Shadowing Practice: Alone but Not Lonely // ep. 9 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Good morning guys, it's Syd and welcome back.
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Good morning guys, it's Syd and welcome back.
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So today we're doing another alone but not lonely video.
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My last episode of this was episode 8 a month and a half ago,
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which means this is episode 9,
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so we've made it really far you guys.
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Almost to the double digits.
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I love that you guys love these videos so much.
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I remember thinking of this concept in a coffee shop to do a whole series of just being alone,
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romanticizing your life alone.
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Because I always just talk about it anyways and I do so much alone.
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So today I am alone, per usual.
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I, guys, I have friends.
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I do have friends.
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We're gonna be hanging out today.
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So grab a little snack have some tea I want this
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to be a little bit more of a chatty video
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because you guys ask for that and I also really like Watching just a cute relaxed chatty video.
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Whoa, wait you guys today is january 1st the first day of 2025 Last night for new year's I did absolutely nothing.
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My parents and I just watched a movie
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and then I went to bed So new year's is just stressful for really no reason
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Everyone always asks about your plans what you're doing There's
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so much pressure to like be at the best party be doing the best things
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So I was like this year i'm doing nothing Basically,
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i'm at my parents house right now
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if you couldn't tell they're actually all working today
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So i'm on my own we are going to be going to a coffee shop.
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This coffee shop is really cute and quaint It's in st. Paul.
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I want to bring one of my books to read
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okay guys
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so i drove to this cafe oh oops i don't really come down to this area very often
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but i just wanted to find a nice little cafe to spend some of my morning at wow
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that car just went through a red light this sounds cheesy
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but i wanted to romanticize my morning a little bit The vibe and ambiance of a place really is everything for me.
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If I like the ambiance,
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I'll want to stay there all day with my book.
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So I think I've been in this place once a really long time ago.
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I don't really remember.
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Also, I forgot it was New Year's today and it's a holiday.
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So every other cafe is closed except for this one.
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I brought my book to read.
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This is the 101 essays that will change the way you think.
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I've been wanting to read this for so long.
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And my friend actually got this for me for Christmas,
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which was so nice and I didn't even tell her that I had been wanting to read this.
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She just told me that it was one of her favorite books
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and she got me like a highlighter and a little journal to mark pages
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and mark things that I find the most important.
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So I'm really excited.
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This was such a nice gift.
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I've been dying to read this.
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I've heard
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so many good things about this everyone's staring at me yay
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i love filming guys i'll get over it one day
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so i'm at
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this cafe it's called cafe astoria by the way
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if you're in minnesota it's really cute i barely remember it
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because i went
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so long ago i'm really happy right now this is exactly
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what i wanted i got a prime spot look no one's
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at this table except for me first thing i got a hot vanilla oat milk latte coffee's good
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so far it's actually really good wow i also don't usually get hot lattes
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but when it's so cold out i cannot have a cold latte sometimes.
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And then I got this banana muffin.
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This is so amazing.
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This is really good.
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It's basically just banana bread.
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I've been in my banana bread routine.
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I've been making it so often.
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This is so good.
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If you ever come here,
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you need to get this.
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It's like so moist.
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I hate that word.
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Ew.
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i love that cafe i had the best time
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and my book is also really really good
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when i was leaving those girls saw me filming
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and they were like wait do you want to get our hot chocolate in
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because it's really pretty so they let me film their drink
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which was
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so nice i do think minnesota nice is actually a real
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thing especially after living in new york i see it now
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that i've moved away those girls were
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so nice anyways i'm walking back to my car now i
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think i'm gonna run to ulta i want to get this face tanner
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that i need and i've been really putting it off
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but since i leave to utah tomorrow i need to get it before i go so
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okay guys so i just stopped in the store called patina i didn't plan to do this
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but i saw it was was kind of close by
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and I'm so glad I did I got some really unique cool things
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that I'm gonna show you guys I didn't plan on doing
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that but I did want to stop so I'll show you guys
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that later when I get home but I am gonna go to Ulta still
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so I changed my mind I just got to Ulta
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and before I go in I cannot wait to show you guys what I got
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because I'm impatient I ended up getting two things first thing I got is this set of coasters they're beaded
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and they're all these different cocktails they sold four different ones
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so I ended up getting all four
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because I wanted a full set I love these the second
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I saw these my eyes gravitated towards them I cannot put
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into words how much I love these look at the little olive
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and they were only five dollars each which I thought was a really good deal.
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So I'm really excited.
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I'm going to put these in my apartment because I've been planning decorating my apartment right now.
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I'm going to do a whole like apartment transformation,
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but those will go really well with my room.
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And then I got a little piece of jewelry.
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I could not not get jewelry in here.
