Shadowing Practice: Decorating The Tree & Christmas Lights Walk AD | Vlogmas Day 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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361 sentences
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My cams hands look very good so...
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Quick!
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While she's asleep let's get the lights off!
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No, now we're like...
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Oh, well done!
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Just do it, just dance them to the music!
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Good morning everybody.
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We're just sat in Otty's room getting her ready for the day.
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I'm folding up her laundry to put away and she's decided
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that today she's going to open her book in the morning instead of the evening.
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I didn't even realise she currently does it at night.
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It doesn't matter.
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Whichever way.
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What have you got in there?
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That's like your favourite
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Nice I feel like by the time she's unwrapped all of these She's going to be a pro on Christmas day
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Yeah we're going to come down to the tree All the presents will be unwrapped
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This is like your dear zoo book that you love so much Dear Santa
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I wrote to Santa to send me something special for Christmas Show her the flaps He got me a Kite
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It does look like a ball Ball He got me a Ball A ball What else did he get?
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You can read it again later.
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Aww.
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I don't want to read it again now.
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She liked that one.
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Here's Santa.
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Oh.
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What is it?
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It's a kite. And.
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Look how big her baby grows are now. As if.
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Yeah, that's just like.
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you're an actual toddler now oddie
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bye bye she's off i'll put these away
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and i'll meet you down the stairs is she okay well
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i'll meet you down there i don't know how this got into the wash basket
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or where this came from
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but this is a teeny tiny newborn sock oh my god yeah that won't fit now right let's put this all away
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Excuse me.
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How on earth has she pressed, turned it on and pressed record?
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Otty, how the hell did you just do that?
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Right.
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Well, anyway, thanks.
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Because I needed to turn that on.
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I haven't filmed much this morning because Alfie and I, Alfie and I are frantically trying to get this house ready.
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The camera's about to...
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either be turned off
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or disappear yeah should we just leave it let's just leave it oh yeah so ampy
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and i are doing a mad dash around the house trying
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to tidy get everything sorted my cameraman's not very good so i think you need a bit more training
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say bye bye
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so yeah one of the things we are doing tomorrow
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because there's going to be so many of us
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is we're going to do secret santa
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but we're going to do it um as the like white
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elephant game i think that's what it's called uh that's what we call it anyway
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which is where you all get allocated a number all of
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the presents are wrapped you just ask everyone to bring one present with them
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that anybody would like so a quite well-rounded present alphie and i have done all of the kids separately
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because I just think it would be very difficult for children
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aging from like one to 14 to get involved in the game
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because there's going to be some like really obviously adult presents
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and there's some really obviously kid presents
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and you don't really want an adult to end up with
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something for a one-year-old for example plus one-year-olds can't really play this game
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so it didn't really make sense so Alfie
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and I were like right leave the kids to us we'll get them a little present each absolutely fine
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but all the adults will bring one now
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that we've um stopped ripping the wrapping paper she's playing with the gift tags
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which is fun okay you feel like now like you enjoy ripping paper okay we'll leave her to rip
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that um but yeah you give everyone a number they take them out of a hat
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and then you choose your number one you get to go
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first you can choose whichever present you like to open player number two can then steal from player number one
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or open a fresh one a present can be stolen up to three times
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and then it's frozen on the last person
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and it's just a bit of fun it's like taking secret santa
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and just making it a bit more like fun okay
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otty has gone down for her nap oh my god guys
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this is why my like weekly style vlogs is what i do because
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if i had to vlog like this every day always I
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basically get like two hours in the day to vlog anything
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which is when she's asleep because apart from
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that oh my god it's chaos what is this
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but yeah she's gone down for her nap
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so as I was saying before the clip was rudely cut um
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and then you watched a time lapse of me wrapping presents is that yeah we're doing the fun secret santa game
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it's gonna be great and all i wanted to say was
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so i need to wrap some presents but because i waffle
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and otty was around that just that didn't happen uh
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but i've wrapped all of the kids presents i just have
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to wrap um the two like secret santa game presents
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that alfie and i have bought i do feel like
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when there's family coming that you don't see that often some of
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which have never been to our house before there's like the inner hostess in me is like
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i have to pull out all the stops the house has
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to look perfection there must be no cobwebs oh there is
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a cobweb oh no it has to be clean it has
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to be tidy it has to look how it looked
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when we first moved in which is so unrealistic
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but i'm such a perfectionist i love hosting
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and those two things combined make for a very stressful pre-hosting time
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because I wish I could just click my fingers
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and everything would just like slot back into its place like Mary Poppins
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but that's just not what happens
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and now we have Otty it takes like five times as long to do anything like
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that and the minute you tidy something it just gets obliterated by otty 10 minutes later
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so it's probably one of those things that alfie
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and i can do as much as we can today
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and then tomorrow morning we'll just have to have a little like blitz around
