Shadowing Practice: British Accent Shadowing The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter | British Accent Practice A2–B1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
Hello, and welcome to British Accent Shadowing.
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I'm Ashley Howard, a UK voice coach, and among many things, I help people with pronunciation, intonation and accent.
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Today, we're using an extract from The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, a beautifully clear piece of British children's literature,
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perfect for practising standard southern British English, natural phrasing and expressive storytelling.
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This passage is around A2 to B1 level, so it's accessible for beginner and intermediate learners,
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but still rich enough to help you work on rhythm, connected speech, vowel reduction and intonation.
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I'll read the passage first so you can listen to the sound and flow, then we'll slow it down line by line
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so you can shadow repeat after me and build confidence while speaking British English more naturally.
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You can download the free PDF of today's passage with vocabulary notes from the link in the description.
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Let's begin.
11
Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail, and Peter.
12
They lived with their mother in a sandbank underneath the root of a very big fir tree.
13
Now, my dears, said old Mrs Rabbit one morning, you may go into the fields or down the lane,
14
but don't go into Mr McGregor's garden.
15
Your father had an accident there.
16
He was put in a pie by Mrs McGregor.
17
Now run along and don't get into mischief.
18
I am going out.
19
Then old Mrs Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the bakers.
20
She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
21
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries.
22
But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr MacGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate.
23
First he ate some lettuces and some French beans, and then he ate some radishes.
24
And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.
25
But round the end of the cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor?
26
Mr. McGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, Stop, thief!
27
Peter was most dreadfully frightened.
28
He rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.
29
He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.
30
After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether
31
if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket.
32
It was a blue jacket with brass buttons quite new.
33
Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears,
34
but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself.
35
Mr MacGregor came up with a sieve which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time, leaving his jacket behind him,
36
and rushed into the tool shed and jumped into a can.
37
It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in if it had not had so much water in it.
38
Mr. McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool shed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower pot.
39
He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each.
40
Presently, Peter sneezed.
41
Mr. McGregor was after him in no time and tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of the window, upsetting three plants.
42
The window was too small for Mr. McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter.
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later, he went back to his work.
44
Peter sat down to rest.
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He was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go.
46
Also, he was very damp with sitting in that can.
47
After a time he began to wander about, going lippity-lippity, not very fast, and looking all round.
48
He found a door in a wall, but it was locked, and there There was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.
49
An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood.
50
Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer.
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She only shook her head at him.
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Peter began to cry.
53
Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled.
54
Presently, he came to a pond where Mr. McGregor filled his water cans.
55
A white cat was staring at some goldfish.
56
She sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive.
57
Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her.
58
He had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.
59
He went back towards the tool shed, but suddenly, quite close behind him, he heard the noise of a hoe.
60
Scritch, scratch, scratch, scratch.
61
Peter scuttered underneath the bushes.
62
But presently, as nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over.
63
The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions.
64
His back was turned towards Peter and beyond him was the gate.
65
Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow and
66
and started running as fast as he could go along a straight walk behind some blackcurrant bushes.
67
Mr MacGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care.
68
He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden.
69
Mr MacGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scarecrow to frighten the blackbirds.
70
Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir tree.
71
He was so tired
72
that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand of the floor of the rabbit hole and shut his eyes.
73
His mother was busy cooking.
74
She wondered what he had done with his clothes.
75
It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight.
76
I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.
77
His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea, and she gave a dose of it to Peter.
78
One tablespoonful to be taken at bedtime.
79
But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.
80
Now copy after me.
81
If you're serious about developing a clear contemporary standard British accent, take a look at my 12-week Pronunciation Roadmap course.
82
It's a step-by-step program with expert guidance, practical training and simple routines to help you improve your pronunciation,
83
intonation and overall accent.
84
You'll find the link in the description below.
85
Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits.
86
And their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.
87
They lived with their mother in a sandbank underneath the root of a very big fir tree.
88
Now, my dears, said old Mrs Rabbit one morning,
89
you may go into the fields or down the lane,
90
but don't go into Mr. McGregor's garden.
91
Your father had an accident there.
92
He was put in a pie by Mrs McGregor.
93
Now run along and don't get into mischief.
94
I am going out.
95
an old Mrs Rabbit, took a basket and her umbrella,
96
and went through the wood to the baker's.
97
He bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
98
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, who were good little bunnies,
99
went down the lane to gather blackberries.
100
But Peter, who was very naughty,
101
ran straight away to Mr MacGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate.
102
First, he ate some lettuces and some French beans.
103
And then, he ate some radishes.
104
And then, feeling rather sick,
105
he went to look for some parsley.
106
But round the end of a cucumber frame,
107
whom should he meet but Mr. McGregor?
108
Mr MacGregor was on his hands and knees, planting out young cabbages.
109
But he jumped up and ran after Peter,
110
waving a rake and calling out, Stop thief!
111
Peter was most dreadfully frightened.
112
He rushed all over the garden,
113
for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.
114
He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages,
115
the other shoe amongst the potatoes.
116
After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster,
117
so that I think he might have got away altogether if he had not,
118
unfortunately,
119
into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket.
