər/, withhold /wɪθˈhoʊld/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, underestimate /ʌndɚˈɛs.tɪ.meɪt/, universal /ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/, essentially /ɪˈsɛnʃəli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrase, vocabulary, lesson.
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 come · have forgotten · I've given |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is uninformed · be seen · be involved |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | phrase, which is · say, which is |
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.