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and also it doesn't really matter like alfie's family are
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so lovely no one is judgmental no one's gonna walk into a house
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and be like not sure
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but it's all in my brain it's all in my head
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i just want it to be perfect i want it to
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feel christmasy i want it to smell christmasy i want it to sound christmasy
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and i want everyone to feel like this is christmas day like i just want to bring
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that same feeling okay what should we do what should we do everything i'm
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so conflicted because there's so much to do
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but i also really want a nap like do i do all these things on our to-do list
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or do i just
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curl up into bed and shut my eyes
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and have a little sleep i think what we do is do the christmas tree lights yes
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because that's really pressing yeah have you told them to go
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off to london this afternoon no i actually haven't said anything about
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that yet that's crunch time because they're going to be on time for this afternoon
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so alfie and i are heading out to a light walk um which personally
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i love this time of year for the light walks we've
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got two in the diary yeah i was going to say we're going to multiple we're going to multiple um
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but yeah so we're leaving here at about 20 past four uh
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which also does mean we don't have as much time yeah we'd quite like
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and i feel like we woke up so early
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and i feel like we got ready so early
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that it feels like it's four o'clock now no i was gonna to say
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and suddenly it's already 12 o'clock i've heard the opposite i'm
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just getting hot even thinking about how's it already 12 o'clock
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when we woke up
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so early yeah i know i do need to pump the tires up in the car
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so do you want to go and do that now
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or should i try to
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and they were filling the petrol station up with petrol well
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i went in i was like look it's over there please can i use it
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and the guy was like nah
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and i was like literally i just need to pump my tires up
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and he was like no i was like oh come on
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man let's do the lights i think we do the lights
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and then when otty's up obviously we can decorate the tree with her i think we save
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that for her that'd be nice yeah what do we do about otty's dinner
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i said we pre-make it and feed her when we're there
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okay do you think yeah just give her a snack before
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the car journey let's see the lights let's see the lights and i'll have a nap
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we've got a list to do
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if we get like most of this done of course for
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sure you can nap oh there won't be enough time to
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do it all how are we doing on the list already
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have a little look we've done the basement that's it we've
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done two things out of one two three four five six
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seven eight nine ten eleven twelve thirteen okay you're not having a nap
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and i there's one more thing i've remembered i need to
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add i want to put the some christmas lights along that what's
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that called like the kitchen lights decorate kitchen lights do you need me to put the lights on the main tree
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yeah because i have to pass them around oh yeah of course okay all right i'm coming
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I personally really love the fact that Alf
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and I used to do this in matching PJs
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and like really get into this spirit and now we're like quick
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while she's asleep let's get the lights on now we're like
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now you're like do you reckon you can do it by yourself that's the reality
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do you reckon you can just do the lights why do
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you need my help we have put Muppets Christmas carol on the tv though
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because it is the best most festive thing in the world when mark
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and i went to see hocus pocus in concert they had an advert for the muppets christmas carol in concert
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which i think i would actually happy cry at like i
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think i would genuinely like lose my mind it would just be the best thing ever
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but the only time it was showing in london
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which was the closest to us was tomorrow
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and we already have all of alfie's family coming
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so you enjoy the time of your family yeah let me know how it goes
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yeah if you could just do all of that
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and i'll just be sat on my own watching my first christmas caroline concert crying
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anyway one for next year or one for
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when otty is a little bit older i think she would
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really enjoy it i tried to put it on the tv earlier she wasn't
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that bothered um right anyway i need to help you with lights
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when alfie said he needed my help i don't actually think
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he did every time i check the lights he's like no
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no just leave them no it's a good intention on it exactly no
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but the reason why
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but also now in the time lapse i'm just gonna be
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like you didn't do anything you didn't actually help no
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because the lights is easier there's kind of like i always
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see it as two stages one is just putting them in roughly like this
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and then you rejig them all
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but the bit where you need two people is as soon
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as they get up high i have to be able to pass it around the tree yes
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so this bit is like i'll just wait for
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when you need me this is like chucking them in evenly
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and then you come and make them look pretty okay
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and also help you look around the tree yeah okay well
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you let me know i'll just wash my fits christmas carol
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do you need me now nearly you're nearly up now i need you okay
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I feel like we might have,
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do you know how every year we have to like add more somewhere?
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I feel like we might have nailed it.
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I'm glad we nailed it.
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Teamwork makes this room work.
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I'm so excited.
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I thought you were napping.
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I thought you snuck off for a sneaky little sleep.
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Look.
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This is the dream.
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How's our list doing at the 13?
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Three left.
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That's what I'm talking about.
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Three left.
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I mean, we do have you explain.
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Your parents came round.
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Oh yeah, mum was in the last clip.
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Camera battery just ran out.
