Shadowing Practice: Ashley Judd's Journey with Co-Dependency - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Rowdy.
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They're happy people.
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They're happy, rowdy people.
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So hi.
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Hi.
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How was your weekend?
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It must have been a big weekend for you because.
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I have a fever blister.
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Just gets a little stressful on the track.
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And so I got a fever blister.
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I don't see it.
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It's hiding.
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It camouflages.
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Oh, now I see it.
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It's your old fashioned Ben Nye Jr. pancake makeup.
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Uh-huh.
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I don't see it.
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So it was a stressful weekend.
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It's exciting and thrilling and you do.
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Because your husband is a race car driver, So he was racing.
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At the Indianapolis 500.
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Right.
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Dario?
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Dario.
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Dario.
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You got a good picture.
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That's a great picture.
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Five years?
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Actually, our eight year anniversary was the 17th of May.
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Wow, eight years.
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That is not nothing.
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No, it's not nothing at all.
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That's great.
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And now, does he travel a lot?
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Is that?
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The racing season starts in March and goes through to October.
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And race weekends are generally two to three days,
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depending if it's Saturday night race or Sunday afternoon race.
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So we're home during the week,
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and then we go away on the weekends.
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Oh, that's nice.
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And now, are you talking to him?
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Can you hear the headphones and stuff like that?
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And I do listen.
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You listen?
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I can listen to the in-car communication at the track.
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And what kind of things is he talking about?
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He gets into his profoundly Scottish cursing dialect, usually.
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Because it's an appropriate time to have road rage, actually.
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Usually at back markers who won't get out of the way.
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So he's mad at other racers usually?
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Sometimes, or the officials, or just the IRL in general.
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And is he a good driver like when he's on the road in a regular car?
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Is he fast?
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Is he slower?
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He's quick, but he's incredibly respectful and very lawful.
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And I think that's a misunderstanding or a misprojection,
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I suppose, about racing drivers.
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I mean, they are the most correct drivers.
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They always use their turn signals.
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They go the appropriate speed in the appropriate lane
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and really want to kind of school everyone around them who's not doing those things.
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And how does he school them?
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Does he use signals?
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Swiping.
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He just swerves them off the road?
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That's great to know.
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Let us know what area you live in.
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And talk about this, because I love that you do this.
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You do, is it every morning or at night,
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you do a gratitude list?
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Do you write it down in the morning when you wake up?
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I say my prayers in the morning,
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right, when I wake up.
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And usually it's stuff about just not getting in my own way.
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Because I really am my own problem.
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So if I can get out of the way,
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then I'm bound to have a pretty amazing day.
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And then at night, I review my conduct and do I need to apologize to anyone,
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and rub stuff in when I did a good job,
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and then think about the things I'm grateful for.
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That's great.
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And you do that every night without fail?
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Pretty much.
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That's great.
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Pretty much.
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I like to write it down,
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too, because then it takes on a certain substance and weight,
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and I can go back.
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And also, if I owe an amend and I haven't done it,
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I'm accountable because it's been written down.
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It's been written down.
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Whereas if I let stuff,
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you know, keeps you up at night, too.
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It's good to just let it all out like that.
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To let it go.
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And you've been pretty open about going into rehab,
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but not for substance abuse, but for something else.
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Codependency.
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Codependency, which I think a lot of people suffer from.
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And how did you realize that you had that problem?
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I was sick and tired of being sick and tired and not knowing why I was sick and tired,
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which really is the official yet non-clinical definition of codependency.
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Just there's something wrong, but I don't really know what.
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And I kept doing the same thing over and over again,
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expecting to get a different result,
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which of course is the definition of insanity.
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Right.
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Well, then I think we're all in trouble.
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To a certain or lesser degree,
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most people have some codependency.
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But it can really be a debilitating, it is a disease.
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It can be a very debilitating disease when left untreated.
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Wow.
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And there is a solution.
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I have to point out, there is a solution.
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Which is?
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Well, there is recovery from codependency.
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And I'm sure that there's lots of good information online.
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And books and stuff.
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And really good books.
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Good to know.
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All right, so and congratulations,
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I guess, Azonora, you just you went back to college after how many years?
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Well, actually, codependency is also about low self-esteem.
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And I certainly had that.
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And I assume that you're talking about my newly awarded degree in French from the University of Kentucky.
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From the University of Kentucky.
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Yes.
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Wow, that's amazing.
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A bachelor's in French?
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Is that what it is?
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A bachelor's in French, and I completed four minors and then an honors curriculum.
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And in fact, I finished my degree in 1990,
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but I didn't believe that I had.
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I thought I had done it wrong.
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And so all these years,
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I let my low self-esteem lie to me.
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So you went back.
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I didn't go back.
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It was done.
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All I had to do was sign a piece of paper.
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Oh.
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I thought you went back after 17 years.
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No. Oh, I see.
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The dean of my college phoned me,
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and he said, when are you going to sign that piece of paper so I may send you your diploma?
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Do you have it yet?
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No. Yes, I do.
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I do?
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We called.
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You did not.
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Yes.
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You're really tricky.
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That's amazing.
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That's pretty neat.
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Yeah.
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May I read it?
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Yes, you may read it.
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A falsé.
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University of Kentucky, upon recommendation of the university senate and approval of the board of trustees and the president,
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confers Ashley Judd degree of Bachelor of Arts, Arts and Sciences French.
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How terribly lovely.
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Thank you so much.
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I'm really touched on this.
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This is a big deal.
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You're welcome.
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Thank you.
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All right.
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More with Ashley Judd after this.
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We'll be right back.
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All right.
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Fabulous, again.
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And that's her movie, Bug.
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It's so good.
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Thank you.
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I saw it not knowing anything about what it was about.
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Now, by the time people hear so much about it,
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you'll sort of know it's about bugs.
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But it's so, I thought it was about it because the phone's ringing.
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Or the perception of bugs.
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Oh, yes.
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Or the percep- now, see?
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Now you're giving it more away.
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Thank you.
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All right.
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So we're going to play a game because I love games.
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And they love to make up games for me to play with other people.
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So this is going to be like celebrity, but they're bugs.
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And I'm going to try to,
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you're going to hold one up on your forehead,
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and I'm going to try to make you guess what the bug is.
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On your mark, you said go.
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All right.
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Oh, and eat your sweaters and stuff if you leave it in your closet.
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Freaking moths.
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Yes.
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My sweaters are going.
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Oh, I'm going.
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Time.
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All right.
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And they carry around their little dead friends when you see them on their- Parasites?
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Oh, ants.
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Yes.
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Oh, I don't like these at all.
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And sometimes they fly.
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Yes.
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Oh, they can sting you, but they pollinate flowers.
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Bees.
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Yes.
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And they bother your cats and your dogs.
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Please.
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And they rub their little legs together,
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and they make nice noise.
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Pretty.
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Yes.
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And you don't want these.
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It's sleep tight.
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Don't let the bite.
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Bed Bud.
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Bed Buds bite.
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Oh, they were a great band in the 60s.
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The Caterpillars.
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No. Oh, shoot.
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John and Ringo and.
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Oh, the Beatles.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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That's a bad idea.
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All right.
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You got eight of them.
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All right.
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We use paper to catch them.
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You use paper to catch them?
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Uh-huh.
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It's a sticky paper like in the movie.
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Oh, flies.
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And you get one of these and it itches.
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Rash.
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No, no, no, the little animal that gives you the doohickey that itches.
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A thing that gives you the doohickey.
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We use spray at night so that when you go out.
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Mosquitoes?
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Yeah.
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Sorry, doohickey.
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And then you have to call the people to come spray if these guys are eating your wood in your house.
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Turmines.
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And these are real pretty,
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and they are red, and they have freckles.
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And they're usually good luck.
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Ladybugs.
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Yes.
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And I might have one right now because I live in Tennessee
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and they live on deer and then they get in the house.
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No. And they carry a disease that a lot of people are talking about.
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Ticks.
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My friend.
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You're more efficient.
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I use too many words.
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All right.
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But I probably do have a tick right now.
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Yeah.
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Well, I'll have somebody look backstage if you want.
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All right.
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Thanks for being here.
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Good luck with the movie.
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Thank you.
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This was fun.
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And congratulations on this.
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I appreciate it.
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Thanks, Ellen.
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It's fun.
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It's theaters everywhere.
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Seven-year-old limbo skater Zoe Beda will roll out here after this.
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Don't go away.

