Shadowing Practice: Chapter 1 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Chapter 1 The Creature in the Shop My name is Dr. Frederick Treves.
2
I am a doctor at the London Hospital.
3
One day, in 1884, I saw a picture in the window of a shop near the hospital.
4
I stopped in front of the shop and looked at the picture.
5
At first, I felt interested.
6
Then I felt angry.
7
Then afraid.
8
It was a horrible, ugly picture.
9
There was a man in the picture, but he did not look like you and me.
10
He did not look like a man.
11
He looked like an elephant.
12
I read the writing under the picture.
13
It said, Come in and see the elephant man, two pence.
14
I opened the door and went in.
15
There was a man in the shop.
16
He was a dirty man, in an old coat, with a cigarette in his mouth.
17
What do you want? he asked.
18
I'd like to see the elephant man, please, I said.
19
The man looked at me angrily.
20
Well, you can't, he said.
21
The shop's closing now.
22
You can come back tomorrow.
23
I'm sorry, I said, but I would like to see him now.
24
I have no time tomorrow.
25
I have a lot of work to do.
26
But I can give you more than two pence.
27
The man looked at me carefully.
28
Then he took the cigarette out of his mouth and smiled with his yellow teeth.
29
All right, sir, he said.
30
Give me twelve pence, then.
31
I gave him the money, and he opened a door at the back of the shop.
32
We went into a little room.
33
The room was cold and dark, and there was a horrible smell in it.
34
A creature sat on a chair behind a table.
35
I say a creature, because it was not a man or a woman, like you or me.
36
The creature did not move or look at us.
37
It sat very quietly on the chair, in the cold, dark, dirty room, and looked at the table.
38
The creature had a cloth over its head, because of the cold.
39
On the table in front of it, there was a dead flower.
40
Stand up, said the shopkeeper loudly.
41
The creature stood up slowly.
42
It took the old cloth off its head, and put it on the chair.
43
I looked at the creature and felt sad.
44
I am a doctor, so I know a lot about accidents and ill people.
45
I see horrible, ugly things every day.
46
But this creature, this thing, was the worst of all.
47
There were no men or women in the hospital like him.
48
He wore some old trousers, but no shirt, coat or shoes, so I could see his body very well.
49
His head was the most interesting thing.
50
It was very, very big, like an enormous bag with a lot of books in it.
51
The head did not have much hair, and there was another bag of brown,
52
dirty skin at the back of it.
53
This skin came down below his neck.
54
I could not see one of his eyes very well, because a lot of skin came down in front of his face, too.
55
An enormous red tooth came out of his mouth, under his nose.
56
It looked like an elephant's tooth.
57
The mouth and nose were like holes in the face.
58
The face could not smile or laugh or look angry or sad, because the skin could not move.
59
It was dead, like an elephant's face.
60
There were more bags of dirty skin on the front and back of the creature's body.
61
These bags came down to his legs.
62
The right arm was enormous, and there were bags of skin on it, too.
63
The right hand was like a man's foot.
64
But the left hand, the left arm and the left hand, were beautiful.
65
The left arm had wonderful skin, and the fingers of the left hand were long and beautiful.
66
It was like a young woman's hand.
67
Walk, Merrick, said the shopkeeper angrily.
68
Come on, quickly, move.
69
He hit the creature with his hand.
70
Slowly, the creature walked across the room.
71
But he could not walk well.
72
His legs were very big and fat, and he had a bad back.
73
He could not walk far without a stick.
74
All right, thank you, I said.
75
Let him sit down.
76
I don't want to see any more.
77
I felt ill, and the smell in the room was very bad.
78
Yes, sir, said the shopkeeper.
79
Sit down, Merrick.
80
We went out of the room and closed the door.
81
The shopkeeper smiled at me with his yellow teeth.
82
Wonderful, sir, isn't it? he said.
83
The best elephant man in England.
84
Hundreds of people come to see him, you know.
85
Hundreds.
86
I take him all over the country, I do.
87
Yes, very interesting, I said.
88
Can I sit down?
89
Yes, sir, of course.
90
Here's a chair.
91
He looked at me, smiling.
92
Would you like a glass of water, sir?
93
Yes, please, I said.
94
Then I looked at the things in the dirty shop.
95
There were two or three bad apples, and some old black bananas.
96
That was all.
97
Uh, no. No, thank you.
98
I'm all right, I said.
99
Did you.. did you call the creature Merrick?
100
That's right, sir.
101
Joseph Merrick.
102
The best elephant man in England.
103
I take him all over the country, you know.
104
Lots of people want to see him.
105
Yes, I see.
106
Do you get a lot of money?
107
Well, sometimes we do, sir, yes.
108
But it's difficult, you see, sir, because of the police.
109
The police don't like us, you see, sir.
110
So we can't stay in a town very long.
111
We usually move every week.
112
Yes, I see.
113
Well, anyway, Mr...
114
Uh...
115
Silcock, sir.
116
Simon Silcock.
117
Yes, well, Mr. Silcock, I'm a doctor at the London Hospital.
118
My name is Dr. Treves.