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I saw this little tennis bracelet.
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So pretty.
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And I think it'll be a really nice layering piece.
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Anyways, that's what I got.
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I'm going to go to Ulta really quick finally like i've been talking about
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so let's go after looking at a few face tanners i
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decided to get the face mist by saint tropez i've never tried it
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so i'll keep you guys updated how i like it okay
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i keep getting distracted i just got my stuff from ulta the only thing i got was
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that face tanner actually now i'm gonna stop
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and get my nails done i keep remembering things
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that i want to do because they're really grown out
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so i just called and they said they had an appointment I'm gonna get a little I think dip manicure
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I love my nails I was on Pinterest
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which is what I always do before I get my nails
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done usually I don't prepare in advance I just figure it out when I'm there and I loved this chrome
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neutral nude color.
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I'm really happy it's good for the new year I think.
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Guys this is such a full circle moment because my nail was broken and it was in a cast for a while.
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So now they've grown back.
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I'm healthy again.
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I decided to stop at the grocery store because I want to make salad tonight for my whole family.
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Like a Caesar chicken salad.
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I'm gonna get some fresh ingredients for that.
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I just got back from the grocery store.
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I got all this stuff for Caesar salad tonight.
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I'm going to be making myself and my family dinner.
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It's kind of a big task to be honest.
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I can't stop looking at my nails though.
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I love them.
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Look how pretty, especially with the bracelet that I got today.
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Also, I'm using my phone flashlight.
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You guys know I've been in my cooking era.
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I hate I'm not saying that anymore, I decided.
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I've been cooking more.
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Ever since I moved apartments,
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I have a full kitchen there
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and I've just been actually starting to kind of enjoy it
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which if you've watched me for a while you'd probably be shocked
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because i've always talked about how i don't really like cooking i'm taking advantage of this motivation
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that i've been having one of my favorite things to make
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that i've made since i was younger is breaded chicken
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so easy you just take the chicken and dip it in some flour eggs
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and panko so i'm gonna start the chicken since that's gonna go in the salad
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So before Ichuss so
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dinner is served by me my dinner for my whole entire family
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Alone but not lonely
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but this time family edition I kind of forgot for a second
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that I'm flying tomorrow
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and I need to pack my stuff I've been in Minnesota for like two weeks I think
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so I'm pretty settled in here And I did pack quite a bit
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if you watched my other vlog so I need to repack everything Luckily,
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it's not that bad to some of you.
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This may be bad.
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It's actually pretty doable
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So i'm just gonna go through I think kind of reorganize since I have my main suitcase
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and then I have my carry-on over here I want to divide things
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So I might just put all my shoes in the carry-on
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and then all my clothes In my suitcase and then I also need to clean This up.
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This is a wreck from christmas.
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So i'm gonna get started before it's too late so
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don't hate me guys i forgot to do an outro
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again after i packed i just went to bed so
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but i just want to say thank you guys for watching and i'll see you in my next vlog bye guys
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, we will focus on practicing conversational English through the engaging context of personal storytelling. The video titled "Alone but Not Lonely // ep. 9" features a relatable narrative about spending time alone, reflecting on New Year’s traditions, and enjoying a cozy atmosphere in a cafe. Through this lesson, learners will practice listening comprehension, pronunciation, and fluency by shadowing the speaker, Syd. This approach will help you better understand casual language while emphasizing the rhythm and intonation of native speech.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Romanticize: To make something seem more interesting or attractive than it really is.
- Ambiance: The character and atmosphere of a place.
- Quaint: Attractively unusual or old-fashioned.
- Essays: Short pieces of writing on a particular subject.
- Gift: Something given willingly without payment; a present.
- Highlighter: A pen or marker used to mark important text.
- Chatty: Characterized by informal conversation.
- Stressful: Causing mental or emotional strain.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this lesson, consider using the shadowing technique, where you listen and repeat what the speaker says in real-time. The casual and chatty tone of Syd's narration makes it an excellent opportunity for practice. Here are some tips for effective shadowing:
- Utilize a shadowing app to enhance your practice. This will allow you to play sections repeatedly and focus on the rhythm of speech.
- Start with a slower playback speed if necessary; aim for a balance where you can still capture the essence of the conversation without losing the authenticity of the flow.
- Note how Syd emphasizes particular words and phrases. This will improve your intonation and make your speech sound more natural.
- Pause the video after key phrases to practice repeating them back. This will help improve your speaking confidence.
- If you find certain phrases challenging, isolate them and practice them several times until you feel comfortable.
By incorporating these strategies and actively engaging with the content, you will enhance your English speaking skills while learning to express your thoughts in a more intuitive and conversational manner. Make sure to leverage the power of learn English with YouTube as your resource for rich, engaging content!
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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