Shadowing Practice: Columbo Bluffs the Murderer | Columbo - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Where the devil is...
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Columbo.
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Why, Mr. Dirk?
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Miss Stanhope?
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Mr. Frame?
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Oh, and Lieutenant.
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You're beginning to look exactly like a Londoner.
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Oh, you mean this?
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No, no, no, ma'am.
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No, I just bought this.
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You see, ever since I've been in London, I've been thinking and thinking what would be the best souvenir to bring back to Los Angeles.
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I thought you'd be on your way back home by now.
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Right, but I sort of missed the plane.
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Anyway, it suddenly struck me an umbrella.
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Mr. Jones, did someone ask you to invite us here?
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What are those curtains doing there?
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I thought we were going to get to see an exhibit.
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Jones?
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Oh, yes.
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Yes, I'm dying to see it.
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After all that silly business we had modeling for it, There you are, sir.
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Quite remarkable.
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Yes, it is.
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Do I really look like that?
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Marvelous.
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Let me tell you, I don't want to repeat myself, but the other night when I saw that performance that you two...
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Dirk, will you please explain what we're doing here?
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Why don't you ask the tour guide?
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Well, what about the other one?
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Isn't Mr. Havisham ready?
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Oh, yes, yes.
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I'm sure you want to see this too as part of the exhibit.
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Look at that.
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Boy, isn't that something?
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Of course, I didn't know him the way you folks did.
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I guess you were closer to him than anybody.
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Poor Roger.
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Kind of shakes you, doesn't it?
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Do you know they have stuff in the chamber of Horace here that actually makes my skin crawl?
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I think it's disgusting.
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Putting him on display.
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Listen, I know how you must feel.
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And I sympathize with you.
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But you know somebody's been murdered?
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And you know what they tell me?
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They tell me folks around here they kind of enjoy that sort of thing.
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You want to bet they hang up a figure of Mr. Tanner, too?
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Most people, Columbo, have frightful taste, yourself included.
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I don't have to excuse us.
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Come along, Lilly.
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Not just yet, sir.
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Well, if you think we're going to play some sort of charade with this ridiculous...
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Mr. Frame, I'm always getting you angry.
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I'm sorry about that.
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It must be my accent or something.
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But I wanted you here because I wanted you to help me prove something.
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Um, I think I'll get rid of this.
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I don't think Mr. Tanner killed anybody like the newspapers are saying.
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I think it was you.
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Oh, Lieutenant, just when I was beginning to like you.
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This is going to sound silly, but Sir Roger, he was killed someplace else, and his body was moved later on,
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and if I can only prove where it was that he drove that night, prove who it was that he went to see,
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then everything will start falling into place.
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Well, he did not come to see us.
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Now, how many times...
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No, sir, not to your dressing room in the theater.
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It was to yours.
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That's where the umbrellas come in.
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I guess umbrellas are the kind of thing that I can understand.
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You know, I've been watching people to see what they do with umbrellas when they come in out of the rain.
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They close the umbrella.
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They give it a shake like this.
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And they find someplace to lean it against.
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But they never fasten this strap because then it won't dry properly.
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Fascinating.
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There's only one problem with that.
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Sometimes things drop in.
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Almost anything can drop in.
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So I got to thinking, if maybe that's what Sir Roger did with his umbrella, and something dropped into it that night,
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Well, then maybe, uh, got these things here somewhere.
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Just give me a moment, won't you?
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Oh, forgive me.
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Amazing likeness, isn't it? Where was I?
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Oh, yes.
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Uh, ma'am, the other night I stepped on a pearl in your dressing room.
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I have some more just like it.
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I got it from your costumer.
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She says she makes them.
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Oh, yes.
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Well, maybe.
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If the necklace was broken in the fight, like you said.
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But, but, that, that was Nicky and I.
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Uh, Jones, bring us that umbrella, would you?
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Oh, yes.
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Yes.
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Well, there's a chance.
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There's a pretty good chance that if the fight was with Sir Roger...
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No, no, it wasn't.
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Well, there's no point speculating.
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Mr. Jones, could we move back just a little, give the gentleman room?
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Mr. Jones, would you open the umbrella, sir?
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Why, it's the same.
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Exactly the same.
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Well, ma'am?
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Sir?
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Sir.
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Sir.
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Tomorrow.
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Tomorrow.. and tomorrow...
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Mickey, stop it!
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He put it there!
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Can't you see before we came?
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He put it there!
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Jones, has anybody but you touched that umbrella?
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No, sir.
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I'll testify to that.
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Then he must have done it when we weren't looking.
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Oh, Mickey, please!
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.. have lighted tools!
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He was mad, don't you see?
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He didn't know what he was doing!
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I know he didn't.
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And Sir Roger, that was my fault.
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I understand.
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It was in Amsterdam.
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I swear it.
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Mr. Strutzen...
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Oh, Mr. Jones.
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It was his hour.
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Don't be too hard on me.
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You must try to understand.
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Yes, well, I think we can settle all this at the yard.
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Smythe, will, you take over, eh?
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Very good, sir. And Fiore.
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Tomorrow. And tomorrow.
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Thank you, Mr. Jones.
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Now I believe you can replace the umbrella and open your doors.
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Anything from the yard, Mr. Dirk.
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It's been very interesting.
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Ah, bit of luck, eh?
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Hmm?
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How did you know that bead was in there?
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Oh, just the odds.
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The odds were very poor, and you know it.
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Come now, you can do better than that.
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Off the record, eh?
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Well, Mr. Dirk, when you were maybe in the third or fourth grade...
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...and there was a pretty redheaded girl in the front row...
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...and you couldn't get her attention...
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Um...
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Well, go on.
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Just a little trick I learned.
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Excuse me.
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Throat.
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Amazing likeness.
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Bye, Jeff.
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Just one more thing.