120
It was a blue blue jacket with brass buttons, quite new.
121
Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears.
122
But his sobs were overheard
123
by some friendly sparrows who flew
124
to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself.
125
Mr MacGregor came up with a sieve
126
which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter.
127
But Peter wriggled out, just in time,
128
leaving his jacket behind him,
129
and rushed into the tool shed and jumped into a can,
130
it would have been a beautiful thing to hide in
131
if it had not had so much water in it.
132
Mr MacGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the tool shed,
133
perhaps hidden underneath a flower pot.
134
He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each.
135
Presently, Peter sneezed.
136
Kachoo!
137
Mr MacGregor was after him in no time
138
and tried to put his foot upon Peter
139
who jumped out of a window, upsetting three plants.
140
The window was too small for Mr. McGregor,
141
And he was tired of running after Peter.
142
He went back to his work.
143
Peter sat down to rest.
144
He was out of breath and trembling with fright.
145
and he had not the least idea which way to go.
146
Also, he was very damp with sitting in that can.
147
After a time, he began to wander about,
148
going lippity-lippity, not very fast, and looking all round.
149
He found a door in a wall,
150
but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.
151
An old mouse was running in and out over the stone steppe,
152
carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood.
153
Peter asked her the way to the gate,
154
but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer.
155
She only shook her head at him.
156
Peter began to cry.
157
Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden,
158
But he became more and more puzzled.
159
Presently he came to a pond,
160
where Mr McGregor filled his water cans.
161
A white cat was staring at some goldfish.
162
She sat very, very still.
163
But now and then, the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive.
164
Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her.
165
He had heard about cats from his cousin, Little Benjamin Bunny.
166
He went back towards the tool shed,
167
but suddenly, quite close to him,
168
He heard the noise of a hoe.
169
Scritch.
170
Scratch.
171
Scratch.
172
Scritch.
173
Peter scuttered underneath the bushes.
174
But presently, as nothing happened,
175
he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over.
176
The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions.
177
His back was turned towards Peter.
178
And beyond him was the gate.
179
Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow
180
and started running as fast as he
181
could go along a straight walk behind some blackcurrant bushes.
182
Mr McGregor caught sight of him at the corner,
183
but Peter did not care.
184
He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last
185
in the wood outside the garden.
186
Mr McGregor hung up the little jacket
187
and the shoes for a scarecrow to frighten the blackbirds.
188
Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir tree.
189
He was so tired
190
that he flopped down upon the nice
191
soft sand on the floor of the rabbit hole and shut his eyes.
192
His mother was busy cooking.
193
She wondered what he had done with his clothes.
194
It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight.
195
I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.
196
His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea,
197
and she gave a dose of it to Peter.
198
One tablespoonful to be taken at bedtime.
199
But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread
200
and milk and blackberries for supper.
201
Now, speak with me at the same time.
202
Before we continue, take a look at my British accent training books.
203
Across the series, you'll get 12 hours of audio, accessible on your phone, thousands of practice words and sentences,
204
and more than 300 pages covering every vowel and consonant, as well as key aspects of intonation.
205
You'll find a link in the description and in the pinned comment.
206
Once upon a time, there were four little rabbits, and their names were Flopsy, Mopsy, Cottontail and Peter.
207
They lived with their mother in a sandbank underneath the root of a very big fir tree.
208
Now, my dears, said old Mrs Rabbit one morning, you may go into the fields or down the lane,
209
but don't go into Mr McGregor's garden.
210
Your father had an accident there.
211
He was put in a pie by Mrs McGregor.
212
Now run along and don't get into mischief.
213
I am going out.
214
Then old Mrs Rabbit took a basket and her umbrella and went through the wood to the baker's.
215
She bought a loaf of brown bread and five currant buns.
216
Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail, who were good little bunnies, went down the lane to gather blackberries.
217
But Peter, who was very naughty, ran straight away to Mr MacGregor's garden and squeezed under the gate.
218
First, he ate some lettuces and some French beans, and then he ate some radishes.
219
And then, feeling rather sick, he went to look for some parsley.
220
But round the end of the cucumber frame, whom should he meet but Mr MacGregor?
221
Mr MacGregor was on his hands and knees planting out young cabbages, but he jumped up and ran after Peter, waving a rake and calling out, Stop, thief!
222
Peter was most dreadfully frightened.
223
He rushed all over the garden, for he had forgotten the way back to the gate.
224
He lost one of his shoes among the cabbages, and the other shoe amongst the potatoes.
225
After losing them, he ran on four legs and went faster, so that I think he might have got away altogether
226
if he had not unfortunately run into a gooseberry net and got caught by the large buttons on his jacket.
227
It was a blue jacket with brass buttons quite new.
228
Peter gave himself up for lost and shed big tears,
229
but his sobs were overheard by some friendly sparrows who flew to him in great excitement and implored him to exert himself.
230
Mr McGregor came up with a sieve which he intended to pop upon the top of Peter, but Peter wriggled out just in time,
231
leaving his jacket behind him, and rushed into the toolshed and jumped into a can.
