Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading ｜IELTS Speaking: Describe a picture you have taken - 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 the connected words in a sample answer for the IELTS question, Describe a picture you have taken.
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Let's have a look.
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One of my favorite pictures that I've taken is of a little village in France near the German border.
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One of my becomes one of my.
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One of my favorite, favorite, not favorite, favorite pictures.
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That T at the end disappears.
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Favorite pictures that I've, that I've taken, that I've taken.
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That T at the end of that turns into a flap.
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That I've taken is of a little village in France near the German border.
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I traveled there when I was about 20, and I love that photo because of the houses.
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I traveled there.
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The D at the end of traveled connects with the TH in there.
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Traveled there.
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Traveled there when I was about 20.
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When I, when I, we connect those words together, when I, when I was about 20.
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We have a long T here, about 20, about 20.
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And I love that photo.
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And I, and I, not and I, but and I, and I love that photo.
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Another glottal stop before the f sound. That photo.
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Because of the houses.
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Because of the, because of the houses.
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The village was filled with colorful houses, and each one had a garden with all kinds of different flowers.
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And each, and each one, and each one, we take out that D in and, and each one had a garden.
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Had a, had a, there's a tap for that D in had, had a garden, had a garden with all kinds of different flowers.
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Of different becomes a different, all kinds of different flowers.
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different.
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That T at the end of different turns into a glottal stop before different flowers.
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It was absolutely gorgeous.
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Two glottal stops here.
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It was.
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It was absolutely, absolutely, absolutely gorgeous.
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In my photo. In my.
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Now, in my.
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You can link that together as in my.
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If you If you don't, you can still say it quickly as in my, in my, but some people do link it together.
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In my, in my.
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In my photo, you can see, you can, you can see, not can, but can, you can see.
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You can see three houses colored red, yellow, and blue all next to each other.
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Red, yellow, and blue, and blue, and blue.
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That D, that D at the end of AND turns into kind of a swallowed D.
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It's not a glottal stop.
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It's like en blue, en blue.
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That D is very weak before buh.
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En blue, all next to each other.
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Now here, next to, that T is long next to, next to each other.
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Now there's a W, a W sound, between two and each.
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To each other.
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To each other.
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All next to each other.
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I don't know if they chose the paint colors on purpose.
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I don't know.
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I don't know.
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Even though I'm writing don't know, I'll say don't know.
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I don't know.
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I don't know if they chose, I don't know if they It shows the paint colors on purpose.
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Paint colors.
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We make that T into a glottal stop before the K sound.
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Paint colors on purpose.
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Pink colors.
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We make that T into a glottal stop before the K sound.
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Pink colors on purpose. On purpose.
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That N-P, on purpose, can be on purpose,
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with no change in the sound, just linked together. On purpose.
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Or it can turn into an M. On purpose. On purpose.
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If you do turn it into an M, be sure to say it very quickly, because if you say on purpose slowly, it sounds a little weird. On purpose. On purpose.
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I don't know if they chose the paint colors on purpose, but when I saw that scene, but glottal stop there at the end of but,
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but when I, when I connect the when and I together, when I saw that scene,
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that scene, that scene, glottal stop before s.
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When I saw that scene, I knew right away it would make a very nice picture.
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Right away.
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There's a tap there.
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Right away.
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It would.
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Now a glottal stop.
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It would.
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It would make a, make a, a very weak k connected with the uh, make a very nice picture.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing your speaking skills with this video on describing a picture can significantly enhance your English proficiency, particularly for the IELTS Speaking exam. By focusing on real-life contexts, such as discussing a photograph you have taken, you are better prepared to express your thoughts clearly and confidently. This speaking context assists you in organizing your responses, using descriptive language, and connecting ideas fluidly. Engaging with the content through the shadowing technique allows you to mimic pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm used by native speakers, ultimately helping you improve English pronunciation.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

This video provides excellent examples of how to construct sentences effectively. Here are three key structures utilized by the speaker:

  • Descriptive Phrases: The speaker uses phrases like "a little village in France" and "colorful houses" to add vivid detail to their description. This showcases the importance of using adjectives in English to enrich your narrative.
  • Temporal Clauses: Phrases like "when I was about 20" illustrate how to indicate time, important for learners to convey when events took place. It’s essential in expressing your experiences, particularly in speaking exams.
  • Linking Words: The use of linking words, for example, "and each one had a garden," is crucial to form coherent sentences. Learning to use conjunctions will aid in making your speech more fluid and interconnected.

Common Pronunciation Traps

In the video, several pronunciation challenges arise that learners should pay attention to:

  • Weak Forms: The phrase "you can" often sounds like "ya can" in natural speech. Recognizing and practicing these reductions can help you sound more like a native speaker, especially when using a shadowing app.
  • Glottal Stops: The sound changes in words like "that" and "and" (which can become 'da' and 'en') require practice. Focusing on these intricacies can improve your pronunciation and make your speech more natural.
  • Linking Sounds: The transition between words, such as "traveled there," demonstrates connected speech, where the ending sound of one word merges with the starting sound of the next. Mastering this technique is vital for fluency.

Overall, by integrating these elements into your practice, you will become more adept at expressing yourself in English. Utilizing tools like the shadowing technique can enhance your learning experience, making it an effective method for mastering pronunciation and fluency.

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.