Shadowing Practice: Cambridge 19 listening test 4 section 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
So, Jane, you'll be off to Denmark soon to do your work placement.
2
Yes, I'm really looking forward to it.
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And I've just started packing up all my books to put in storage.
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Well, I hope they don't get spoiled.
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It's OK.
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My grandfather works in a bookshop and he told me how to pack them.
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Oh, that's helpful.
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He says you have to support the spine, otherwise the paper can come away from the cover.
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Yeah, that's obvious.
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He also told me to pack them flat in the box, not on their side.
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Again, because they can bend, and if you leave them like that for, say, a year, it's quite hard to get them back to their normal shape.
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Well, it's pretty clear that ruins them.
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But a lot of people just can't be bothered to protect their books.
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He always says it's such a shame that publishers don't use better quality paper.
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It's the acid in the paper that causes the problem, isn't it?
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Yeah, that's why old books go yellow.
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You know, some of the books my grandfather's given me are like that already.
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Oh.
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I should dump them really if they're going to deteriorate further, but I'd feel bad.
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They'll always remind me of him.
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He's quite a collector, you know.
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Well, if they're important to you.
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Yeah, I'd regret just throwing them away.
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You know, maybe it's because I was taught to treasure books, but I hate seeing students force open the pages of paperbacks.
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They press so hard they end up breaking the spine.
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I know.
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But unfortunately, paperbacks aren't designed to last a long time, and people know that.
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Hardbacks aren't quite as weak.
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Yeah, they're different, I suppose.
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but I still don't think people value hardbacks like they used to.
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Well, they aren't decorative, are they, like other objects?
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Plus, nowadays people don't keep them out on shelves as much as they used to.
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That's such a pity.
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When I visit someone, if they have, say, a colourful book on a table, it's the first thing I'm drawn to.
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I agree.
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And book covers can be a work of art in themselves.
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Some are really eye-catching.
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I've always been taught to handle books carefully.
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If you watch someone take a book off a shelf, well, they usually do it wrong.
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My grandfather says you should put your hand right over the top of the book.
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Or, if you can't do that, pull the other books on the shelf aside, so that you can hold the whole cover.
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When did you learn all this?
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He watched me pull a heavy book off the shelf
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when I was small and it fell on the floor and broke apart.
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Oh dear.
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I can still remember it.
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You know what I really like?
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What?
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The smell of new books.
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Me too.
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My parents used to laugh at me when I was a kid
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because I loved putting books up to my nose almost as much as reading them.
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New books aren't cheap though are they?
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I guess we're lucky we can buy them.
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My grandfather stock second-hand books as well as new ones and they don't smell quite as good.
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I'd love to have a bookshop like your grandfather.
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What's it like?
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Well, it's quite big.
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It's got two floors and an attic and he stocks all kinds of books really.
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I guess he treasures things like first editions and other rare books.
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Yeah, you might think he'd keep those in the attic or somewhere.
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So they'd be hidden?
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Yeah, but he likes people to know that he has them.
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So he puts them out in the shop, but makes sure you need a ladder to get them.
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Right, that would prevent any thefts.
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Uh-huh.
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Does he stock books for children?
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He does.
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He particularly likes to encourage kids to read.
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He always says
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that he used to to sit under the stairs as a child with a pile of books and read them all.
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Is that where he keeps them then?
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Not exactly.
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He's got a dedicated area on the ground floor with cushions, so that parents can enter with their toddlers,
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go there and spend some time reading to them.
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Oh, cool.
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And then there's a place for push chairs by the front door, and a cafe if anyone needs refreshments.
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That's good to know.
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As I said, it's a big shop and there's a storage area out the back as well.
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Oh, what does he keep there?
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Books he wants to throw away?
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He hardly ever throws anything away.
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He just leaves unwanted books by the front door for customers to take.
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Well, that's very nice.
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Yeah, and books people or institutions have requested, they all go at the far end.
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Oh.
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He thinks it's best to keep these out of the main shopping area as they're boxed and new.
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Did you get your course books from him?
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Naturally.
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He stocks books for a lot of the colleges.
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He used to keep these books on the first floor, but now there's a new university in my hometown.
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He's moved them downstairs to attract the students.
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They're actually part of the coffee shop on low shelves all around it.
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Pretty central then.
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You'll have to take me there sometime.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Cambridge 19 listening test 4 section 3”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: grandfather, stock, floor. This video has 96 sentences and 891 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:22. The speaker talks at a natural 166 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shelf noun | /ʃɛlf/ | A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects. |
| grandfather noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/ | A father of someone's parent. |
| bookshop noun | A shop that sells books. | |
| hardback noun | /ˈhɑɹdˌbæk/ | A book with a solid binding. |
| paperback noun | /ˈpeɪ.pɚˌbæk/ | A book with flexible binding. |
| attic noun | /ˈætɪk/ | The space, often unfinished and with sloped walls, directly below the roof in the uppermost part of a house or other building, generally used for storage or… |
| spine noun | /spaɪn/ | A series of bones situated at the back from the head to the pelvis of a human, or from the head to the tail of an animal, enclosing the spinal cord and… |
| treasure noun | /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/ | A collection of valuable things; accumulated wealth; a stock of money, jewels, etc. |
| deteriorate verb | /dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/ | To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair. |
| refreshment noun | /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ.mənt/ | The process of refreshing; a means of restoring strength, energy or vigour. |
| dedicate verb | /ˈdɛdɪˌkeɪt/ | To set apart for a deity or for religious purposes; consecrate. |
| colourful adjective | British standard spelling of colorful. | |
| cushion noun | /ˈkʊʃən/ | A soft mass of material stuffed into a cloth bag, used for comfort or support. |
| downstairs adverb | /daʊnˈstɛɹz/ | Down the stairs. |
| unwanted adjective | /ʌnˈwɒntɪd/ | Not wanted; unwelcome. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| book off verb | To call off from work. |
| break apart verb | To dismantle something into its base components. |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
| sit under verb | To be in the habit of hearing the preaching or teaching of (someone). |
| throw away verb | To discard (trash, garbage, or the like), to toss out, to put in the trash. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Yes, I'm really looking forward to it.
- They'll always remind me of him.
- When did you learn all this?
- You know what I really like?
- Did you get your course books from him?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to laugh · used to to · used to keep |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can't be bothered · was taught · aren't designed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've just started · I've always been taught · have requested |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | started packing · hate seeing · loved putting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, aren't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: grandfather /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/, theft /θɛft/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shelf /ʃɛlf/, treasure /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/, refreshment /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ.mənt/, cushion /ˈkʊʃən/, publisher /ˈpʌblɪʃɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: deteriorate /dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/, decorative /ˈdɛk.ə.ɹə.tɪv/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like shelf, grandfather, bookshop.
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.