Shadowing Practice: April 15 Advanced Dictation - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Good day everyone and welcome to Learn English with Blaine.
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We are doing our Friday advanced dictation.
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Our topic is work and the focus is on nouns and let's get into the instructions.
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So I'm going to give you five different dictations
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and I will say each dictation once
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or each passage once at a normal rate and I will repeat each passage two more times but much slower.
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So the goal here is to simply write as much as you can
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and then I will show you the passage at the end.
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And again do not worry if you make a few spelling mistakes
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or if you miss a few words the important thing is
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that you practice so this is going to be listening practice
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and then writing practice one more thing remember to underline the nouns after you write your dictation
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so you are going to listen and then write down what you hear me say
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and then after you write it down you are going to underline the nouns after you write your dictation.
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Remember that nouns are people, places, things, and ideas.
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Okay, do you have your pen and paper ready?
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Okay, so get your pen and paper ready,
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and then you are going to listen and then write what you hear.
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I'm going to show you an example first.
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So imagine if I said,
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I was late the other day because my car broke down on the way to work.
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I'm glad I have an understanding boss.
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He didn't get mad at all.
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So I just said this.
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I was late the other day because my car broke down on the way to work.
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I'm glad I have an understanding boss.
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He didn't get mad at all.
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So in this sentence, you would underline I,
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car, work, and boss, and he,
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because these are the nouns.
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Okay, so this is what we're going to do in the following five dictations.
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Okay, dictation number one.
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I think I'm going to have to work late today
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because my boss gave me several important projects to work on this week.
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I hope my schedule returns to normal next week.
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Okay.
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I think I'm going to...
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I think I am going to...
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have to work late today.
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have to work late today because my boss because my boss gave me several
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gave me several important projects to work on this week.
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important projects to work on this week period
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or full stop I hope my schedule I hope
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my schedule returns to normal this week returns to normal sorry
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I I think I said this week I should say next
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week I hope my schedule returns to normal next week
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and I'll repeat that I hope my schedule returns to normal next week okay
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so this is I'll give you a moment to underline the nouns
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and then I'll show you what I said okay I think I'm going to have to work late today
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because my boss gave me several important projects to work on this week.
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Period.
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I hope my schedule returns to normal next week.
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So in this dictation we've got the nouns I,
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we have another one here this is another one that I did not underline,
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I and I, boss, projects, and schedule.
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Okay so these are the nouns for this dictation.
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Dictation number two.
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We are going through some big changes at the office right now,
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comma, including moving to a new office and hiring some new staff, period.
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We are going to be busy working on these things.
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We are going through
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some big changes
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at the office right now.
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comma, including moving to a new office,
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including moving to a new office,
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and hiring some new staff,
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and hiring some new staff, period.
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We are going to be busy.
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We are going to be busy working on these things.
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Working on these things.
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Okay, so I'll give you a moment to underline those nouns.
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okay let's take a look we are going through we are
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going through some big changes at the office right now comma including moving to a new office
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and hiring some new staff we period we are going to be busy working on these things
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so in this situation we've got several nouns we've got
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we we've got changes and then we have office so we this is people of course changes is a thing
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office is a place and then we've got these two gerunds
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which are also nouns moving and hiring so in this case these are nouns
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that they look a little bit like present continuous verbs but these these are actually a type of noun called a gerund.
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And then at the very end here we've got things.
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So that rounds out the nouns for dictation two.
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Let's go ahead with dictation number three.
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We had a very we had a very interesting meeting at work today period.
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We talked about how we could increase productivity and at the same time,
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comma, create home work balance.
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We had a very interesting meeting.
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We had a very interesting meeting at work
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today at work today period we talked
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about we talked about how we could how we could increase productivity,
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increase productivity and at the same time and at the same time comma
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Create home work balance create home work balance and i'll give you a moment to underline the nouns
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okay we had a very we had a very interesting meeting
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at work today period we talked about how we could increase productivity and at the same time create home work balance.
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So in this dictation we've got we,
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we've got meeting, we've got work,
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we again,
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productivity and then balance okay
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so these are the nouns we meeting work we productivity
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and balance okay let's go on to the next dictation which is Dictation number four.
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It looks like we need some more staff.
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Period.
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Roger and Leanne moved out of the city.
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Comma.
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And I think Peter is getting ready to retire.
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Period.
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I wonder what would be the best way to attract new employees.
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Okay, here we go.
