Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading | Positive Customer Feedback - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hey, what's up?
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It's Alex.
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In this video, I'd like to talk about the connected sounds in this short text where I'm complimenting some company on their customer service.
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Let's take a look.
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So in this text, it's from the point of view of someone who is calling on the phone.
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Despite that, I'm still going to read it as if I'm speaking normally.
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I noticed that when I talk on the phone sometimes, I speak extra clearly so people have the best chance of understanding me.
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But for this lesson, I'll show you the way that we always talk in natural everyday speech.
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Oh hello, I'm just calling to say.
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Just calling.
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So here I take the t out.
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Just calling.
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There's no t in just here.
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I'm just calling to say. To say.
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To gets reduced a lot when it's a in front of a verb like this.
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Just calling to say I had a really great experience.
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Say I had a.
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Say I.
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We want to connect say I and had a.
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Say I had a.
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Say I had a.
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Really.
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Really.
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You'll find the word really in the dictionary with that pronunciation, e, really, but also sometimes really.
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I tend to say really when I'm speaking quickly.
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I had a really great experience.
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Great experience.
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Here the T turns into a tap.
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Really great experience shopping here earlier.
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Oh, hello.
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I'm just calling to say I had a really great experience shopping here earlier.
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I'm sorry that I didn't get the name of the guy who helped me.
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I'm sorry.
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I'm sorry.
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When I start a sentence with an I sound like this in a short word like I'm, it often gets reduced, and you sometimes just hear the M.
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I'm sorry that I, I'm sorry, I'm sorry that if I start the sentence like that it might sound a little funny, but that's really the shortening of the sound that I do.
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I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I could get reduced.
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I don't want to say that everybody does this all the time, but it certainly happens and you should be prepared for it when you're practicing your listening.
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I'm sorry that I, that I.
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So here that turns into the the vowel gets reduced and the T turns into a tap.
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That I, that I, that I, that I didn't get the name.
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Here we have didn't get and those two T's turn into glottal stops.
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Didn't get, didn't get the name of the guy.
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Here of the turns into a the, a the, name of the, and we connect name with the following word.
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Name of the guy.
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I'm sorry that I didn't get the name of the guy who helped me.
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Here, the ed part of helped basically just disappears.
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It sounds strange when I say it slowly because it's the same as help me.
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There's some weak d sound sometimes.
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Helped me, helped me, helped me.
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I'm sorry that I didn't get the name of the guy who helped me.
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It might have started with m.
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It mighta.
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So I turn might have into mighta.
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Mighta.
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Mighta started with them started with them here we have another
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week ending started with started with with you're kind of connecting the d to the w
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and making that d very very weak it might have started with them
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he was on the taller side he was on the he was on the
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so here was turns into was a very very quick and unstressed.
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He was on the, connect N and TH here.
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On the taller side, taller side, and he had, and he had, side, and he had, side, and he had.
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So I'm connecting that and with side and also he.
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So side and he turns into side knee had side knee.
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Basically we take out the vowel and the d in and.
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Side knee and also the h in he.
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Side knee had any had any had any had any had any had.
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We could use the h in had or we could take it out.
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Both are okay.
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Side knee had glasses.
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Side knee had glasses and a beard.
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And a beard.
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Glasses and a beard.
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We take out the D in and and connect the N-A.
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And glasses and a beard.
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He was on the taller side and he had glasses and a beard.
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Anyway, he was just really patient and friendly.
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Anyway, he was.
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Anyway, he was.
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We take out the H in he and we reduce the vowel in was.
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Anyway, he was just really.
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Anyway, he was just really patient, just really patient, patient, just really patient.
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So take off the T in just and then the T in patient.
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For just, the t is removed it's just just really
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but with the end of patient it turns into a glottal stop patient patient friendly now
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when we connect and a word ending in n
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or a glottal stop after n and the word and we remove the a vowel patient and friendly.
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And we take off the D because we always take off the D in and anyway.
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Patient and friendly.
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Anyway, it was just really patient and friendly.
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And he helped me.
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And he helped me.
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Again, take off the D in helped there.
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And he helped me.
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Take off the H in he and the D in and.
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So, and he helped me make my mind up.
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Make my mind up.
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So here, make my, we want to connect that together.
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Let me help me make my mind up.
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Now that k in make my, that k could be super, super weak.
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And in most of my videos, I don't talk about k weakening because it's very rare.
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But here in this case, I noticed when I was practicing for this video, I actually did reduce the k.
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Make my, make my, my, my.
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It sounds like I'm not saying a k there at all, but I can feel in my throat, I'm making the K shape with my mouth.
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Make my, make my, make my.
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So I'm definitely saying it, but it doesn't come through very clearly in the audio.
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So you should be ready to listen for it when you're practicing your connected reading, listening.
