Shadowing Practice: Chapter 2 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Chapter 2.
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Saying Goodbye to America It was a lot of news for a seven-year-old boy.
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Uncles dying, an English grandfather, a new home in England, a new name.
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He did not understand it all at first.
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And when he did, he was not very happy.
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Oh, dearest, he said to his mother.
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Cedric's father always called her dearest, and so the little boy used the name too.
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I don't think I want to be an earl.
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None of the boys in our street are earls.
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Please, can I not be one?
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Your papa loved his home in England, said he, said his mother.
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I think he would like you to go there and be an earl one day.
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I'm sorry to leave all my friends, Dick and Bridget and everyone, said Cedric sadly.
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And Mr. Hobbs isn't going to like the news.
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He says kings and lords are all bad people.
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America has a president, and Mr. Hobbes says presidents are much better than kings.
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The next day Cedric went to see Mr. Hobbes at his grocery store.
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He sat down in his usual place.
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But at first he could not find the words to tell Mr. Hobbs his news.
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Then he said it all at once, very quickly.
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Mr. Hobbs stared at him.
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"'Well,' he said, "'can this be true?' Yes, Mr. Hobbs, said Cedric.
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I'm sorry to say, it's all true.
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Mr. Havisham says I am Lord Fauntleroy now,
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and one day I'm going to be the Earl of Dorincourt after my grandfather dies.
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Well, said Mr. Hobbs, well, well, well.
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They talked about it for a long time, and in the end Mr. Hobbs was happier about lords and earls.
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He liked his young friend very much.
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He first knew Cedric when he was six weeks old, and he had a grandfatherly interest in the boy.
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But he did not like Cedric going to England.
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"'Can't you stay here and be an earl?' he asked.
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"'No, I can't,' said Cedric sadly.
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"'Dearest says we must go to England.' The Dorincourt name was an old and famous one.
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The family was very rich, with great houses and castles in England.
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Mr Havisham, the family's lawyer for forty years, knew the Earl very well.
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He remembered the Earl's words to him before he left England.
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I hate that American woman.
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She married my son because he was an earl's son, and she wanted to be rich.
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Her son is going to be just like her." But after a week in New York,
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Mr. Havisham knew differently.
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Mrs. Errol married the Earl's son because she loved him with all her heart, he thought.
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She's not interested in money.
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She asks nothing for herself.
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She only wants her little boy to be happy.
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I think the Earl is wrong about her and about her little boy."
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Mr. Havisham was surprised and pleased by the new Lord Fauntleroy.
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Cedric was a fine boy,
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tall and strong, with his mother's brown eyes and his father's golden hair.
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He spoke well, was not afraid of anything, and was friendly with everyone.
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He had a kind heart too.
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Mr. Havisham learned that very soon.
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One day he was with Cedric when his mother was out.
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Mr. Havisham wanted to talk to him about his new life in England.
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But Cedric spoke first.
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Please, what is an earl?
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he asked.
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I don't know anything about them.
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Please can you tell me?
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An earl is.. is a very important person," Mr. Havisham said.
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He usually comes from a very old family.
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The first earl of Dorincourt lived four hundred years ago.
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"'Well, well,' said Cedric.
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"'That was a long time ago.
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"'That's interesting.
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"'But what does an earl do?' "'This was not an easy question to answer.
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"'An earl,' Mr. Havisham began, "'um, an earl often helps the king.
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Perhaps he's a soldier for the king.
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Some earls were very brave men in the old days.
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Oh, said Cedric, my papa was a soldier, and he was a very brave man, you know.
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I'm pleased earls are brave.
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It's a good thing to be brave, don't you think?
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Yes, Mr. Havisham said.
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There is another good thing about earls.
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Some of them have money, a lot of money.
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That's a good thing to have, said Cedric.
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I'd like a lot of money.
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Would you? said Mr. Havisham.
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Why?
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Well, Cedric said happily, a person can do so many things with money, you see.
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I can buy beautiful things for dearest, like books and pretty dresses.
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I can buy a warm winter coat for Bridget.
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She lives in our street and has twelve children.
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And a present for Mr. Hobbs at the grocery store.
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And then for Dick—who is Dick?" asked Mr. Havisham.
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"'Dick is a boot-black,' said Lord Fauntleroy.
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"'He cleans people's boots in the street, you know.
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He's one of the nicest people in the world.
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When I was little, he was very kind to me once.
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And when someone is kind to you, you never forget it, do you?
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And what would you like to do for Dick? asked the lawyer.
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He smiled a little smile.
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A boot black, a grocery man, a poor woman with twelve children,
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Strange friends for the grandson of an earl.
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Buy the business for him, said the young lord happily.
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He works for Jake now, and Jake is no good, you see.
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Dick does all the work, and Jake takes all the money.
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Dick gets so angry.
