Shadowing Practice: CELPIP Exam Speaking Practice | Expressing Opinions - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Take a look at this guy.
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Take a look at this guy.
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He's taking the CELPIP exam
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and on the speaking part of the exam he has to answer a question where he has to express his personal opinion.
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Okay and he has one and a half minutes to answer the question but he doesn't know what to say.
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Do you know what to say?
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In this lesson I'm going to teach you how you should answer this question.
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Okay, I'm making a lot of videos on CELFIP,
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so if you haven't already subscribed,
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make sure you subscribe right down there.
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Okay, so here's our question.
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Do you think that young adults should pay rent to their parents
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if they do not move out by the age of 21?
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Explain your reasons.
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Okay, this is sort of an interesting question.
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Do you think young adults should pay rent to their parents if they do not move out by age 21?
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So you need to answer this question with your own opinion, your personal opinion.
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Now, this is actually pretty challenging for a lot of people.
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And this is why it's challenging.
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Okay, individualism versus collectivism.
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A lot of people taking the CELPIP exam are from countries like Japan,
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Korea, China, and in their societies,
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their opinion doesn't really matter.
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Their personal opinion.
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Like if you ask someone from Japan,
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what do you think about this issue?
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They won't probably talk very much, okay?
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But if you ask someone from Canada,
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what do you think about this issue?
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They're going to talk, talk, talk, talk, talk.
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They're going to talk your ear off.
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Okay.
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Talk your ear off is an idiom that means they're going to talk a lot.
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Okay.
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That's because in Canada, individualism is really important.
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That means the individual is the highest in society.
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But in countries like Japan,
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the individual doesn't really matter.
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It's the opinion of society or family that matters.
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So this question on the CELPIP exam actually shows you that Canadians value individualism.
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What your personal opinion is.
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So you need to actually say your opinion.
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Now, the question might be something that you don't care about or you don't know anything about,
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but you still need to speak as though you're giving your personal opinion, okay?
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So even if you don't care whether kids have to pay rent to their parents or not,
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you still have to make something up and speak like you care about it, okay?
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So you're going to use words like this.
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You're going to say, I think,
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or I believe, or in my opinion, or personally speaking.
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Okay, this is how we share our opinions.
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Okay, then you're going to say your opinion.
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You're going to say, young adults should pay rent to their parents,
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or young adults should not pay rent to their parents.
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Okay, that's what the question is asking,
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so you need to answer it directly.
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Okay?
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And then, after you say that,
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you're going to give your reasons.
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Why don't you think parents or why don't you think young adults should pay rent?
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Or why do you think young adults should pay rent?
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Okay?
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So, your first sentence is going to look like this.
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Okay, in my opinion, young adults should not pay rent to their parents for several reasons.
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Okay, there you've said your opening phrase, your opinion.
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Now we're going to talk about the reasons.
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So you're going to say, firstly, blah, blah, blah.
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or the first reason is that
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and then after you talk about your first reason then you might say another reason is
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that blah blah blah
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and then your last reason you could say finally I think blah blah blah okay
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so you're going to give all your reasons here after you finish that then you're going to give a little conclusion.
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Just one sentence.
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Okay?
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So when you see your time running out,
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maybe if you have 10 or 15 seconds left,
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then you should just say your conclusion.
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You could say something like this.
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That's why I think parents should not charge rent to their kids even if they're over 21.
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Okay?
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That's a good little conclusion.
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Then you stop talking.
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Perfect.
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Okay, now let's try to think about this question a little bit.
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What would your reasons be?
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Okay, should kids pay rent to their parents if they're over 21?
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Well, we could answer no. No,
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because young adults in their 20s,
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they're busy paying for their education,
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and education costs a lot of money, right?
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So that's one reason.
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And also, people in their 20s might be saving up to buy a house,
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or they might be saving up for marriage.
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Okay, so you're just going to take some really quick notes.
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Remember, you only have 30 seconds in this question.
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This is task 7.
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Yeah, it's task 7 on the CELPIP exam.