Context & Background

The dialogue presented in this excerpt from "Columbo" shows a conversation filled with intrigue and character dynamics. The protagonist, Columbo, is engaging with other characters in a setting that combines an exhibit with the unsettling theme of murder. Through a mix of humor and a serious undertone, Columbo reveals insights about his character—curious, observant, and unpretentious. Ideal for learners looking to enhance their understanding of conversational English, this exchange demonstrates various social interactions and emotional undertones that are essential to grasp when exploring English-speaking contexts.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “Kind of shakes you, doesn’t it?” - A way to express that something is surprising or unsettling.
  • “Do I really look like that?” - A common inquiry about self-perception, using humor to engage others.
  • “I sort of missed the plane.” - A casual way to explain why you are late or unable to attend something.
  • “Isn’t that something?” - An expression used to show surprise or admiration about something you've seen.
  • “Most people have frightful taste.” - A humorous comment about people's preferences, showcasing a playful critique.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use this clip for language practice, follow this step-by-step shadowing guide designed to improve your speaking skills and promote fluency:

  1. Watch the Clip: Begin by watching the segment without any interruptions to understand the context and emotions conveyed.
  2. Active Listening: Listen carefully to the dialogues, noting the intonation, pacing, and emotion in each character's speech. This will help you grasp the natural rhythm of English conversation.
  3. Repeat and Imitate: Play the video again, and pause after each sentence or phrase. Try to imitate the speaker’s pronunciation and emotion as closely as possible. This is where the shadow technique becomes handy—echoing what you hear for better retention.
  4. Break it Down: If certain phrases are challenging, isolate them and practice repeatedly. Utilize resources like transcripts or translation apps if needed.
  5. Practice aloud: Finally, without the video, practice saying the phrases out loud. This helps with both fluency and confidence in real-life situations. Consider integrating these phrases into your daily conversations or during your IELTS speaking practice.

By employing the shadowing technique, especially with well-crafted dialogues like this one, learners can boost their pronunciation and overall speaking skills, making it a valuable tool in your journey to learn English with YouTube.

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.