Shadowing Practice: Chris Rock's Opening Monologue - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that montage.
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Hey!
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Well, I'm here at the Academy Awards, otherwise known as the White People's Choice Awards.
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You realize, if they nominated host, I wouldn't even get this job.
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That's right, y'all be watching Neil Patrick Harris right now.
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But here's the crazy thing.
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This is the wildest, craziest Oscars to ever host, because we got all this controversy.
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There's no black nominees, you know?
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And people are like, Chris, you should boycott.
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Chris, you should quit.
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You should quit.
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How come there's only unemployed people that tell you to quit something, huh?
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No one with a job ever tells you to quit.
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I wanted to quit.
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So I thought about quitting.
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I thought about it real hard, but I realized they're gonna have the Oscars anyway.
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They're not gonna cancel the Oscars because I quit.
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You know?
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And the last thing I need is to lose another job to Kevin Hart, okay?
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I don't need that.
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Kev, Kev right there.
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Kev make movies fast.
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Every month.
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I know the stars don't make movies that fast.
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Now, the thing is, why are we protesting?
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That's the big question.
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Why this Oscars?
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Why this Oscars, you know?
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It's the 88th Academy Awards.
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It's the 88th Academy Awards,
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which means this whole no black nominees thing has happened at least 71 other times.
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Okay?
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You got to figure that it happened in the 50s, In the 60s, you know, in the 60s, one of those years, Sidney didn't put out a movie,
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I'm sure, I'm sure there were no black nominees some of those years, say, 62 or 63, and black people did not protest.
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Why?
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Because we had real things to protest at the time.
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You know?
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We had real things to protest.
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You know, it's too busy being raped and lynched to care about who won best cinematographer.
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You know, when your grandmother's swinging from a tree, it's really hard to care about best documentary foreign short.
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But what happened this year?
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What happened?
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People went mad, you know?
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Spike got mad, and Charlton got mad, and Jada went mad, and Will went mad.
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Everybody went mad, you know?
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It's quite like Jada got mad.
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Jada says she's not coming, protesting.
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I'm like, is she on a TV show?
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Jada's going to boycott the Oscars.
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Jada boycotting the Oscars is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties.
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I wasn't invited.
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Oh, that's not an invitation I would turn down.
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I'm not hating.
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I understand you're mad.
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Jayda's mad her man, Will, was not nominated for concussion.
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I get it.
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I get it.
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Tell the truth.
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I get it.
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I get it.
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You get mad that it's not fair that Will was this good and didn't get nominated.
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You're right.
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It's also not fair that Will was paid $20 million for Wild Wild West, okay?
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Okay?
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Things, you know...
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You know, this year, you know, You know, this year at Oscars, things are gonna be a little different.
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This thing, things are gonna be a little different at the Oscars.
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This year, in the in-memoriam package, it's just gonna be black people that were shot by the cops on their way to the movies.
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Yes, yes, I said it, all right?
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Hey, if you want black nominees every year, you need to just have black categories.
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That's what you need.
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You need to have black categories.
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You already do it with men and women.
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Think about it.
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There's no real reason for there to be a man in a woman category in acting.
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It's track, it's not, come on.
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There's no reason.
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It's not track and field.
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You don't have to separate them.
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You know, Robert De Niro's never said, I better slow this acting down so Meryl Streep could catch up.
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No. Not at all, man.
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If you want black people every year at the Oscars, just have black categories, like...
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Best black friend.
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That's right.
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And the winner for the 18th year in a row is Wanda Sykes.
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This is Wanda's 18th black Oscar.
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But here's the real question.
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The real question everybody wants to know, everybody wants to know in the world, is is Hollywood racist?
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Is Hollywood racist?
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You know, that's a...
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You know, you got to go at that the right way.
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Is it...is it Vernon Cross racist?
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No. Is it fetch me some lemonade racist?
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No. No, no, no. It's a different type of racist.
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Now, I remember one night I was at a fundraiser for President Obama, a lot of you were there, and, you know, it's me and all of Hollywood,
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And all the, you know, it's all of us there.
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And there's about four black people there.
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Me, uh, let's see, Quincy Jones, Russell Simmons, Questlove.
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You know, the usual suspects, right?
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You know?
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And every black actor that wasn't working.
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Needless to say, Keb Hart was not there, okay?
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So, at some point, you get to take a picture with the president, you know?
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And as they're setting up the picture, you get, like, a little moment with the president.
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I'm like, Mr. President, you see all these writers and producers and actors?
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They don't hire black people.
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And they're the nicest white people on earth.
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They're liberals.
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Cheese.
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That's right.
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Is Hollywood racist?
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You're damn right Hollywood's racist, but it ain't that racist that you've grown accustomed to.
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Hollywood is sorority racist.
