Shadowing Practice: Are You A Selfish Person? | 💖 Healing podcast | Intermediate - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Have you ever noticed someone who always wants the biggest slice of cake or never wants to take turns playing a game?
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Maybe you've even felt a little grumpy yourself when someone doesn't share their things.
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These can be signs of a selfish person.
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Being selfish means putting our own wants and needs above everyone else's all the time.
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It's like saying me first a little too loudly.
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Imagine you have a delicious chocolate bar.
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You decide to eat the whole thing without offering a piece to your friend who's sitting right next to you.
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Another example is not helping out at home.
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If your family is busy and you choose to play games instead of helping, that can also be selfish.
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Sometimes, we don't even know we're being selfish.
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We just act without thinking about how it affects others.
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Now, there's a difference between being selfish and taking care of ourselves.
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self -care is like taking a warm bath after a long day it's listening to your favorite music
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when you feel down it's saying no sometimes even when you really want to say yes because you need a rest
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it's even asking for help these are all ways to care for ourselves just like the flower needs care
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self -care helps us feel good and be our best selves for everyone around us
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If you're tired and grumpy, it's harder to be kind to others.
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But when you're feeling rested and happy, you can share your things, smile at your friends, and help others in need.
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Being selfish, on the other hand, can be like only wanting the biggest slice of cake, even if there isn't enough for everyone.
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It's never letting your friend have a turn on the swing.
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It's forgetting to say thank you or please.
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selfish behavior can make others feel sad or left out
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but here's the secret sometimes wanting things for ourselves isn't selfish
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it's just part of being human we all have needs and desires just like little plants need sunshine and water to grow
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So, how do we find the balance between self -care and selfishness?
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It's all about thinking of others while also taking care of yourself.
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Ask yourself, is this action only helping me, or is it also fair to others?
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If you're unsure, talk to someone you trust.
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They can give you a different point of view.
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The real magic also happens when we learn to listen.
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When we listen carefully to our friends' family, we can start to understand their needs too.
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By listening to what others need, we can share our kindness and create happiness together.
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Maybe you like playing games, but your friend prefers reading.
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Listening to your friend might mean taking turns doing activities you both enjoy.
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The more we listen, the better we understand the people around us.
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We learn about their feelings and what makes them happy.
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By listening to others, we also learn that everyone has their own story.
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And the more we listen, the less selfish space there is in our garden.
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We become more loving, more understanding, and more helpful.
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It's natural to think about ourselves sometimes, but helping others can actually make us happier.
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Imagine this.
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You're walking home from school and see a friend having a hard time with a heavy bag.
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You offer to help, and together, you laugh and chat as you walk.
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Suddenly, the walk doesn't feel so long anymore, right?
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That's because helping others creates a connection, a feeling of being part of something bigger.
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Think about a beautiful sunflower.
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It reaches tall and bright towards the sun, soaking up its warmth.
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That's kind of like us.
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We need to take care of ourselves to grow.
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But a sunflower also turns its face to the sun, not away.
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It shares the sun's light with the world around it.
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There are simple things we can do every day to be like that sunflower.
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Tiny acts of kindness that can brighten someone else's day and in turn make our own hearts feel a little lighter.
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Maybe it's holding the door open for someone with their hands full.
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Perhaps it's offering a listening ear to a friend who seems down.
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It could even be leaving a kind note for a family member.
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When we're kind, it creates a warm feeling inside, like sunshine on our hearts.
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Imagine helping a lost puppy find its way home or holding the door open for someone with groceries.
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These little acts make the world a brighter place for them and for us.
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When you're kind, you plant a seed of happiness.
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That seed might grow into a smile on someone's face, a helping hand in return, or just a warmer feeling inside you.
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If you ever wonder if you're selfish, remember, even the smallest acts of kindness can blossom into something beautiful.
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Try a new good deed each day and see how it makes you feel.
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That's what being selfless is about.
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You might be surprised at the sunshine it brings.
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Maybe tonight, before bed, take a few quiet breaths and think about your day.
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Did you do something kind to everyone around you?
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Remember, even the smallest acts can make a big difference.
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And if you ever feel a little too much by caring for others, just think of the sunflower.
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Take care of yourself first.
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Then turn your face towards the sun and share its warmth with the world.
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If something comes to mind that makes you think, maybe I could have been kinder, that's great.
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It means you're growing and learning.
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Remember, being kind to others makes everyone feel good, including you.
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Being kind to yourself is important too.
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Take a warm bath, read a fun book, or spend time doing something you enjoy.
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When we feel good, it's easier to sprinkle sunshine on others. So, are you selfish?
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Well, maybe a little bit sometimes, and that's okay.
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We all are, but the important thing is to remember to be kind
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and share with others and to take good care of ourselves too.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Are You A Selfish Person?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: selfish, helping, ourselves, share, listening. This video has 80 sentences and 1016 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:26. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| selfish adjective | /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ | Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making. |
| sunshine noun | /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/ | The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun. |
| kindness noun | /ˈkaɪnd.nəs/ | The state of being kind. |
| bath noun | /bɑːθ/ | A tub or pool which is used for bathing: bathtub. |
| happiness noun | /ˈhæpinɪs/ | The emotion of being happy; joy; elation. |
| slice noun | /slaɪs/ | That which is thin and broad. |
| warmth noun | /wɔɹmθ/ | A moderate degree of heat; the sensation of being warm. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| swing verb | /ˈswɪŋ/ | To rotate about an off-centre fixed point. |
| puppy noun | /ˈpʌpi/ | A young rat. |
| loudly adverb | /ˈlaʊdli/ | In a loud manner; at a high volume. |
| deed noun | /diːd/ | An action or act; something that is done. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| leave out verb | To omit, to not include, to neglect to mention. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- It's like saying me first a little too loudly.
- Sometimes, we don't even know we're being selfish.
- It's forgetting to say thank you or please.
- If you're unsure, talk to someone you trust.
- Did you do something kind to everyone around you?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever noticed · you've even felt |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who always · friend who seems |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the biggest · our best · the smallest |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might mean · might grow · might be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, doesn't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bath /bɑːθ/, warmth /wɔɹmθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/, sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, selfishness /ˈsɛl.fɪʃ.nəs/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like selfish, sunshine, kindness.
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.