Shadowing Practice: American English Connected Reading ｜Restaurant review - 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 readings in a sample of ordinary English from a restaurant review
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that I found online.
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Let's take a look.
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This restaurant looks so generic and boring from the outside.
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This restaurant, restaurant, we don't pronounce that a-u in the middle, restaurant, looks so, looks so,
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we connect those two s sounds, looks so generic and boring.
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AND boring becomes and boring.
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That D at the end of AND.
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Some speakers do different things with this.
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I personally make it a very very weak D.
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My tongue is in position to say D but it doesn't really say it.
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It just goes straight to B. And boring. And boring. And boring.
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So generic and boring from the outside
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that I didn't go for years from the outside the yeah
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yeah the outside we put a yeah there from the outside
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that I didn't go for years that I
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that I we link those two words together and the final T in
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that turns into a flap that I
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that I didn't go didn't didn't that's a glottal stop instead of a T at the end,
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didn't go for years. For years.
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For turns into for. For years.
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Assuming that it was an overpriced tourist trap.
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That it wasn't.
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That it wasn't.
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It's funny to me how all those four words kind of combine into one very quick thing, because they're not the focus of the sentence.
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That it wasn't.
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Assuming that it was an overpriced...
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Assuming that it was an over...
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That it was an...
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That it was an overpriced tourist trap.
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Overpriced tourist trap.
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The D and T connect together, and then the T and T connect together.
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Overpriced tourist trap.
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Now, some people say tourist.
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I say tourist.
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This is one of those words that has multiple acceptable pronunciations in American English.
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Tourist trap.
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Tourist trap.
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I say tourist trap.
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I finally went and I was very pleasantly surprised.
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Went.
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That T at the end turns into a glottal stop.
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I finally went and I was very pleasantly surprised.
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Pleasant-ly.
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There's another glottal stop T there.
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Pleasant-ly surprised.
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Surprised.
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Not sur-prised, but surprised.
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I got the seafood plate.
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I got the seafood plate.
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I got the.
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Got the.
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We connect those T's together.
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Got the.
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Got the seafood plate that had, that had, that had, that had, that turns into a very very short word.
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That, that, that had, that had to, that had to, that had to, d and t connect together.
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Two of the best shrimp I've ever eaten.
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Two of the best shrimp.
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Now of the we could say other or of the.
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Two of the best, two of the best, two of the best shrimp.
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But that T in best disappears, and the two S sounds connect.
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Best shrimp.
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Two of the best shrimp I've ever eaten.
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Eaten.
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Eaten.
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We have a glottal stop there.
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Eaten.
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A crab cake.
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Grilled fish.
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Grilled fish.
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Again, that D kind of weakens before that F sound grilled fish,
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grilled fish, grilled fish, and mashed Okinawan sweet potato,
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and mashed, now that D disappears because we connect the N with M,
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and mashed, and mashed, and mashed Okinawan.
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Now with mashed Okinawan, the D sound is pronounced completely, but it's connected to the next syllable.
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Mashtokinawan.
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Mashtokinawan sweet potato.
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Mashtokinawan sweet potato.
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That T in sweet turns into a glottal stop.
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Sweet potato.
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Sweet potato.
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All over a Thai coconut cream sauce.
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Same thing for the T in coconut.
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Coconut cream sauce.
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It's a little bit expensive.
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It's a tap and it's kind of hard to say.
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We had two taps there.
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One in little and the other in bit.
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Little bit expensive.
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For what you get compared to other places.
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For what you get.
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For what you get.
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For what you get.
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For what you get.
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Now even though you is a pronoun, that's an important word, we still don't really stress it here.
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For what ya, for what ya, for what ya, because the stress is going to be on get.
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For what you get, for what you get compared to other places.
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Get, that T disappears, turns into a glottal stop.
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Get compared to, get compared to other places.
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Compared to.
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And those D and T sounds link together, and the vowel in TO reduces to UH,
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compared TO, compared to other places, compared to other places.
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Now, right there, I did a linking sound between two other,
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two other, or tother, tother.
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You can put the linking sound in, or you can choose to leave it out.
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It's your decision.
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Compared to other places.
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Compared to other places.
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They both sound just fine to me.
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But I still look forward to going back.
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But I, we tap that T in but I, still look.
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Connect those L sounds together.
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Still look forward to.
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Forward to.
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Now we have that same thing where two connects with forward to forward to forward to going back.
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This restaurant looks so generic and boring from the outside
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that I didn't go for years assuming that it was an overpriced tourist trap.
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I finally went and I was very pleasantly surprised.
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I got the seafood plate that had two of the best shrimp I've ever eaten, a crab cake, grilled fish,
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and mashed Okinawan sweet potato all over a Thai coconut cream sauce.
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It's a little bit expensive for what you get compared to other places, but I still look forward to going back.

Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the American English Connected Reading video featuring a restaurant review is an excellent way to enhance your speaking skills. By immersing yourself in real-world dialogue, you gain insights into fluent conversational patterns and natural speech. Utilizing techniques such as shadowspeak or shadow speech allows you to mimic native pronunciation and intonation effectively. These methods not only improve your fluency but also boost your confidence when engaging in real-life conversations.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, several grammatical structures and expressions stand out, making it a valuable resource for learners:

  • Connected Speech: Notice how phrases like "that I" become "that I" when spoken quickly, illustrating how natural speech can connect ideas fluidly.
  • Avoiding Overemphasis: The speaker mentions "assuming that it was an overpriced tourist trap," subtly demonstrating how to downplay certain phrases that aren't crucial to the main message.
  • Weak Forms: The pronunciation of "and boring" as "an boring" highlights the concept of weak forms in English, a common feature when native speakers communicate.
  • Glottal Stops: The speaker uses glottal stops in words like "didn't" and "pleasantly," showing how certain letters can shift in emphasis or be dropped entirely.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice, be mindful of specific pronunciation traps that can hinder your clarity:

  • Restaurant: The pronunciation of "restaurant" can vary; try using "rest-uh-rahnt" instead of focusing too much on the 'au' sound.
  • Overpriced Tourist Trap: The connection between "overpriced" and "tourist trap" often leads to slurred speech. Work on clearly pronouncing each word for effective communication during your IELTS speaking practice.
  • Flap T: In American English, the 'T' sound can often transform, as in "gotten" versus "godden." Practicing these sounds will help you speak more fluidly and naturally.

By focusing on these aspects of spoken English, you will significantly enhance your speaking ability. Whether you prefer practicing with shadowspeaks or simply shadowing native speakers in real time, this approach will yield impressive results in your English-speaking journey.

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.