Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading 美式英语连读（上）｜Describe a Journey（part one) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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Today, we're going to look at a sample answer to the IELTS question, Describe a journey that you remember well.
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Let's take a look. When I was 15,
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I went with my family on a long trip around a bunch of national parks in the western United States.
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When I was. When I. When I.
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We connect the n and the I together.
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I went with.
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The T disappears.
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It's a glottal stop.
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Went with.
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I went with my family on a long trip around a bunch.
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Around a.
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Around a.
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This duh kind of disappears.
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Around a.
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Around a.
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Around a bunch.
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Around a bunch of national parks.
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So if I speak quickly here, I'll say buncha.
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buncha.
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If I speak a little slower, I'll make it bunch of, bunch of national, bunch of national.
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Both are okay, but buncha sounds a little bit more informal.
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Around a bunch of national parks,
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around a bunch of national parks in the western United States. In the. In the.
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We connect the n and the th together. In the.
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I can't really remember.
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I can't really.
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Can't.
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This T becomes a glottal stop before an R.
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Can't really, can't really, can't really remember how much time we spent at each one.
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We spent it, we spent at each one.
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Spent at, we spent at each one.
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This T totally disappears.
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Spen it, spend at each one.
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And at becomes really de-stressed.
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At, But the whole trip took about three weeks.
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So, took a connects together.
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How about about three? About three.
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It's not about about three.
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It's about three.
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There's a glottal stop first, and then I say th. about three.
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It's not connected with the T and TH.
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It's just a glottal stop first. About three. About three.
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And the same thing here.
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Three weeks in total.
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At that time, at that, at that time, glottal stop, then th.
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At that time, at that time, at that time, I was just beginning to take pictures.
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Just beginning.
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This t disappears.
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Just beginning to take pictures.
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Take, take pictures.
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This kuh is unreleased.
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My tongue is in the position for kuh,
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but it doesn't release the sound take pictures take pictures as a hobby
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so i love seeing i love seeing this d kind of
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disappears i love seeing i love seeing all the different landscapes seeing all seeing all this
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and the sound connect together seeing all seeing all the different landscapes.
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That was also. That was.
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Again, the t in that becomes a glottal stop.
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That was also.
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That was also when I first got to practice. When I.
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When I connects together.
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First got to.
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So here, first got to.
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We don't say gotta.
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First gotta practice.
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That's got to, like I have to do something, I've got to go to school,
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but got to practice, I got to practice, I could practice for the first time.
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First got to practice, first got to practice driving a car.
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My parents let me try driving, let me, glottal stop, let me.
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My parents let me try driving for a few minutes.
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For a, for a, for a.
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Both of these sounds are de-stressed.
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For a few minutes.
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Out on a really lonely road.
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Out on a, out on a.
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This t connects together, it becomes a flap.
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Out on a, out on a really lonely road.
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Out on a really lonely road in a desert where it was safe.
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Where it was.
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This ㄱ takes a glottal stop.
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ㄱ.
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Where it was safe.
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It's been a long time.
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It's been a...
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It's been a...
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This ㄱ at the beginning of this sentence kind of gets de-stressed.
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So we kind of begin the sentence with s.
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It's been a, it's been a, it's been a long time.
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It's been a long time since I've been to parks like that. Been to.
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This to becomes to.
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Been to parks like that.
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And I definitely, and I, and I, this d in and isn't pronounced,
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and I'd definitely connects together.
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And I definitely, and I definitely like to see them again.
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Like to, like to see them.
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This to becomes to.
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When I was 15, I went with my family on a long trip around a bunch of national parks in the western United States.
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I can't really remember how much time we spent at each one, but the whole trip took about three weeks in total.
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At that time, I was just beginning to take pictures as a hobby.
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so I loved seeing all the different landscapes.
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That was also when I first got to practice driving a car.
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My parents let me try driving for a few minutes out
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on a really lonely road in a desert where it was safe.
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It's been a long time since I've been to parks like that, and I'd definitely like to see them again.

Context & Background

The video titled "American English Connected Reading" features Alex discussing a memorable journey he took with his family. This reflective narrative serves as an engaging way to learn the nuances of connected speech in American English. As Alex describes his experiences navigating various national parks in the western United States, he exemplifies how fluent speakers often blend words and sounds, which is critical for language learners aiming to improve their English pronunciation and comprehension.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “I went with my family” - A common way to express companionship or a shared experience.
  • “Around a bunch of national parks” - Utilize this phrase to describe visiting multiple locations casually.
  • “Can’t really remember” - A frequent expression used to discuss uncertainty about memories or details.
  • “Took about three weeks” - This structure helps articulate the duration of an experience efficiently.
  • “Just beginning to take pictures” - This phrase can reflect growth or new interests in experiences.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To make the most of the shadowspeak technique while engaging with this video, follow these steps:

  1. Watch & Listen: Play the video once to grasp the overall content and flow of spoken English.
  2. Pause & Repeat: Choose short phrases and repeat them aloud. Pay attention to word connections, such as “went with” turning into “wen’ with.”
  3. Emphasize Glottal Stops: Notice how Alex uses glottal stops (e.g., “can’t really” and “at that time”). Practice these unique sounds to improve your English pronunciation.
  4. Shadowing Technique: Use a shadowing app to record your voice as you repeat after Alex. This will help you identify areas needing improvement.
  5. Feedback Loop: Compare your recordings with the original audio. Focus on rhythm, intonation, and connected speech to refine your skills.

By systematically applying these techniques and the shadow speak method, you'll not only enhance your English pronunciation but also gain confidence in your speaking abilities as you immerse yourself in native-like patterns.

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.