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It looks like we need,
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it looks like we need some more staff, some more staff, period period Roger
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and Leanne moved out of the city Roger and Leanne moved out of the city comma
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and I think Peter and I think Peter is getting ready to retire is getting ready to retire
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I wonder what would
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be the best
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way to attract new employees.
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attract new employees.
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So I'll give you a moment to find the nouns and then I'll show you what I said.
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It looks like we need some more staff period.
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Roger and Leanne moved out of the city
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comma
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and I think Peter is getting ready to retire period I
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wonder what would be the best way to attract new employees
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so in this dictation oh you know what there's one here
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it this is a pronoun right here this is a noun then we've got we,
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staff, Roger, Leigh-Anne, city, I,
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we have another pronoun here,
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Peter, way, this is a noun, and employees.
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So these are the nouns in this dictation.
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And we've We've got one more dictation to go.
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One of the, sorry, I'm gonna go a little bit slower.
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One of the things I really like about my new job is the people!
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They are all very kind,
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and they work so well together.
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When you get along with your co-workers,
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it really makes work so much more enjoyable.
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Okay, so let's go through that twice more but slower.
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One of the things, one of the things I really like,
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I really like about my new job,
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about my new job is the people, exclamation mark.
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They are all very kind, comma.
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They are all very kind, comma.
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And they work so well together, period.
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And they work so well together, period.
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When you get along well with,
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when you get along well with,
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your co-workers your co-workers it really makes work it really makes work
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so much more enjoyable so much more enjoyable okay so those
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and then at the end sorry exclamation mark at the end
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so I'll just give you a moment to underline the nouns and then let's take a look.
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One of the things I really like about my new job is the people!
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They are all very kind,
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and they work so well together.
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Period.
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when you get along well with your co-workers it really makes work so much more enjoyable
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okay and actually you know what there should be right here there should be a comma right here
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so we should have a comma you know what i'm gonna fix
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that so right here
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when you really get along well with your co-workers comma right
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there okay now let's take a look at the at the nouns
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so we've got things I job people they they you co-workers and work
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those are the nouns okay everyone so
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that brings us to the end of the dictation the end of the video
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so I want to thank all of you for watching the video
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and participating by writing out your dictations now throughout the video
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if you've got any questions
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or comments you can leave your comments section you can leave your comments in the comment section below
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so please leave your comments or your questions in the comment section below the video.
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I would really appreciate it.
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Maybe that you're not sure but why did I underline certain things and why were other things not underlined?
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Leave your comments there and I will definitely respond to your comments.
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Remember if you liked the video please remember to share,
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like and subscribe and just so you know there will be a new advanced dictation every Friday.
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So on Monday I do beginner,
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on Wednesdays I do do intermediate and on Fridays I do more advanced dictations
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and I'll be doing idioms every Sunday as well.
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Okay, thank you so much everyone and have yourself a great day.
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Thank you.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Practicing speaking through dictation exercises, like the one provided in the April 15 Advanced Dictation video, is an effective way for learners to enhance their English speaking practice. This method helps students improve their listening and writing skills simultaneously, which is crucial for language acquisition. By engaging with real-life work contexts, learners not only better their vocabulary but also gain confidence in their ability to discuss professional topics. Engaging in such exercises promotes a deep understanding of sentence structure, which can significantly aid students preparing for the IELTS speaking practice.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video includes several essential grammatical structures that learners can benefit from. Here are a few key expressions analyzed:
- “I think I’m going to have to...” - This expression helps convey intention and obligation, perfect for discussing work schedules.
- “...because my boss gave me several important projects...” - In this clause, the use of "because" introduces causation, a common construction in English that connects reasons and results.
- “I hope my schedule returns to normal...” - This phrase expresses hope and future anticipation, valuable for expressing personal feelings regarding work and time management.
By focusing on such expressions, learners can utilize the shadowing technique effectively, reinforcing their grammar through repetition and practical usage.
Common Pronunciation Traps
In the dictation, certain words present unique challenges for pronunciation:
- “important” - Often mispronounced, this word requires emphasis on the second syllable: im-POR-tant.
- “schedule” - Depending on regional accents, this word can be pronounced as "shed-yool" or "sked-yool." Understanding these variations is crucial for effective communication.
- “projects” - The transition between consonant sounds can sometimes be tricky, so practicing this word can help improve overall pronunciation.
Using the shadowspeak technique, learners can mimic the speaker's pronunciation, allowing them to overcome these traps and improve English pronunciation in their own speech. This practice not only aids in clarity but also boosts confidence during real conversations.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should say · should have |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to give · is going to be · are going to listen |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will say · will repeat · will show |
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.