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It's like, we like you, Rhonda, but you're not a kappa.
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That's how Hollywood's, yeah?
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But things are changing.
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Things are changing.
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Yeah, we got a Black Rocky this year.
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Yeah, some people call it Creed, I call it Black Rocky.
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And that's a big, that's an unbelievable statement.
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because Rocky takes place in a world where white athletes are as good as black athletes.
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Sorry, Rocky's a science fiction movie.
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There are things that happen in Star Wars that are more believable than things that happen in Rocky, okay?
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But hey, we're here to honor actors.
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We're here to honor actors.
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We're here to honor film, you know.
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And there's a lot of snubs, a lot of snubs.
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One of the biggest snubs no one's talking about.
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My favorite actor in the world is Paul Giamatti.
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Paul Giamatti, I believe, is the greatest actor in the world.
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Think about what Paul Giamatti has done the last couple of years.
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Last year, he's in 12 Years a Slave, hates black people.
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This year, he's in Straight Outta Compton, loves black people.
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Last year, he's whooping Lupita.
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This year, he's crying at Easy E's funeral.
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Now, that's range.
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Yeah, Ben Affleck can't do that.
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But what I'm trying to say is, you know, it's not about boycotting anything is just we want opportunity.
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We want black actors to get the same opportunities as white actors.
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That's it.
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That's it.
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You know?
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Not just once.
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You know, Leo gets a great part every year.
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And, you know, everybody...
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All you guys get great parts all the time.
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But what about the black actors?
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Look at Jamie Foxx.
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Jamie Foxx is one of the best actors in the world, man.
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Jamie Foxx, yeah!
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Jamie Foxx was so good in Ray that they went to the hospital and unplugged the real Ray Charles.
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It's like, we don't need two of these.
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No, man.
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But the big thing, you know, everything's not about race, man.
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Another big thing tonight is you're not allowed, Somebody told me that you're not allowed to ask women what they're wearing anymore.
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It's the whole thing, you know, ask her more.
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You have to ask her more.
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Now, you know, it's like, you ask the men more.
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Hey, everything's not sexism.
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Everything's not racism.
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They ask the men more because the men are all wearing the same outfits, okay?
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Every guy there is wearing the exact same thing.
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You know, if George Clooney showed up with a lime green tux on and a swan coming out his ass,
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somebody would go, what you wearing, George?
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Hey, welcome to the 88 Oscar Gaby Awards.
Why practice speaking with this video?
Chris Rock's opening monologue at the Oscars is an excellent example of dynamic and engaging spoken English. It not only showcases humor but also addresses important social issues, making it a thought-provoking piece for learners. By practicing with this video, you can improve your English pronunciation while also gaining insights into cultural contexts and expressive speech.
Engaging with Rock's unique delivery and timing allows you to enhance your speaking skills through a method known as shadowspeak. This technique involves mimicking the speaker to develop better enunciation and rhythm. By incorporating this video into your study routine, you'll also learn to navigate the nuances of conversational English, facilitating a more natural and fluent speech style.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the monologue, various grammatical structures and expressive phrases stand out:
- Rhetorical Questions: Rock uses rhetorical questions effectively, such as "How come there's only unemployed people that tell you to quit something?" This structure prompts the audience to think critically about the statements being made while maintaining a light-hearted tone.
- Comparative Language: Phrases like “I wouldn't even get this job” and “is like me boycotting Rihanna's panties” create vivid comparisons that enhance understanding while keeping humor at the forefront. Such comparisons are useful in everyday conversation to clarify points or add emphasis.
- Colloquial Expressions: By using informal language, Rock connects with the audience on a personal level, such as "you know?" and "that's right, y'all." Learning these expressions can help you sound more native when practicing your own speaking.
- Direct Address: The use of "y'all" and direct references to individuals in the audience personalizes the speech and draws in listeners, showing the importance of engaging your audience when speaking.
Common Pronunciation Traps
When practicing shadow speak with Chris Rock's monologue, several pronunciations may pose challenges:
- Contractions: Rock’s use of contractions (like "I'd," "you're," and "that's") requires fluent quickness in speech, which can be tricky for learners. Pay special attention to the rhythm when saying these words.
- Vowel Sounds: Some of Rock's pronunciations are distinctly influenced by his accent. For example, the way he pronounces "Oscars" may vary slightly from more standard American English. Practicing these nuances will help improve English pronunciation.
- Expressive Intonation: Notice how Rock's tone rises and falls, particularly in delivering punchlines. Mimicking this intonation in your practice can enhance your expressiveness and the overall delivery of your speech.
Incorporating these aspects of the monologue into your practice will not only enhance your fluency but also make your English conversations more engaging and lively. Using videos like this to learn English with YouTube is not just fun; it’s a highly effective way to master the intricacies of the language.
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.