Shadowing Practice: British Accent Training Course (Modern RP) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello lovely students and welcome back to English with Lucy for your Modern RP English course.
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I'm going to share with you my secret recipe to help you speak English with my Modern RP accent.
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We are going to examine six key ingredients to cook up a more British sounding Modern RP accent.
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And of course, I always say it, you do not need to speak English with my accent to feel confident and be widely understood.
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But I know that many of you like how this accent sounds, and maybe you want to use it as a clear model to copy.
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Before we get started, I have an exciting announcement.
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I have just launched my five-day British accent bootcamp.
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All I need from you is 15 to 30 minutes per day for five days.
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You will learn the essential sounds of modern RP that go beyond what we cover in this lesson.
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We'll tackle tricky vowel sounds, we will nail the British R sound,
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and I will show you how we blend sounds together smoothly, like how we say Tuesday instead of Tuesday.
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Think of it as your personal accent makeover for an incredible price.
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To learn more, scan that QR code here or click the link in the description box.
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I know you're going to love it.
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Now let's get started with the lesson.
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To help guide you through the key features of my accent, we are going to prepare a simple pizza.
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Let's begin with our base ingredient, the schwa.
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Now this sound is very relaxed requires very little effort to make.
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Here are some common foods that all have the schwa sound.
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Listen and repeat.
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Butter, pepper, vinegar, pasta,
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onion, carrot, yoghurt, and lemon.
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Did you identify the sound?
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Okay, here are the pizza base instructions.
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Pause the video now and read it out loud.
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How many schwa's do you use.
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Uh, uh is the schwa sound.
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Okay, now read out loud along with me.
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I will mark the schwa's to help.
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Combine lukewarm water, a pinch of sugar and yeast, and leave for about five minutes.
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Add the mixture to the flour along with a pinch of salt and olive oil.
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Knead thoroughly until a smooth elastic dough forms.
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Now can you believe that I used 21 schwas in such a short text?
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Did you notice that I pronounced the article a with a schwa, a instead of a?
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I also used the weak forms and, of, and to instead of and, of, and to.
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Using these pronunciations here can help you maintain a good rhythm in English.
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Let's move on to our next key ingredient, the o vowel as in doe.
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This vowel sound can sound very different depending on where you're from.
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In my modern RP accent, I begin with the schwa and then glide to the uh.
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Uh, uh, oh.
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Oh.
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This is also the sound I make when I'm surprised or confused.
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Oh.
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Let's practice with some common food words.
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Listen and repeat.
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Toast.
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Cocoa.
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Roast potatoes.
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Are you gliding smoothly between the two vowel sounds?
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We generally give more energy to the first sound.
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And make sure you only round the lips at the end of the sound, not the beginning.
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O. O.
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So, let's look at the next part of the recipe.
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Try it yourself first, and then you can compare it with my version.
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Pause the video now.
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Now speak along with me.
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Take the dough from the bowl and roll it on a lightly floured pizza stone.
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Open a jar of homemade tomato sauce and mix in some oregano or pesto if that floats your boat.
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Okay, now it's time for our third key ingredient, The o vowel sound as in topping.
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Now in my accent, modern RP, this vowel sound is short and is made with an open mouth and rounded lips.
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O, o.
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Let's practise.
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Listen and repeat.
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olive, orange, stock.
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chocolate, sausage, popcorn.
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Okay, ready for the next stage of the recipe?
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Speak along with me now.
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I like a lot of toppings on my pizza.
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Obviously, cheese is a must.
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You can opt for mozzarella, ricotta, provolone, or whatever you've got in the fridge.
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Our final vowel sound is the long R sound.
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Why is this sound important?
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Well, in my British English accent, I use it a lot.
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But in many North American accents and some other British accents, it's sometimes shortened to an A.
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the ah sound open your mouth nice and wide ah ah listen and repeat almond artichoke Ah, ah.
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Listen and repeat.
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Almond, artichoke, garlic,
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marmalade, banana, avocado.
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Is your jaw open and your mouth wide?
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Try pulling the tongue a little back in the mouth too.
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Ah, ah.
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Let's read the next part of the recipe.
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Shadow me again, speak along with me.
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After you've artfully arranged your chosen toppings,
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garnish the pizza crust with a little grated Parmesan and marvel at the masterpiece you've crafted.
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Here, the words with the R sound that are not spelt A-R,
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after, masterpiece, and crafted,
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they can all be pronounced with the short A sound in many North American accents and some British accents.
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Would you say after, masterpiece, and crafted like me?
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Or after, masterpiece, piece and crafted with the short a, whatever feels best for you.
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Let's move on now to consonant sounds.
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One of the most noticeable features of my accent is how I pronounce t.
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I usually enunciate this sound very clearly and expel quite a lot of air.