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Rick needs new brushes and new clothes,
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and a sign, and then he can get somewhere." At that moment Mrs. Errol came home.
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"'I am so sorry to be late,' she said.
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I was at the house of a friend.
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Her husband is ill, and she needs help, poor thing.
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Oh, cried the young lord.
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He jumped up from his chair.
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That's Bridget.
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I must visit her, too.
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One moment, said the lawyer.
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He remembered the earl's words.
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The boy can have anything.
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Tell him that.
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Put money in his pockets and tell him it came from his grandfather.
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Mr. Havisham told Mrs. Errol and Cedric about the Earl's money, but he said it more kindly.
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Then he asked, So, would Lord Fauntleroy like to help this poor woman?
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At first, Cedric did not understand.
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His mother put her arms around him.
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Ceddy, dear, she said, the Earl is your grandpapa, your papa's father.
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He's very kind, and he loves you, and he wants you to love him.
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He wants you to be happy and to make other people happy.
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He's very rich, and he gave Mr. Havisham some money for you.
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You can give some to Bridget now, to pay her rent, and to buy food for her husband and her children.
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Isn't that fine, Setty?
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Isn't he good?" Cedric's face was suddenly very excited.
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He looked from his mother to Mr. Havisham.
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Can I have it now? he cried.
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Can I run to her house and give it to her this minute?
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Mr. Havisham gave Cedric twenty-five dollars, and Cedric was out of the house in seconds.
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A short time later, Cedric was back, with a big smile on his face.
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Bridget cried, he said.
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She cried because she was so happy.
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I think I'm going to like being an earl.
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The old lawyer smiled his little smile again.
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What's the Earl going to think about that? he thought.
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He gives his grandson money, and the boy gives it to a poor woman to pay her rent.
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The day for leaving New York came quickly.
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In the last days, Lord Fauntleroy was very busy.
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With the Earl's money, Bridget's children all had new clothes,
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and Mr. Hobbs had a very fine gold watch from his little friend.
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"'Look,' said Cedric, "'the watch has our names on the back,
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so you can't forget me.' Mr. Hobbs held the watch in his hand,
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and at first he could not speak.
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I'm not going to forget you, my boy, he said at last.
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You never forget a good friend, do you?
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Dick, too, could not find words at first to thank his little friend.
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He now had new brushes,
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a big new sign, and the best boot-black business in New York.
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On the last day, he came to the house to say goodbye.
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I'm sorry he's going away.
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I really am," he said to Mr. Havisham.
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I never had a friend like him.
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Dick shook Cedric's hand for a long time.
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Goodbye, he said.
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Write, and tell me all about it, earls and everything.
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That evening, Cedric's mama was very quiet.
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Cedric held her hand.
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It's sad saying goodbye to all our friends and our little house, isn't it, dearest?
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he said.
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Yes, said he dear, it is, she said, very, very sad.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Exploring a Young Boy's Big Decision: The Scenario
The video follows seven-year-old Cedric as he grapples with leaving his American home to become an earl in England. His heartfelt conversations with his mother and Mr. Hobbs, the local grocer, capture the confusion and sadness of a child facing huge change. This dialogue mirrors real-life moments where we share difficult news or express reluctance, making it perfect for practicing emotional and conversational English. Whether you’re talking about moving, career changes, or unexpected news, the natural flow of Cedric’s words—like his hesitant "I don't think I want to be an earl"—teaches how to convey vulnerability and clarity in everyday speech.
Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master
- "a lot of news for a [age]-year-old": Ideal for describing overwhelming information, e.g., "It’s a lot of news for a new employee."
- "find the words to tell [someone]": Expresses difficulty sharing news, as in "I can’t find the words to tell her the truth."
- "talked about it for a long time": A common way to describe extended discussion, e.g., "We talked about the plan for a long time."
- "interested in money": Simple but powerful, used to describe priorities, e.g., "She’s not interested in money—only in helping others."
- "a kind heart": A warm collocation for describing kindness, as in "He has a kind heart and always helps strangers."
Your Shadowing Challenge: Practice with Emotion
To improve English pronunciation and fluency, try shadowspeak—a technique where you repeat phrases immediately after the speaker, mimicking their tone and rhythm. For this challenge, focus on Cedric’s lines: "I don't think I want to be an earl" and "I'm sorry to leave all my friends." Pause the video, then repeat each line, matching Cedric’s sadness and hesitation. Notice how he stresses "don't think" and "sorry" to convey emotion. Do this 5 times, then try "Mr. Hobbs isn't going to like the news"—pay attention to the casual contraction "isn't" and the rise in pitch on "like." Shadow speech helps train your mouth to form natural sounds and your ear to catch subtle intonations, making your English sound more native. Keep practicing, and soon shadowspeaks will feel like second nature!
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.