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Make my mind up.
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And he helped me make my mind up about what I wanted.
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About what I.
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About, so that T in about turns into a glottal stop.
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What I, that T, turns into a tap.
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About what I.
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Make my mind up about what I wanted.
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And there was no and there.
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We want to connect that N and TH.
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And there was no, you know, you know.
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This is a filler word and I say it all the time.
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Lots of people say it all the time.
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And it turns into ya know, not you know.
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You know.
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There was no, you know, sales pressure at all.
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Sales pressure at all.
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We want to connect pressure to at all.
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But look at the vowel in at.
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At all turns into at all. At all.
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It's more of an i or an uh sound.
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Pressure at all.
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And the t in at turns into a tap.
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There was no, you know, sales pressure at all.
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Really great experience.
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Really great experience.
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Another tap T for that great, great experience.
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I'd love it if you could.
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I'd love, I'd love that D and L connect together.
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I'd love it if you could, could, could pass, could pass.
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D gets reduced there in could pass.
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If you could pass, could pass, could pass that on to his manager.
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Pass that on to his manager.
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Pass that on, that on.
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So we want to have that tap T there in that on, that on to is, to is.
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So here we take off the H in his.
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To is, to is.
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Pass that on to his manager.
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Thanks so much.
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Thanks so much.
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Here we have the two S sounds connecting.
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Thanks so much.
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Bye.
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Remember, if you like videos like this, you can always check out the links in the comments and in the descriptions below and all my videos.
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In those premium videos, I talk about much longer texts, and I go into a lot more detail, and I even touch on vocabulary and usage and grammar.
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Check them out if you're interested.
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But now, let's get back to this part.
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Now, I'm going to read the same text that we just heard, and I'm going to read it twice.
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First, I'll read it very slowly, but still with all of the connected sounds.
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It's going to sound a little funny, but this will help you practice all the sounds before speeding up.
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Then, the next part will be me speaking at a natural conversational speed.
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Here we go.
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Oh, hello.
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I'm just calling to say I had a really great experience shopping here earlier.
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I'm sorry that I didn't get the name of the guy who helped me.
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It might have started with M.
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He was on the taller side, and he had glasses and a beard.
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Anyway, he was just really patient and friendly, and he helped me make my mind up about what I wanted, and there was no, you know, sales pressure at all.
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Really great experience.
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I'd love it if you could pass that on to his manager.
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Thanks so much.
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Bye.
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All right, here we go with natural speed.
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Oh, hello.
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I'm just calling to say I had a really great experience shopping here earlier.
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I'm sorry that I didn't get the name of the guy who helped me.
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He might have started with them.
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He was on the taller side and he had glasses and a beard.
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Anyway, he was just really patient and friendly, and he helped me make my mind up about what I wanted and there was no you know sales pressure at all.
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Really great experience.
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I'd love it if you could pass that on to his manager.
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Thanks so much.
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Bye.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will focus on connected speech, which is crucial for understanding and speaking American English naturally. Using the transcript from a customer feedback call, you'll learn how to recognize and produce natural speech patterns, including sound reductions and fluid connections between words. This practice will enhance your listening skills, assist you in IELTS speaking practice, and overall improve your English pronunciation. By mimicking the speaker's natural tone and speed, you can refine your ability to communicate effectively in everyday situations.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Just calling - A common phrase used to indicate the reason for a phone call.
- I'm sorry - An expression often used to apologize or express regret.
- Didn't get - A way to say that you missed or failed to obtain information.
- Really great experience - A phrase to express satisfaction with a service or event.
- Helped me - A phrase to acknowledge assistance provided by someone.
- Great experience shopping here - A positive feedback phrase, ideal for customer interactions.
- Connecting words - The practice of linking sounds together in fluent speech.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning, consider using a shadowing app during practice sessions. Listen to the video and try to repeat the phrases immediately after the speaker, focusing on their speed and intonation. Since the lesson demonstrates how sounds blend in natural conversation, pay attention to the reductions, such as "just calling" becoming just [kɔːlɪn]. Try to emanate the relaxed sounds of phrases like "I had a really great experience" and "I'm sorry that I," where vowels get reduced, and consonants link into each other.
This method will significantly help you in your IELTS speaking practice, as it trains your ear to understand nuanced pronunciation differences and elevates your speaking fluency. Additionally, utilize the transcript while learning; pause after each sentence to mimic the speaker's flow. Practicing in this manner not only helps improve English pronunciation but also prepares you for real-life conversations. Remember, the key is to be patient and consistent; regular practice will lead to better mastery of spoken English. By integrating these techniques, you can effectively learn English with YouTube resources and elevate your language skills to new heights with Shadowspeak.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who is · guy who helped |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might sound · might have |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm complimenting · is calling · I'm speaking |
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.