Shadowing Practice: Alone but Not Lonely // ep. 16 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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hi guys it's syd and welcome back

i think i have officially established

that my favorite season in new york is fall everyone did always tell me this

that fall is the best season here

and i get it now i think it's

because i used to feel like fall meant an impending sense of doom

i don't know i just always associated fall with things dying coldness sadness

and now i've kind of tried to fix that by kind of like

romanticizing fall and maybe i'm just like gaslighting myself

and pretending i like it i really do love fall in new york

i feel like my perspective has slowly shifted last year i did one of these videos

and i was just re -watching it it really made me just like want to go out

and do fall activities in new york again so

so it seems like i'm not the only one who had

the idea to come look at the west village neighborhoods of everyone's stoops decorated

i actually think this is my favorite thing to do in

the fall here probably even more than central park everyone's

so festive like look at this one it's so cute

if i owned one of these

i would be going all out just like this anyways

i did find a new cafe on tiktok i know i'm like a broken record at this point

but i wanted to try it out i'm kind of close by i think

they have like fall drinks as well oh it's so perfect and beautiful

this is my new favorite cafe ever it is

so perfect it's like victorian style i had to go all out

so i decided to go with the fall croissant they have this like fall menu i got this apple latte

which is definitely like not something i would usually get

but i had to to be honest i did already try this

so i'm not gonna act surprised it's pretty good i rate it like a six out of ten actually

but this croissant is an apple pie croissant look at this

i'm kind of overwhelmed by the amount of flavors happening it reminds me of like the apple studio from mcdonald's

but like way better no actually it's pretty good the mcdonald's one's pretty good

so i made a friend hi introduce yourself okay this is rav

we're both on our solo dates she saw me trying to take pictures of the croissants

and so she gave me hers the cherry one because it was

so cute and then we started chatting and you said

that you were on a solo date too

and i was like i'm on a solo date too yeah

what's like your favorite solo date going to a park

which i did and i just sat

and i looked at the trees the wind everything was

so nice and they were doing live music i just wrote in my journal it was

so nice that was like perfect thing

and then i came here for a little coffee you found

this on tiktok too right this place i did me too

i'm guilty yeah sue me that's how you're gonna find things

and that's why a lot of places are found

and then we're supporting these businesses by doing

that exactly sorry it's tiktokified i don't care

i'm coming guys let this be your sign to go on a solo date

and maybe another girl will also be doing a solo date

and you guys can be friends is this is this like a good message for the vlog no

this is this is shows that you'll meet people

and it's your life you should take charge of it you never know who you're gonna come across

basically you do that's all your content

it's just solo dates um a lot of it one of

my biggest things is i like to like do things alone

and like tell people

that they don't need to like wait for someone else to

do them for them like you can like do your own

thing like you don't always need a companion even though it's nice i think you learn

so much whenever you're traveling alone when you're doing like experiences alone

that you were like always so scared of doing and then

when you do it you're like wow i'm learning this about myself yeah isn't it

so empowering was your like first solo date like were you like nervous

i feel like i've always kind of been a little bit independent

i feel like it's exposure therapy once you do it alone

it's like no one actually cares like i didn't think it was weird

that you were saying about yourself take this as your sign to do a solo date

and you'll make friends guys yes

there's nothing better than coming home to a package like this feels like christmas

and i've been so impatient waiting for this to come

because this is an advent calendar from loxitan

and i feel like it's only right to unbox it i'm

so impatient i can't wait eat i know this is not how it works

if you're looking for one of the best beauty advent calendars

this holiday season l 'oxitans is the one to know about

it has 24 beauty surprises across body care skin care hand care hair hair

and fragrances with products from some of l 'oxitans most iconic collections including the viral shea butter

and almond collections it is just such a fabulous gift for someone who loves beauty

and self -care or just anyone who wants to discover a little bit of everything that L 'Occitane is known for.

I have the urge about once a year to make pumpkin bread obviously in the fall

and figured I should go grab groceries for it at Whole Foods

and make it tonight because I saw this healthy recipe on TikTok.

