Shadowing Practice: Canadian Electrical Code Introduction and Layout of the Code Book - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Let's take a look at the very beginning of the Canadian Electrical Code.
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The Canadian Electrical Code is called Canadian Electrical Code Part 1: Safety Standards for Electrical Installations.
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It's published by the CSA Group and the Standards Council of Canada.
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When you first open up the code, it looks like this.
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And it's nice to open it sort of as a PDF
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so that you could have sort of bookmarks down the side here and very easily reference these sections.
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If you purchase a book in a hard copy format, that is handy for some situations, but it is much harder to go to
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and from all of the tables that are necessary when you're using the Canadian Electrical Code.
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Down at the side here that you see
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that there are quite a few sections before you even get to section zero of note here is a revision history,
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just so that you know what is what is new on in your new edition.
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uh Added or changed elements also have a little triangle beside them throughout the code so you can easily see them.
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Thank you.
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uh it talks about the committee on the canadian electrical code
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part one um uh it talks about a few of the committees
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and the subcommittees it starts with a preface talking about um
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uh what this code book is for and what we don't want to forget that just before section zero
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is where we can find these metric units
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if we click on them here uh so often we will have to um
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convert between SI units and what the book calls previously used unit,
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which uh is often sort of uh what is has been previously used in the field or it is a um
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An imperial unit.
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So this is just a chart.
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It could be found readily anywhere else or in any app to convert some of our standard SI units since this.
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this Canadian Electrical Codebook is in SI units.
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So that's a helpful chart that is on page 33 in this edition, before section zero.
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And Also of note is a little bit of a table that you could find elsewhere as well,
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and it's just a handy table that is going to give you the the trade sizes and.
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uh the you know the fitting sizes in inches and in um in SI units or the metric units for
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uh common common uh size conduit and tubing There are quite a few reference publications,
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uh, Some, you know, standard test procedures, safety codes, etc. that need that are referred to throughout this book, and those are also found before section 0.
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of the electrical code.
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And then we get into section 0, section 1, section 4, section, sorry, section 0, section 2, 4, 6, 8, etc. They go up by 2.
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Okay.
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And in this video, we're just going to talk about Section 0.
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So we just talked a little bit about the layout of the book.
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What is this book for?
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This book has a set of a comprehensive set of rules for the installation and maintenance of electrical equipment,
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and it is published to help ensure electrical safety.
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The rules of this entire book, and are divided into two groups.
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Sections 0 through 16, and 26 are called the general sections.
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So these are your general rules.
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So again, not really that convenient.
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It's 0 to 16.
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And then we skip all the way to 26.
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Those are the general rules, the general sections of the Canadian Electrical Code.
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We in this video we're going to talk about section zero, but before we even talk about section zero let's talk about how the code is a code book is laid out.
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There are two different types of sections, there are general sections, and then there are all of the other sections.
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So the rest of this huge book is everything else.
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So if it is in 0 to 16 or 26, Those are our general rules.
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However, The supplementary sections take precedence over all those general sections.
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Now, in some cases, you're in a supplementary section and it refers back to a general section.
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So it's a complicated book, but we have to know 0 to 16 and 26 might as well memorize that.
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Those are our general sections.
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So let me give you an example here.
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If section 4 permits aluminum conductors, no problem.
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section four is all about copper conductors and aluminum conductors but
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if you look in section 32 section 33 rule 100 prohibits the use of aluminum conductors in fire alarms
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So you can ask yourself, can aluminum conductors be used in fire alarms?
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Well, section four says sure you can use aluminum conductors
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but section 32 is a supplement which takes precedence over all of those general sections Section 4 was a general section.
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So no, we cannot use aluminum conductors in fire alarms.
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So that's how this book is laid out.
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It has its general rules, then it has all of the supplements to those.
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And those rules are going to look at tables.
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There are lots of tables after these rules.
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The rules all refer to these tables.
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Now the tables could sit in there with the rules.