119
I think this, uh, this man, Joseph Merrick, is very interesting, and I would like to see him at the hospital.
120
I want to look at him more carefully, you see.
121
Yes, sir.
122
I see.
123
But how can he get to the hospital?
124
It's going to be difficult.
125
Why, man?
126
The hospital's not far from here.
127
Well, yes, sir.
128
I know.
129
But you see, Merrick can't walk very well.
130
He needs help.
131
You can come with him.
132
Do you want more money?
133
Is that it?
134
Well, yes, sir, I do.
135
But you see, people are afraid of him, too.
136
In the road, little boys always run after him and hit him.
137
Then the police get angry, because people are afraid.
138
Sometimes they take us to prison.
139
"'I see,' I said.
140
"'Well, how can he come to the hospital, then?' "'Bring a cab, sir,' said Silcock.
141
"'You can take him to the hospital in a cab.'
142
Thank you.
143
Thank you.
📺 Same Channel
A21
Chapter 1
KidsTeens+2
B11
The piano man Chapter 6
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Christmas in Prague Chapter 4
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
The piano man Chapter 2
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
Christmas in Prague Chapter 2
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
Chapter 3
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Part 4
TeensHigh School Students+1
B11
Christmas in Prague Chapter 6
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
03 OMEGA FILE 451 Loch Ness, Scotland
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
07
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
Rowena Akinyemi Love or Money 3
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Christmas in Prague Chapter 3
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
A22
Part 2
TeensHigh School Students+1
B11
Chapter 1
TeensHigh School Students
B11
Chapter 2
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
A21
chapter02 cut 181sec
KidsTeens+1
A21
10
KidsTeens+2
B11
Rowena Akinyemi Love or Money 7
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
A21
chapter01 cut 99sec
TeensHigh School Students+1
A21
Part 1
KidsTeens+2
✨ Recommend Video
B11
32 sentences
Chapter 7
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
507 sentences
Mind Your Language Season 1 Episode 1 The First Lesson HD
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B11
178 sentences
Learn English with Stories ⭐ A Stranger at the Cafe | Level 3 English Listening & Speaking Practice
High School StudentsUniversity Students+2
B11
50 sentences
English Lesson 9 WV2 - Scene of the crime
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B12
89 sentences
Daddy Longlegs 4 A Foreign Country Little Fox TEST 2
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
![614. Murder Mystery Story [Part 3] Victorian Detective 3 by Peter Carlson](https://img.youtube.com/vi/NFhTyMXDxF8/mqdefault.jpg)
B2624 sentences
614. Murder Mystery Story [Part 3] Victorian Detective 3 by Peter Carlson
British Accent, en-GBHigh School Students+3
B11
150 sentences
Voscreen - present perfect (vol.1)
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
B112
18 sentences
Advanced Pronunciation - Day 7 - Seeing a doctor
High School StudentsUniversity Students+2
B21
389 sentences
The Hidden Fears in Coraline That Haunt Us Still
American Accent, en-USHigh School Students+2
B11
68 sentences
Matt decided to tell his boss the truth #shorts
High School StudentsUniversity Students+3
B11
106 sentences
revison 1
High School StudentsUniversity Students+1
Why This Video Is Perfect for Boosting Your Speaking Skills
If you’re looking to improve English pronunciation or practice shadowing, this video is a goldmine. The dialogue is rich with natural speech patterns—pauses, emotional shifts, and everyday phrases—that make it ideal for shadowspeaks practice. Dr. Treves’ narrative flows like real thought, with moments of surprise (“At first, I felt interested. Then I felt angry. Then afraid”) that mirror how we speak in daily life. It’s not just about words; it’s about conveying feeling, which is key to sounding natural.
Breaking Down the Natural Flow
Let’s look at 3 phrases that make this dialogue click:
- “What do you want?” – The shopkeeper’s sharp, informal question uses contractions and a direct structure, typical of how people speak when annoyed. No fancy words—just real, raw communication.
- “I have no time tomorrow. I have a lot of work to do.” – Short, repetitive sentences mimic how we explain ourselves quickly. Notice the lack of complex grammar; it’s about clarity, not complexity.
- “His head was the most interesting thing. It was very, very big…” – The repetition of “very” and the simple comparison (“like an enormous bag”) show how we emphasize points in casual speech. It’s relatable and easy to mimic.
Your 5-Minute Practice Routine: Shadowing Made Simple
Ready to try shadow speech? Here’s how to use this video:
- Watch the clip once to absorb the story and emotion.
- Play a 5-second segment, pause, and repeat it immediately, copying the tone and pace. Focus on matching the “afraid” or “sad” sounds in Dr. Treves’ voice.
- Record yourself. Compare it to the video—did you catch the pauses? The emphasis on “horrible, ugly picture”?
- Do this for 3 segments daily. In a week, you’ll notice your speech sounds more natural.
This is why learning English with YouTube works—you’re practicing with real, unscripted (or naturally scripted) speech. And if you need a shadowing site to track progress, look for tools that let you slow down clips. Remember: every repeat gets you closer to sounding like a native. Let’s start shadowing!
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.