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Okay, you only have 30 seconds to take some notes.
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So you're going to read the question and then you might just write two
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or three words to help you remember what you want to say.
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So this is the notes.
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These are the notes that I would take if I were answering this question.
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But we could also say yes.
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Yes.
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Young adults should have to pay rent to their parents after 21.
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Because a lot of young people these days are lazy and that's not good if they have to pay rent then,
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you know, that'll teach them about work,
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how to get a job, how to make money.
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It will also teach them how to manage their money,
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how to make a budget.
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Okay, so you just write down any ideas, okay?
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Because 90 seconds is a long time to talk.
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Look, I've talked to people who have taken a CELPIP exam,
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and they say, yes, 90 seconds is a long time.
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60 seconds is not too long,
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but the difference between 60 seconds and 90 seconds is a big difference.
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So you're going to need to speak for one and a half minutes on something like this,
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where you're talking about your opinion.
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Do you think you can do it?
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It's challenging.
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Okay, so when you see the question,
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you're going to pick whichever answer is easiest for you to give reasons for.
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Okay, so in this case,
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I think it would be much easier to say,
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no, young adults should not pay rent to their parents even after 21 because education, house, marriage.
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I think this would be easier to answer.
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Okay, so you have 90 seconds.
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I'm going to give you an example of how to talk about this in 90 seconds.
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So just be patient.
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But first I want to say,
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if you don't have enough to talk about in 90 seconds,
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like after a minute, if you run out of things to say and you don't know what to say,
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you can acknowledge some counter-arguments.
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Okay, what's a counter-argument?
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Well, a counter-argument is something that the other side of the argument would say.
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For example, like, kids will be lazy if they don't have to pay rent.
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That's a counter-argument.
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So you can acknowledge that.
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You could say a lot of people think that kids will get lazy if they have a free place to live.
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But in my experience, that's not true.
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For example, I have a friend who studied at university all the way up till he was 30 years old.
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And then after he graduated,
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he got a great job.
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He's working really hard.
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He's managing his money really well.
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So this would be a good way to acknowledge some of the other arguments.
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but to make them so that you are right.
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So you want to use these counter arguments to help your position or to counter them.
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You acknowledge them and then you counter them by saying,
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but in my experience, that's not true.
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So if you don't have enough time, you can do this.
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Okay, so like I said,
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I'm going to give you an example of how I would answer this question in 90 seconds.
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Now, if you want to try first,
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before you hear me, then just click on the pause button right down there.
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Otherwise, I'm going to start right now.
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I have my stopwatch here.
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Are you ready?
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Here we go.
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Okay, I don't think young adults should have to pay rent to their parents even after the age of 21
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for several reasons.
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Firstly, most people in their 20s are going to university and university costs are really high.
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So if young adults have to pay their rent and have to pay for a university,
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that's putting a really big burden on the young adults.
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Also a lot of people in
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that age are trying to save up money to buy a house
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which would be really good if they can buy a house early on in life
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that means they're going to be better financially or more financially stable later on in life.
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If they have to wait till like 35 or 40 years old to buy a house,
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then, you know, it's going to take them a long time to pay it off.
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If they can get it earlier, that's better.
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Also, a lot of young adults want to get married in their 20s,
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so that costs a lot of money too.
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The average wedding in Canada is at least $30,000, I've heard.
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So, it's good if kids can save for these things.
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So that's why, those are some reasons why I think that young adults should not pay rent to their parents.
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Done.
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Okay, exactly one and a half minutes.
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Okay, so, you know, I looked at my watch and I made a decision.
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Should I talk about some counter arguments or should I just stop with this?
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and I realized I probably don't have enough time to talk about the counter arguments.
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Okay, so I think that was a pretty good answer.
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I gave, you know, some good reasons why I had an introduction.
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I said, in my opinion,
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young adults should not have to pay rent to their parents for several reasons.
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I gave my reasons and then I had a conclusion.
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I said so that's why
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or these are some reasons why I think young adults should not pay rent to their parents after age 21.