Context & Background

This transcript features a light-hearted conversation involving Ashley Judd, a well-known actress, sharing her experiences related to her husband, who is a race car driver. The discussion touches on various personal elements, including the challenges of balancing a relationship with a spouse who travels frequently due to racing events. This context provides an excellent opportunity for learners to engage with everyday English used in conversational settings, particularly in the context of relationships and hobbies.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "How was your weekend?" - A common way to initiate conversation and show interest in someone else's life.
  • "It's hiding. It camouflages." - This phrase can be used to describe something that is hard to notice, useful in everyday interactions.
  • "Eight years is not nothing." - This emphasizes the significance of a duration, perfect for discussing relationships or experiences.
  • "I can listen to the in-car communication." - Useful for those interested in discussing various modes of communication.
  • "It's appropriate to have road rage." - This phrase shows how emotions can be expressed humorously in specific contexts.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To tackle the complexity of the dialogue in this video, follow these steps to enhance your speaking and pronunciation skills:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by watching the video without subtitles to familiarize yourself with the tone and context.
  2. Initial Viewing: Play the video again and read the transcript simultaneously. Pay close attention to how Ashley emphasizes specific phrases and words.
  3. Shadow Speech: Utilize the shadowing technique by repeating phrases right after you hear them. Focus on mimicking not just the words but the intonation and rhythm. This will greatly help in improving English pronunciation.
  4. Practice Contextual Usage: Incorporate the phrases you've learned into your daily conversations. Try using them in different settings, like asking friends about their weekends.
  5. Feedback Loop: Record yourself speaking the phrases, then listen back to identify areas for improvement. This self-evaluation will help solidify your learning and boost your IELTS speaking practice.

By implementing these strategies, you can significantly enhance your speaking abilities. Regular practice with the shadowing technique will allow you to absorb natural expressions and improve your overall English fluency. Remember, the more you engage with varied dialogues like Ashley Judd's, the more effectively you'll communicate! Explore similar conversations to make your learning experience enjoyable through shadowspeaks.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →