Shadowing Practice: Collins Speaking for IELTS Unit 1 Track 1-7 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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The person I'm closest to
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in my family is definitely my mum, Kate.
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We've always got on and we hardly ever fall out.
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I know that's unusual.
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She's really outgoing and sociable.
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She's always going out with friends and colleagues.
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Everyone thinks she's good fun.
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I look up to her because she's so hardworking.
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She never sits still and she works long hours.
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She can be a bit impatient, though.
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She gets annoyed when her colleagues aren't as efficient as her.
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I take after her in that.
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I'm impatient too.
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And she's oversensitive, often getting offended for seemingly no reason.
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2. My cousin Kieran and I grew up together.
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We were inseparable.
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He was so creative.
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He'd always think of new games we could play and make up these stories to make me laugh.
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I was constantly amazed by his open-mindedness as well.
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He was never judgmental.
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I wish I could be like that.
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Unfortunately, we grew apart, slowly but surely, and by the time we went to uni, we weren't in touch anymore.
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I haven't seen him for years.
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It's really sad.
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I would blame it partly on the fact that he's not very reliable.
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So, for example, if I email him, he won't respond.
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I'm not sure what he's up to these days.
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3. I know this is a cliché, but I don't get on with my in-laws, especially my mother-in-law, Jane.
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She's so nosy, always wanting to know what we're doing and who we're with,
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and she's terribly blunt, which means she quite often upsets us with things she comes out with.
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And then she can be quite stingy.
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When we go out for a meal with her and my father-in-law, she never offers to pay, even though they're much better off than us.
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I must say, though, she's extremely clever, and I do respect her for that.
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She set up her own business five years ago, and it's gone from strength to strength.
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She's so self-assured and ambitious,
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too, which I suppose is why she's so successful in business.' Track 2.
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Tell me something about your family.
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What do you like doing most with your family?
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Who are you close to in your family?
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In what way is your family important to you?
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Sample answers.
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Tell me something about your family.
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Although I live abroad now, my mum's family is from Paris and my dad's family is from Toulouse,
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so I'm from a very French family.
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I would say I come from quite a small family, really.
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For example, I just have one older sister and four cousins, but it's true that my extended family is fairly big.
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What do you like doing most with your family?
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I like having nice long meals with good food and good wine, and a few jokes for dessert.
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Who are you close to in your family?
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In my family?
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Well, I'm close to my Uncle Jack.
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He's a chef.
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He's hilarious, always telling jokes.
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And he's very enthusiastic about everything he does.
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We spent a lot of time together when I was growing up.
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In fact, he helped to bring me up.
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In what way is your family important to you?
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My family is everything to me.
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They are my best friends.
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They support me when things aren't going well and when things are going well.
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I know they'll always be there for me, no matter what.
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Track three One of my best friends is a guy called Raul.
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I met him at uni in Barcelona, where we were in the same study group.
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When was that?
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I suppose it was over ten years ago now, so yes, we've known each other for a good decade.
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We got to know each other on the tennis courts, because the first few days of our course were so boring that we both decided we'd be better off outside playing tennis.
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What kind of person is he?
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He's very active, a sporty type, involved in hiking and mountain biking, a bit of an adrenaline junkie.
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He's also a very determined person.
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When he gets into something, he gives 100%.
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And he changes passions often.
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That makes him a bit of a self-absorbed person, actually, which I'd say is a drawback.
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And I think he comes across as full of himself sometimes.
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I'm a bit too sure of his own opinions.
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As for why I like him, well, he's actually quite different from me.
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At uni, he'd often suggest doing something and I'd go along with it.
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And because I'm laid back, I never felt overwhelmed by him.
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We've never fallen out or anything.
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How often do you see your friend?
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Well, because we live in different countries, we don't see each other that often.
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But we try to catch up on a fairly regular basis, say, three times a year.
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Track four.
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One.
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Can I have a cup of tea?
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Two.
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We met at uni.
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Three.
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I've known him for ten years.
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Four.
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I'm from Dubai.
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Five.
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It's quarter to ten.
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Track five.
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One.
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Two.
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Ta.
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Two. Of. Of.
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Three. At. At. For. From. From.
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Five. For.
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F. Track six.
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One.
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Has she been waiting for long?
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Two.
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What are you looking at?
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Three.
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The present's not from Mark, it's for Mark.
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Four.
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I want to go.
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Track seven.
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Modern families.
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In what ways have families changed in the last hundred years?
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Should we rely heavily on our families, or is it better to try to be independent?
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The elderly are sometimes considered the wisest members of society.
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What do you think we can learn from them?
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Friendship What do you expect from a good friend?
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Are friends as important to you as family?
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Do you think friendships change as we get older?
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How?
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Sample answers.
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In what ways have families changed in the last hundred years?
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In Western countries, I would say families have become more widely dispersed and less close.
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People travel more and then end up living far away from their families.
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I think this is a shame, because it means there is a breakdown of communities.
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I also think that, because families are spread over a wider geographical area,
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elderly people tend to be forgotten and usually live on their own.
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Should we rely heavily on our families, or is it better to try to be independent?
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People seem to like living independently from each other these days, but I do wonder if that's the best way.
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on people is seen as a weakness by some, I think.
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However, having family nearby is invaluable when you have children, in my opinion.
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Who else can be called on to babysit at a moment's notice?
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The elderly are sometimes considered the wisest members of society.
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What do you think we can learn from them?
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Oh, an immense amount.
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They're our living link with the past, of a family, a region, a country.
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They're the keepers of local traditions, for example, and they provide a sense of identity to younger generations.
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Sample Answers What do you expect from a good friend?
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Er, for me, a good friend has to be reliable.
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I can't stand being stood up or having my emails and texts ignored.
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As well as that, a friend should be someone you can have good fun with.
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There are many things in life to be serious about, but friendship shouldn't be one of them.
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I also believe that opposites attract, in friendships just as in romance,
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so a good friend will most likely be very different from you in many ways.
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Are friends as important to you as family?
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No, I wouldn't say so.
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Friends come and go, but family are always there, whether you like it or not.
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You can even be rude to your family, not that it's advisable, of course, and they will forgive you.
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But sometimes you've known a friend for so long, they can become like a family member.
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You can really be yourself with them, and you may even argue quite often, like siblings do.
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Do you think friendships change as we get older?
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Well, I definitely find that I have less in common with some friends than I used to.
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I sometimes wonder what we used to find to talk about.
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And so you often grow apart from old school friends or old colleagues.
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The people I feel I have most in common with are friends I met at university.
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I'm not sure why, but we somehow always have lots to talk about.

Context & Background

The conversation in the video provides insightful perspectives on personal relationships, specifically focusing on family dynamics. The speaker shares experiences about their mother, cousin, and in-laws, illustrating both positive traits and challenges within these relationships. These narratives offer a great context for learners aiming to enhance their English speaking practice by discussing familial bonds and social interactions. The transcript highlights relatable emotions and situations, making it an excellent resource for practicing everyday conversation skills.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "We hardly ever fall out." - This phrase is useful for discussing relationships and conflicts.
  • "I look up to her because she's so hardworking." - A great way to express admiration.
  • "We were inseparable." - Perfect for describing close friendships or relationships.
  • "She's so nosy." - A straightforward way to comment on someone’s intrusive behavior.
  • "It's gone from strength to strength." - Ideal for discussing someone's ongoing success.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively utilize this transcript for shadowing practice and improve English pronunciation, follow this structured approach:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by listening to the audio of the video carefully. Pay attention to the intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation of each phrase.
  2. Read the Transcript: Read along with the transcript provided in the video. Identify any words or phrases that are challenging and look them up if necessary.
  3. Slow It Down: Use a shadowing site to slow down the audio playback. This will help you catch the nuances in the speech more clearly.
  4. Repeat in Real-Time: While listening to one sentence, pause the audio and try to repeat the sentence out loud. Focus on mimicking the speaker's accent, tone, and emotion.
  5. Record and Compare: Record yourself repeating the sentences and compare your pronunciation and rhythm with the original audio. This will help you identify areas of improvement.

By following these steps, you can enhance your shadow speech skills and improve your overall communication in English. Consistent practice will also help build confidence when engaging in conversations about personal and emotional topics, an essential part of mastering any 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.