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Okay so that was I think that was okay.
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What do you think?
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Do you think that was good or could I have have done a little bit better.
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Okay, so I think a good way to practice for this speaking question is to practice taking notes in your mind.
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Okay, like if you read the news and you see something on the news,
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practice taking an opinion on it,
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both sides, and think of three reasons why this side is right and three reasons why this side is right.
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Okay, here's an example.
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Do you think Muslim women in Canada should be allowed to wear hijabs?
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Explain your answer.
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Okay, this is a very,
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a very touchy topic in Canada and other countries like Switzerland, Europe, France, USA.
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Okay, And there's two sides to the argument.
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So what could we say?
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If we say, yes, they should be allowed to wear hijabs.
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What are three points we could say?
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Well, we could say Canada has religious freedoms,
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so women should be allowed to wear hijabs.
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Also, Canadian values are very open and multicultural.
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Canada loves multiculturalism.
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Okay, so that's another reason.
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Also, this will help to educate the rest of Canadians that Muslims are actually peaceful people.
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Okay, so there we have three reasons why women should be allowed to wear hijabs.
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But let's think about the other side.
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If we say, no, they should not be allowed to wear hijabs because it will instill fear into society.
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okay everyone will think about the news
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and they see all the the terrorist activities all around the world
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and
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if they see people from those cultures they're going to be
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afraid okay that's one reason another reason could be it's against
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Canadian values the Canadian values equality between Canada values equality between men and women so it goes against Canadian values.
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A third reason is we don't want our children growing up with foreign values.
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Okay so there I just made three reasons for yes three reasons for no.
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So if you do this kind of practice in your mind it's going to be easier on the exam
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when you have to think fast and write down two or three words, okay?
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For example, if you read the news,
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say it says something about North Korea,
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then you ask yourself, should Donald Trump attack North Korea?
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Yes, he should because boom, boom, boom.
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No, he shouldn't because boom, boom, boom, okay?
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This kind of practice helps strengthen your thinking skills skills and it will help you be better in expressing your opinion.
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Okay, so that's my tips for answering this question.
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Let's do some homework.
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Do you think university education should be free?
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Explain your reasons.
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Okay, so I want you to tell me your reasons down there in the comments
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and I'll see you over in the next episode of Mad English TV.
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Take care.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will focus on expressing your personal opinions, a key component of the CELPIP exam's speaking section. You'll learn how to formulate your thoughts and articulate them effectively, particularly when faced with questions that challenge your perspective on societal norms. By practicing this skill, you will enhance your English speaking ability, making it easier to convey your ideas clearly and confidently—whether in examinations or everyday conversations. Engaging with hypothetical situations will also help you gain confidence in speaking on topics you might not feel strongly about.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- I think: a phrase used to introduce your opinion.
- I believe: another way to express what you hold to be true.
- In my opinion: a common expression to present personal views.
- Personally speaking: useful for emphasizing your unique perspective.
- Talk your ear off: an idiom indicating to speak a lot.
- Individualism: the belief in the importance of individual rights over collective well-being.
- Collectivism: the practice or principle of giving a group priority over each individual in it.
- Hypothetical situation: a scenario that isn't real but is used for discussion.
Practice Tips
To maximize your English speaking practice, consider using the shadow speech technique while watching the related YouTube videos. Start by shadowing the speaker, imitating their tone and pace. This will help you get accustomed to the rhythm of English speech and improve your pronunciation.
When practicing, pay attention to the speed of the video. It may be faster than how you normally speak, so don't hesitate to replay segments if you need more time to process the language. You can start slow and gradually increase your speed as you become more comfortable. Engage with the content actively by pausing the video after a statement to formulate your own opinion on the subject discussed, resembling the responses you might be required to give in the CELPIP exam.
Finally, utilizing shadowspeaks to repeat the phrases multiple times can enhance your retention and fluency. Remember, the goal is not just to mimic but to internalize the message and deliver your own thoughts with clarity and conviction. Practice regularly and soon you'll feel more confident in expressing your opinions in English!
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.
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