Shadowing Practice: Cambridge IELTS 18 Listening Practice Section2 Part4 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Part 4.
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You will hear a student on a fashion design course giving a talk about the history of pockets.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40.
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Thank you.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40.
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Good morning.
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Now, we've been asked to choose an aspect of European clothing or fashion and to talk about its development over time.
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I decided to focus on a rather small area of clothing, and that's pockets.
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I chose pockets for two reasons, really.
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We all have them in jeans, jackets, coats, for example, and even though we often carry bags or briefcases as well,
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nothing is quite as convenient as being able to pop your phone or credit card into your pocket.
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Yet, I suspect that other than that, people don't really think about pockets too much, and they're rather overlooked as a fashion item.
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It's certainly very interesting to go back in time and see how pockets developed for men and women.
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In the 18th century, fashions were quite different from the way they are now, and pockets were too.
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If we think about male fashion first, That was the time when suits became popular.
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Trousers were knee -length only and referred to as breeches.
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The waistcoats were short and the jackets were long.
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But all three garments were lined with material and pockets were sewn into this cloth by whichever tailor the customer used.
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The wearer could then carry small objects such as pencils
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or coins on their person and reach them through a gap in the lining.
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Coat pockets became increasingly decorative on the outside for men who wanted to look stylish.
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But they were often larger but plainer if the wearer was someone with a profession who needed to carry medical instruments,
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a doctor or physician, for example.
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The development of women's pockets was a little different.
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For one thing, they weren't nearly as visible or as easy to reach as men's.
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In the 18th and 19th centuries, women carried numerous possessions on their person,
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and some of these could be worth a lot of money.
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Women were more vulnerable to theft, and wealthy women, in particular, worried constantly about pickpockets.
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So, what they did was to have a pair of pockets made that were tied together with string.
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The pockets were made of fabric, which might be recycled cloth if the wearer had little money, or something more expensive, such as linen,
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sometimes featuring very delicate embroidery.
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Women tied the pockets around their waist, so that they hung beneath their clothes.
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Remember, skirts were long then, and there was plenty of room to hide a whole range of small possessions between the layers of petticoats
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that were commonly worn.
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They would have an opening in the folds of their skirts, through which they could reach whatever they needed, like their perfume.
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Home.
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Working women, of course, also needed to carry around items that they might use for whatever job or trade they were involved in,
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but their pairs of pockets still remained on the inside of their clothing.
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They just got bigger or longer, sometimes reaching down to their knees.
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So, the tie -on pockets went well into the 19th century
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and only changed when fashion altered towards the end of that period.
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That's when dresses became tighter and less bulky and the pairs of pockets became very noticeable.
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They stood out too much and detracted from the woman's image.
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Women who had been used to carrying around a range of personal possessions and still wanted to,
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needed somewhere to carry these items about their person.
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That was when small bags, or pouches as they were known, came into fashion and, of course,
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they inevitably led onto the handbag of more modern times, particularly when fashion removed pockets altogether.
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That is the end of part four.
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You now have one minute to check your answers to part four.
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Thank you.
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That is the end of the listening test.
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In the IELTS test, you would now have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the listening answer sheet.
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Who Is This Video For?

This video is perfect for intermediate to advanced English learners prepping for the IELTS Listening test, especially those aiming to boost their comprehension of academic talks. It’s also great for anyone practicing shadowspeak or shadow speak—the technique of repeating speech aloud to mimic accent and rhythm. The topic (pocket history) is relatable, making it easy to follow while building skills in understanding formal, structured narratives.

Words & Idioms Worth Stealing

  • Overlooked: Not noticed or appreciated. Example: "Pockets are often overlooked in fashion."
  • Pop into: Put something quickly. Example: "Pop your phone into your pocket."
  • Detracted from: Made something less attractive. Example: "Bulky pockets detracted from the dress."
  • On their person: Carried with them. Example: "Women carried coins on their person."

These phrases are common in both daily and academic English, making them ideal for english speaking practice.

How to Get the Accent Right

The speaker uses clear, neutral English with a steady pace—perfect for shadowspeaks practice. Focus on: - Stress in compound words: "Waist coat" (stress on "waist"), "handbag" (stress on "hand"). - Linking sounds: "kneelength" (knee + length) and "pickpockets" (pick + pockets) flow smoothly. - Intonation in lists: When listing items (e.g., "pencils or coins"), the speaker uses a slight rise on the first item and a fall on the second. Repeat the talk aloud, pausing to match the rhythm. This will sharpen your ability to follow IELTS-style lectures and improve natural speech.

Using videos like this for learn english with videos is a smart way to combine listening, vocabulary, and speaking practice—all in one go.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itwe've been asked · were lined · were made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingmen who wanted · Women who had

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 →