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Let's practise.
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Listen and repeat. In North American English,
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this sound sometimes becomes a very soft sound called the flap tea.
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So a word like lettuce can sound more like lettuce.
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Are you ready to practice those lovely crisp teas with me now?
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Speak along with me, shadow me.
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Put the pizza in a preheated oven at a temperature of around 210 degrees.
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Set a timer for 10 minutes.
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Wait until the crust turns crispy.
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Take it out of the oven and let it sit to cool slightly.
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Now I have a couple of top tips for you here.
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One, when you have a t sound at the end of a word and the next word begins with a vowel sound,
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move the t to the beginning of the following word.
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For example, at a temperature, set a timer, Wait until.
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Now, top tip number two, that's a mini tongue twister for you there.
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When you have two t sounds together, twin the T's.
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There is no need to pronounce both.
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Just one is enough.
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For example, crust turns, sit two.
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Okay, now for our last consonant sound, the r sound.
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Now this is a bit of a trick really, because one of the key features of my accent is
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that we don't pronounce the letter R unless it's followed by a vowel sound.
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Listen and repeat, I've marked the silent R's in red.
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Rice.
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Curry.
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Red pepper.
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Strawberry.
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Mustard.
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Okay, speak along with me again.
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Transfer your pizza onto a cutting board and slice it into eight portions.
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Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Bill likes to open a jar of strong mustard to dip his crusts in, but I prefer some garlic mayonnaise.
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Controversial, I know.
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The hard work is over.
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It's time to settle on the sofa and tuck in.
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Now did you notice an extra couple of R sounds appeared in there?
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I added an R sound between pizzerontu and soferrand.
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Amazing job if you spotted that intrusive R.
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Many speakers of modern RP do this when a word ends with a schwa
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and the next word starts with a vowel sound.
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As I've shown you, we sometimes do it even when the word doesn't end in an R.
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It's just a schwa.
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Okay, the pizzeria is nearly closed.
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I just wanted to share one final tip for speaking English with a modern RP accent, and it has nothing to do with pronunciation.
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You don't have to use the intrusive R, but I think it's cool that you know about it.
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The final key ingredient is to make sure you're using the British English word, not the North American equivalent.
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So many different words and phrases are used on both sides of the Atlantic.
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I wanted to end with a little vocabulary quiz.
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Can you identify the British English words in these pairs of food words?
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Pause the lesson now and have a think.
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Ready for the answers?
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So I'd use courgette, aubergine, rocket, porridge and minced beef.
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In North American English, they tend to use zucchini, eggplant, arugula, oatmeal and ground beef.
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And that's it for today's mini course on the modern RP accent.
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I really hope you enjoyed it.
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Why not repeat this video and record yourself reading the words and recipe instructions?
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Listening to yourself can help you notice things you don't always hear as you're speaking.
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I hope you enjoyed this lesson, I hope you learnt something.
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I will see you in the next one.
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Master Modern RP: What You'll Practice in This Lesson
If you want to improve English pronunciation with a focus on Modern Received Pronunciation (RP), this lesson is your guide. You’ll explore six key features of the accent, starting with the schwa sound and the "o" vowel glide, using a pizza-making analogy to make learning relatable. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want clearer speech, these techniques will help you sound more natural and confident. The video also includes a 5-day accent bootcamp to dive deeper into tricky sounds like the British "r" and sound blending—perfect for english speaking practice.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases to Focus On
- Schwa (the relaxed "uh" sound in words like "butter" or "lemon")
- Glide (smooth transition between vowel sounds, e.g., "oh" in "toast")
- Weak forms (reduced pronunciations like "a" instead of "ay" or "and" instead of "and")
- Knead (to work dough, pronounced with a schwa: "need")
- Elastic (describing dough texture, with stress on the first syllable)
Practice Tips for Shadowing Success
Shadowing (or shadow speak) is a powerful way to mimic the video’s rhythm and tone. Here’s how to do it effectively: First, listen to the pizza base instructions once to identify schwa sounds—there are 21! Pause, then repeat each sentence, focusing on reducing "a" to "uh" and "and" to "uhn" to match the relaxed RP rhythm. For the "o" vowel glide ("doe"), practice the transition from "uh" to "oh" in "cocoa" or "roast potatoes"—give more energy to the first sound to keep it smooth. The video’s calm, conversational speed is ideal for beginners; start by pausing after each phrase, then gradually increase your pace to match. This not only improves pronunciation but also builds fluency, making it great for shadowspeaks practice. Remember: the goal is to sound natural, not perfect—consistency is key!
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 just launched · you've crafted · I've marked |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is made · be pronounced |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will learn · We'll tackle · will show |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to share · are going to examine · you're going to love |
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.