232
It would have been a beautiful thing to hide in if it had not had so much water in it.
233
Mr McGregor was quite sure that Peter was somewhere in the toolshed, perhaps hidden underneath a flower pot.
234
He began to turn them over carefully, looking under each.
235
Presently Peter sneezed.
236
K-choo!
237
Mr McGregor was after him in no time, and tried to put his foot upon Peter, who jumped out of the window, upsetting three plants.
238
The window was too small for Mr McGregor, and he was tired of running after Peter.
239
He went back to his work.
240
Peter sat down to rest.
241
He was out of breath and trembling with fright, and he had not the least idea which way to go.
242
Also, he was very damp with sitting in that can.
243
After a time he began to wander about, going lippity-lippity, not very fast, and looking all round.
244
He found a door in a wall, but it was locked, and there was no room for a fat little rabbit to squeeze underneath.
245
An old mouse was running in and out over the stone doorstep, carrying peas and beans to her family in the wood.
246
Peter asked her the way to the gate, but she had such a large pea in her mouth that she could not answer.
247
She only shook her head at him.
248
Peter began to cry.
249
Then he tried to find his way straight across the garden, but he became more and more puzzled.
250
Presently he came to a pond where Mr MacGregor filled his water cans.
251
A white cat was staring at some goldfish.
252
She sat very, very still, but now and then the tip of her tail twitched as if it were alive.
253
Peter thought it best to go away without speaking to her.
254
He had heard about cats from his cousin, little Benjamin Bunny.
255
He went back towards the tool shed, but suddenly, quite close behind him, he heard the noise of a hoe.
256
Scritch, scratch, scratch, scratch.
257
Peter scuttered underneath the bushes.
258
But presently, as nothing happened, he came out and climbed upon a wheelbarrow and peeped over.
259
The first thing he saw was Mr. McGregor hoeing onions.
260
His back was turned towards Peter and beyond him was the gate.
261
Peter got down very quietly off the wheelbarrow and
262
and started running as fast as he could go along a straight walk behind some blackcurrant bushes.
263
Mr McGregor caught sight of him at the corner, but Peter did not care.
264
He slipped underneath the gate and was safe at last in the wood outside the garden.
265
Mr McGregor hung up the little jacket and the shoes for a scarecrow to frighten the blackbirds.
266
Peter never stopped running or looked behind him till he got home to the big fir tree.
267
He was so tired
268
that he flopped down upon the nice soft sand of the floor of the rabbit hole and shut his eyes.
269
His mother was busy cooking.
270
She wondered what he had done with his clothes.
271
It was the second little jacket and pair of shoes that Peter had lost in a fortnight.
272
I am sorry to say that Peter was not very well during the evening.
273
His mother put him to bed and made some chamomile tea, and she gave a dose of it to Peter.
274
One tablespoonful to be taken at bedtime.
275
But Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail had bread and milk and blackberries for supper.
276
Well done!
277
With a text like The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the challenge is not only clear pronunciation, but also lightness, rhythm and storytelling energy.
278
Practising in this way helps you train the sound patterns of British English while keeping the speech alive and expressive.
279
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “British Accent Shadowing The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Peter, Mcgregor, rabbit, underneath, jacket. This video has 279 sentences and 3200 words to shadow. The speech runs for 34:55. The speaker talks slowly, about 92 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rabbit noun | /ˈɹæbɪt/ | A mammal of most genera of the family Leporidae, with long ears, long hind legs and a short, fluffy tail. (Those of the larger kind are instead called hares) |
| underneath adverb | /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/ | Below; in a place beneath. |
| jacket noun | /ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/ | A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| presently adverb | /ˈpɹɛzəntli/ | Before long; soon. |
| scratch verb | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. |
| frighten verb | /ˈfɹaɪ.tən/ | To cause to feel fear; to scare; to cause to feel alarm or fright. |
| wheelbarrow noun | /ˈwilbæɹoʊ/ | A small, one-wheeled (or rarely, two-wheeled) cart with handles at one end for transporting small loads. |
| cabbage noun | /ˈkæbɪd͡ʒ/ | An edible plant (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) having a head of green leaves. |
| blackberry noun | /ˈblækbɛɹi/ | A fruit-bearing shrub of the aggregate species Rubus fruticosus and some hybrids. |
| squeeze verb | /skwiːz/ | To apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once. |
| bean noun | /ˈbi(ː)n/ | Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| intonation noun | /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/ | The rise and fall of the voice in speaking. |
| scritch verb | /skɹɪt͡ʃ/ | To make a light scratching sound, like a small animal burrowing. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| call out verb | To specify, especially in detail. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| get away verb | To move away (from). | |
| get down verb | /ɡɛt ˈdaʊn/ | To bring or come down; to descend; to cause to bring or come down. |
| go along verb | To participate, cooperate, or conform. | |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was put · was locked · was turned |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was running · was staring |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may go · might have |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | started running · stopped running |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you'll, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, thief /ˈθiːf/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, goldfish /ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ/, radish /ˈɹæd.ɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, accessible /əkˈsɛs.ɪ.bəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/
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 rabbit, underneath, jacket.
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.