Shadowing Practice: British Accent Shadowing | Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde | British Pronunciation B2–C1 | Read by Ashley Howard - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Let's do some British accent shadowing.
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If you're new here, I'm Ashley Howard, a UK voice coach, and I help people with loads of things including accent.
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And today we're shadowing an extract from The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson,
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a dark and atmospheric classic of British literature.
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The CEFR level is between B2 to C1, and the first part of the video is Listen and Repeat,
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and in the second, see if you can speak along with me at the same time, and there's a free PDF with vocabulary notes you can download using the link in the description.
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Ready?
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Let's do it!
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Mr Utterson, the lawyer, was a man of a rugged countenance,
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that was never lighted by a smile.
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cold, scanty, and embarrassed in discourse,
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backward in sentiment, lean, long,
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dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.
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At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste,
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something eminently human, beaconed from his eye,
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something indeed which never found its way into his talk,
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but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of the after-dinner face,
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but more often and loudly in the acts of his life.
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He was austere with himself, drank gin when he was alone,
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to mortify a taste for vintages.
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And though he enjoyed the theatre,
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had not crossed the doors of one for twenty years.
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But he had an approved tolerance for others, sometimes wondering,
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almost with envy at the
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high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds,
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and in any extremity, inclined to help rather than to reprove.
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I inclined to Cain's hearsay,
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he used to say quaintly.
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I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.
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In this character, it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance,
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and the last good influence,
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in the lives of down-going men, And to such as these,
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so long as they came about his chambers,
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he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.
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Just to say that if you are enjoying this, after the video, check out my 12-week pronunciation Roadmap course.
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Details are in the description below.
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Let's get back to it.
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No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Rutterson,
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for he was undemonstrative at the best, and
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And even his friendship seemed to
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be founded in a similar catholicity of good nature.
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It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle,
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ready-made from the hands of opportunity.
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And that was the lawyer's way.
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His friends were those of his own blood, or those whom he had known the longest.
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His affections, like ivy, were the growth of time,
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they implied no aptness in the object.
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Hence, no doubt the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield,
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his distant kinsman, the well-known man about town.
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It was a nut to crack for many.
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What these two could see in each other.
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Or what subject they could find in common.
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It was reported by those who
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encountered them in their Sunday walks that they said nothing,
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looked singularly dull,
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and would hail with obvious relief the appearance of a friend.
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For all that, the two men put the greatest store by these excursions,
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counted them the chief jewel of each week,
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and not only set aside occasions of pleasure,
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but even resisted the calls of business,
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that they might enjoy them uninterrupted.
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Now try speaking with me at the same time.
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After that, check out my three British accent training books, which are linked in the description below.
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Ready?
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Let's go!
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Mr Utterson, the lawyer, was a man of rugged countenance that was never lighted by a smile.
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Cold, scanty and embarrassed in discourse, backward in sentiment, lean, long,
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dusty, dreary, and yet somehow lovable.
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At friendly meetings, and when the wine was to his taste, something eminently human beaconed from his eye,
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something indeed which never found its way into his talk, but which spoke not only in these silent symbols of after-dinner face,
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but more often and loudly in the acts of his life.
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He was austere with himself, drank gin when he was alone to mortify a taste for vintages, and though he enjoyed the theatre,
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had not crossed the door of one for twenty years.
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But he had an approved tolerance for others, sometimes wondering, almost with envy,
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the high pressure of spirits involved in their misdeeds, and in any extremity inclined to help rather than to reprove.
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I incline to Cain's hearsay, he used to say quaintly, I let my brother go to the devil in his own way.
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In this character it was frequently his fortune to be the last reputable acquaintance
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and last good influence in the lives of down-going men, and to such as these, so long as they came about his chamber,
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he never marked a shade of change in his demeanour.
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No doubt the feat was easy to Mr. Utterson, for he was undemonstrative at the best,
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and even his friendship seemed to be founded in a similar catholicity of good nature.
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It is the mark of a modest man to accept his friendly circle, ready-made from the hands of opportunity, and that was the lawyer's way.
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His friends were those of his own blood, all those whom he had known the longest.
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His affections, like ivy, were the growth of time.
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They implied no aptness in the object.
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Hence no doubt the bond that united him to Mr. Richard Enfield, his distant kinsman, well-known man about town.
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It was a nut to crack for many what these two could see in each other, or what subject they could find in common.
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It was reported by those who encountered them in their Sunday walks that they said nothing,
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looked singularly dull, and would hail with obvious relief the appearance of a friend.
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For all that, the two men put the greatest store by these excursions, counted them the chief jewel of each week,
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and not only set aside occasions of pleasure but even resisted the calls of business that they might enjoy them uninterrupted.
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Thanks for staying to the end.
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Like, subscribe and turn on notifications.
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Check out my course and books.
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And if you'd like to support the channel and help me make more videos, you can join as a channel member using the link below.
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See you next time.
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Thank you.

What You'll Learn with This Shadowing Practice

This video is a goldmine for improving your English pronunciation and fluency using the shadowing technique. You’ll practice natural pacing—how to speak at a conversational speed without rushing, just like native speakers. You’ll also master emotional delivery: notice how the speaker’s tone shifts to convey Mr. Utterson’s quiet depth, helping you add nuance to your own speech. Plus, shadowing this classic text will boost your vocabulary retention of literary terms, making your English sound more sophisticated.

Listen For These Sounds: Connected Speech Secrets

Native speakers don’t pronounce every word in isolation—listen closely for linking and reductions. For example, “he was undemonstrative” becomes “he wuz undemonstrative” (reducing “was” to “wuz”), and “the growth of time” links smoothly as “the grow-thuv time” (blending “of” into “thuv”). These small changes make your speech flow like a native’s. Also, notice how “Mr. Utterson” is often shortened to “Mr. Uht-sun” in fast speech—this is how connected speech simplifies longer names. Train your ear to catch these patterns, and your shadow speak will sound more natural.

Say It Like a Native: Rhythm and Stress Tips

To mirror the speaker’s rhythm, focus on syllable stress. Words like “austere” (au-STEER) and “catholicity” (ca-THOL-i-ci-ty) have stress on specific syllables—emphasize these to sound authentic. The speaker also uses pauses strategically, like after “lean, long, dusty, dreary” to create atmosphere. Copy these pauses to add drama and clarity. Remember, shadowing isn’t just about repeating words—it’s about matching the feel of the speech. Practice speaking along at the same time as the video, and soon your shadow speech will feel effortless. Ready to improve your English pronunciation? This is your chance to turn practice into progress—let’s get shadowing!

  • Pro tip: Use the free PDF vocabulary notes (linked in the video) to master tricky words before shadowing.
  • Try the 12-week pronunciation course mentioned for structured practice—perfect for taking your skills to the next level!

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.