As always this is you know what TikTok is like my recipe book at this point

so I'm gonna try out a new recipe and I hope it's good.

okay guys 30 minutes later i got my groceries this took way longer than anticipated

because i didn't have a smooth list and that was my mistake

that was my bad but grocery haul is pending and i'm so excited to make this

every time i get groceries i just think about the time

that i decided not to uber and walk home with four giant grocery bags

and i did have neck pain for a week after

that i'm not even joking it was really a bad idea point being um

you guys know exactly what i'm about to do speed grocery haul

if you guys are hating these please just like be honest with me

it really won't hurt my feelings i just i personally love grocery hauls

and i love a quick speedy one starting out with goodles

more goodles almond flour crackers lots of these instant oatmeals siggy's

yogurt white sweet potato romaine lettuce bananas chocolate these are

100

so good i love this chocolate some sourdough bread

101

i've been really loving peanut butter toast every morning speaking of peanut butter toast i got some fresh peanut butter.

102

You guys know I love making my own peanut butter now ever since I discovered that at Whole Foods.

103

I don't think I'll ever go back.

104

Fruit snacks, avocado, tomato, eggs, shout out to the cashier who wrapped them for me with tape.

105

Frozen meals.

106

I really like these when I have no time to cook.

107

More frozen meals.

108

Like I eat unfortunately, fortunately a lot of these.

109

More chocolate and some butter

110

and then everything else is pretty much the ingredients for the pumpkin bread

111

that i'm actually gonna start making right now i don't know

112

if any of you guys remember last fall making pumpkin bread right here

113

but i'm having deja vu it feels not that long ago

114

which is kind of scary anyways yeah i just went on tiktok like i said i screenshotted a recipe

115

that honestly is the first one to pop up.

116

It is sort of like a healthier version though.

117

I think it's refined sugar -free.

118

I'm also surprising my roommate because she loves pumpkin.

119

Like it is her favorite thing ever.

120

You should see our fridge.

121

It's filled with pumpkin items.

122

So I wanted to make it for her and that makes me feel more pressure.

123

Like what if it's bad?

124

This is my screenshot of the recipe from TikTok.

125

Shout out to this girl.

126

Pumpkin puree, eggs, maple syrup, Greek yogurt.

127

I think I think I'm most excited for the house to just smell like pumpkin.

128

okay guys pumpkin bread is done

129

i don't know why it fell apart like this um

130

i think it's pretty good no

131

it's actually really good why do i sound unsure olivia hasn't tried it it's not yet pending response oh i'm

132

so excited no it is good it's really good for healthier too you did such a good job it's really moist

133

i know we're not surprised but i am disappointed

134

that i forgot to do an outro i hope this vlog communicated the coziness

135

that i was trying to convey

136

that i've been feeling in new york this fall love

137

you guys see you in my next vlog okay love you bye Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Alone but Not Lonely // ep. 16”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: fall, solo, date, pumpkin, tiktok. This video has 137 sentences and 1583 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:54. The speaker talks at a natural 160 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
pumpkin noun	/ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/	A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon.
butter noun	/ˈbʌtɚ/	A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
recipe noun	/ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/	Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients.
grocery noun	/ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/	Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies.
peanut noun	/ˈpiˌnʌt/	A legume resembling a nut, the fruit of the plant Arachis hypogaea, native to South America.
haul verb	/hɔl/	To transport by drawing or pulling, as with horses or oxen, or a motor vehicle.
groceries noun	/ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/	Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies; the commodities sold by a grocer or in a grocery store.
meal noun	/ˈmiːl/	Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
egg noun	/ɛɡ/	An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals, often housing an embryo within a membrane or shell…
discover verb	/dɪˈskʌvə/	To find or learn something for the first time.
calendar noun	/ˈkæl.ən.də/	Any system by which time is divided into days, weeks, months, and years.
collections noun	/kəˈlɛkʃənz/	A state being beyond merely past due.
freeze verb	/ˈfɹiːz/	Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
shout verb	/ʃaʊt/	To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc.
anyways adverb	/ˈɛn.iˌweɪz/	Anyway, anyhow, in any case.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come across verb	To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
fall apart verb	To disintegrate, to break into pieces.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
go out verb	To leave, especially a building.
pop up verb	To come up with a "pop" sound.
try out verb	To test (something) to see how it works or whether it is suitable.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I don't think I'll ever go back.
I think it's refined sugar -free.
I'm also surprising my roommate because she loves pumpkin.

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	have officially established · has slowly shifted · i've been
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	one who had · someone who loves · anyone who wants
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are found · is known
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	were doing · were saying · was trying

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 55 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: collections /kəˈlɛkʃənz/, shout /ʃaʊt/, screenshot /ˈskriːn.ʃɑt/, impatient /ɪmˈpeɪʃənt/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/

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 pumpkin, butter, recipe.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Alone but Not Lonely // ep. 16 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?