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But it would be a really big, thick book.
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So in general, the rules are
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uh are uh sort of condensed into words a few diagrams
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and then you can you have to go to the tables
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to do your calculations or to find the data based on the rule.
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It's placed there so that you don't fill up with the rules with a lot of diagrams.
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So let's take a look at what that looks like.
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So let's say we go to section four, for example.
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Again, I'm just talking about the layout of the Canadian Electrical Code.
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So if we're in section four,
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section four says, okay, so for section four rule four is the opacity of wires and cables.
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This particular section is about copper and it says that we uh we need to go to table two. And here's table two.
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If I click on it, it goes to those tables.
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Now what I've done, is it's or what I did is I just clicked it clicked into this table section over here
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so in my bookmarks I see all these tables
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and that's table 2 allowable ampacities for not more than three insulated copper conductors not more than 5 000 volts
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and unshielded so but now section two I mean table two is going to refer to some subsections
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for more it's it's uh derating factors in in tables 5a
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here's some some correction factors uh if like for uh certain types of insulation
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so that's 5a now I could have found it this way at the side table 5a uh
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but I found it off table 2.
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I can click on 5a um if I want to see
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which rules these are applicable to look there's our rule 4 Section 4.
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Rule 4.
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uh the impacity of wires and cables so it's quite a nice book when it is set up uh in this
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this soft copy form so that you can plug through those in the ways that you need to,
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in various ways from the bookmarks or from the text.
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So that is how the book is laid out.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Canadian Electrical Code Introduction and Layout of the Code Book”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: section, rule, table, code, electrical. This video has 96 sentences and 1202 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:05. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| conductor noun | /kənˈdʌktɚ/ | One who conducts or leads; a guide; a director. |
| aluminum noun | /əˈlu.mɪ.nəm/ | American, Canadian, and Philippines standard spelling of aluminium. |
| bookmark noun | /ˈbʊkmɑːɹk/ | A strip of material used to mark a place in a book. |
| precedence noun | /ˈpɹɛsɪd(ə)ns/ | The state of preceding in importance or priority. |
| supplementary adjective | Additional; added to supply what is wanted. | |
| diagram noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɡɹæm/ | A plan, drawing, sketch or outline to show the function or operation of something, or to show the relationships between the parts of a whole. |
| metric adjective | /ˈmɛt.ɹɪk/ | Of or relating to the metric system of measurement. |
| supplement noun | /ˈsʌp.lɪ.mənt/ | Something added; especially, such an addition added to make up for a deficiency. |
| layout noun | /ˈleɪ.aʊt/ | A structured arrangement of items within certain limits. |
| allowable adjective | /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/ | Appropriate; acceptable. |
| ampacity noun | /æmˈpæsɪti/ | The root mean square of the electrical current which a device (usually a wire) can carry within a specific environment (including temperature rating, power… |
| condense verb | /kənˈdɛns/ | To concentrate toward the essence by making more close, compact, or dense, thereby decreasing size or volume. |
| conduit noun | /ˈkɑnd(j)ʊɪt/ | A pipe or channel for conveying water, etc. |
| derating noun | The act by which something is derated. | |
| insulate verb | /ˈɪnsʊleɪt/ | To separate, detach, or isolate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lay out verb | /ˌleɪ ˈaʊt/ | To expend or contribute money to an expense or purchase. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
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 | is called · could be found · are referred |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · I've done |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: insulation /ˌɪnsəˈleɪʃən/, calculation /ˌkælkjuˈleɪʃn̩/, revision /ɹəˈvɪʒ.ən/, correction /kəˈɹɛkʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: aluminum /əˈlu.mɪ.nəm/, allowable /əˈlaʊ.əbəl/, ampacity /æmˈpæsɪti/, opacity /oʊˈpæsɪti/, subcommittee /ˈsʌb.kəˌmɪti/
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 conductor, aluminum, bookmark.
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.