Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading ｜IELTS Speaking: Describe a trip you took by public transport - 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 I want to talk about a sample answer to the IELTS question Describe a trip you took by public transport.
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In this sample answer, we'll see a way to answer
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when you can't really think of anything in your own experience that answers the question.
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Let's have a look.
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To be honest, I almost never take public transport.
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to be honest to be we link those two sounds together not to be
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but to be honest to be honest I almost never almost
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never the T in almost disappears almost never take public transport the k sounds at the end of take
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and public disappear they turn into glottal stops take public transport.
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I almost never take public transport.
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We can also make the last T in transport into a glottal stop.
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I almost never take public transport.
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I have my own car, so I just drive wherever I need to go.
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So I.. we want to link those together.
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So I just.. so I just drive.
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Now, just drive just ends with t, and drive begins with d, so we link those together.
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I just drive.
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I just drive wherever I need to go.
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Same thing with need to, need to go, need to go.
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But recently I saw a report online about a British guy.
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But recently, the t in but turns into a glottal stop.
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I saw a report.
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I saw a report.
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Saw a.
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Those are two slightly different vowels.
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Saw.
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Saw a report.
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It almost sounds like I'm making the vowel in saw particularly long.
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Saw, saw, saw a report.
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I saw a report online.
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Report online.
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That T in report turns into a tap.
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Report on, report online.
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It links up with the A in online.
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About a British guy, about a, again we have another tap, about a British guy who challenged himself to see how far
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he could travel by city bus in 24 hours challenged himself the h in himself disappears
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to see to turns into to it gets very heavily reduced
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how far he could travel we make the h in he disappear
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and we link could travel how far he could travel by city bus it's not city it's city City.
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This is the American pronunciation.
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In the United Kingdom, it's city.
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But in the U.S., we weaken that to a little tap.
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City.
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City bus.
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He carefully planned everything out beforehand.
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Planned everything.
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We link those sounds together.
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And then the T in out turns into a glottal stop.
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everything out beforehand.
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Then he left at three in the morning to take the first bus out of London.
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Then he disappears.
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Left at three.
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The t in at turns into a glottal stop.
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Left at three.
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Three in the morning.
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Kind of link in the together and link it to three.
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Three in the.
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three in the morning to take to take turns into to
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take to take the first bus out of London here first bus turns into first bus the T completely disappears
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and of could turn into a we could also keep it as a small
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and weak of first bus out of London first bus out
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of London both are fine I don't know how many times he had to transfer, but he eventually made it all the way up to some city in the north.
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I don't know.
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We won't change this to don't know, I don't know.
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We'll say I don't know, don't know, I don't know, I don't know.
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I don't know how many times he had to transfer.
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He had to, he had to, we weaken had and to, he had to, he had to transfer.
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But he eventually, But he turns into buddy.
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That's another tap of the T.
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Eventually.
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He eventually.
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We add a yuh sound.
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He eventually made it all the way up to some city in the north.
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Made it all.
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Made it all.
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The d and t here get reduced.
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Made it all.
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Made it all the way up to some.
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Up to.
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Up to.
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Those consonants get kind of blended together.
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Up to.
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Up to.
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All the way up to some city in the north.
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In the connects together as well. In the. In the.
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Some city in the north without ever taking a long-distance bus.
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Without ever.
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Again, we tap that T.
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Without ever.
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Out ever.
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Without ever.
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Without ever taking a long-distance bus.
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I'd love to try a crazy travel challenge like that someday.
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I'd love.
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D-l.
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D-l.
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We link those sounds together.
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I'd love to.
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I'd love to try.
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To try turns into to try.
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I'd love to try a crazy travel challenge like that someday.
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Before the S, the T turns into a glottal stop.
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Like that.
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Like that someday.
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To be honest, I almost never take public transport.
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I have my own car, so I just drive wherever I need to go. But recently, I saw a report online about a British guy who challenged
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himself to see how far he could travel by city bus in 24 hours.
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He carefully planned everything out beforehand, then he left at 3 in the morning to take the first bus out of London.
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I don't know how many times he had to transfer, but he eventually made it all the way up to some city in the north without ever taking a long-distance bus.
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I'd love to try a crazy travel challenge like that someday.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will focus on improving your speaking skills for the IELTS exam by practicing the art of connected speech, particularly in the context of describing a trip taken by public transport. By analyzing sample answers, you will learn how to link sounds together naturally, making your speech more fluid and conversational. Additionally, you'll explore strategies for when you may feel unprepared to share personal experiences, enhancing your confidence in IELTS speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- To be honest - A phrase used to express sincerity or truthfulness.
- Almost never - A phrase indicating that something happens very infrequently.
- Glottal stop - A speech sound that occurs when the vocal cords are briefly pressed together, common in American English.
- Linking sounds - The process of connecting the ending sounds of a word to the beginning sounds of the next to create smoother speech.
- City bus - A public transport vehicle that operates within urban areas.
- Carefully planned - Organized or arranged with attention to detail.
- Challenged himself - A phrase indicating a self-imposed test or goal.
- Reported online - Information disseminated through the internet, typically in articles or blogs.
Practice Tips
To maximize your improvement through shadowing, follow these tips while you practice with the video content:
- Shadow at a comfortable pace: Start by listening to the transcript slowly. Pay attention to how Alex links phrases and words together. Aim to replicate this rhythm in your speech.
- Use the glottal stop: Focus on practicing glottal stops, such as in words like "but" and "that." This technique adds to the authenticity of your American English pronunciation.
- Regular repetition: Make shadow speaking a daily habit. Consistent practice will help you internalize the linking techniques and vocabulary used in the video.
- Record yourself: After shadowing, record your voice and listen to the playback. Comparing your pronunciation to the original audio can help you identify areas for improvement.
- Engage with the content: Whenever possible, relate the phrases and vocabulary to your own experiences. This not only helps to retain the language but also prepares you for potential IELTS speaking prompts.
Incorporating these strategies into your shadow speech can effectively enhance your proficiency and prepare you for success in IELTS speaking practice.
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.