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I've also got hiccups, by the way so
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if the camera's like jolting every couple of seconds alfie's parents came to pick up nala
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because she's going to be at their house tomorrow whilst all of alfie's family are here
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when they came to pick nala up they were like oh
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is there anything you um need us to help you do
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we've got a couple of free hours do you need any help with anything well
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that me and alfie were like oh do you know what yeah she's got a couple of things
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so mom you're doing item number four dad you're doing number two
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and six that's why in the previous time that's you saw amanda helping me do the um
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the garland around the lights
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but i just feel like dream work makes the teamwork makes the dream work it just goes
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so much quicker when there's more people to help and now
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and now it enables the old weighted blanket lie down looking um back through photos
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that we took yesterday in this
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so i haven't seen any of them yeah yeah yeah this
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is lovely she's having a good nap today she picked a
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good day done the long nap okay otty's woken up from her nap oh she's clicked on my back
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and it's time to decorate the tree let's get everything on you coming to help me hi Hi.
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Look at the lights.
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Look.
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Whoa.
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Whoa.
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Can I help mummy?
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Look these ones, Ossie can help mummy put on the tree.
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Look, some snowmen.
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There's a little snow lady and a little snowman.
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Oh that's it.
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Good girl.
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Oh, do you want to put them on the tree?
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You going to put them on the tree?
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Oh, well done, Otty.
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Nice work.
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Lovely.
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Oh, we've got a new star.
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Yeah, I just thought it might look nice on this one, but I don't know.
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Yeah, I like getting a new star at the top.
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Switching up the camera angle to be a bit more...
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Otty-proof.
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Otty-proof.
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What are you doing in the dog bed?
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bye bye bye bye bye bye yeah bye bye
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so this is obviously just our woodland tree it's got various
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different decorations we've picked up over the years i think my favorites as i say every year
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little mushrooms i think mine are these you like the little conker chestnuts yeah
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I don't know if that's conker with your chestnuts.
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Can you reach that?
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I have to give it a little bend down.
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Like that?
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Yeah.
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Lovely.
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What have you done?
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Are you in charge?
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You're telling us where to put them?
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She's...
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Oh, you've turned the film off.
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She's turned off the film.
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Gorgeous.
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We've got a little bit of a situation.
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What?
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Someone might have...
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Found their advent calendar.
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Aussie.
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I hid that from you.
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You sneaky girl.
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Oh well.
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Just do this every day with it.
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If that makes her happy.
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Yeah.
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Are you just showing what's in there?
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You having a little look?
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Yeah.
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Well I'm glad you're enjoying it.
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Okay we're almost done.
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We've had to keep decorations quite high up because Oti does try and pull them off.
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We're going to have to do the annual shot of Zoe on my shoulders.
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Unless you want to get on my shoulders.
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Right.
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Do you want to get on?
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Look at the tree, O.
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Wow.
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Look how tall you are.
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Ready?
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Yep. Can you reach it?
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Yeah, I'll just have to pull it towards me a bit.
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Oh, it's hot.
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Ow, I'm getting spiked hard in the head. Are you?
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Yeah.
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Oh.
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Oh, straight in the forehead.
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Sorry, sorry.
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Hey.
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Is it on?
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Almost like it's literally touching the ceiling, but it's keeping it straight.
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Can you see?
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Ideal. Can you see?
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Yeah.
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Lovely.
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right we are getting ready to leave the house we're very
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excited as i said earlier we're heading off to eltham palace
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which i've never been to before i don't think alfie has either
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and it's a light trail which i'm very very excited about
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so i will chat more about it in the car on the way or when we've arrived.
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So Alfie is just getting Otty out,
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which gives me the perfect opportunity to say this part of the vlog is sponsored by Sky.
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We've actually been invited here this evening by Sky VIP.
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If you are with Sky, you are a Sky VIP.
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Everybody who is a customer of Sky is a Sky vip
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um i'm actually a platinum vip probably not going to be able to see
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that there we go i'm platinum
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because i have been a sky customer for eight years
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which is very cool
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so you get lots of rewards you can be entered in
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to win tickets for loads of incredible events this is actually one of them
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but i was scrolling through it the other day
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because there really are so many they had a section where you could win tickets to go
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and see the Muppets Christmas Caroling concert which is so wild because I was literally talking about that earlier.
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It's just a really amazing little perk so
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if you download the app go and check it out see what events
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and things are on near you and you can enter
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and win tickets for free which is incredible this time of year
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because there are so many fun incredible things going on so definitely go and check it out.
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This is the Eltham Palace Christmas lights and I'm very very excited.
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Otty is really into Christmas lights she's loving them
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so I feel like this will be really up her street equally I think I'm gonna love it as well
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so yeah very excited let's get going
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we're here it's so cool like even just all the different colored trees I love
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but this is some real gardening spo, Alf.
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I know, it makes me want to get little lights at the bottom of the trees, but we've only got one tree in our garden.
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I know.
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Not just editor, but also cameraman.
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Just stood here and just danced into the music.
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Are you enjoying it, Otty?
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She won't wear her hat.
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We're not being terrible parents we've tried many many times
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We are home That was so lovely I Could just walk through Christmas lights Every evening.
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I loved it.
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It was so much fun.
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I actually had a little
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teeny mini like 10 minute snooze on the way home even otty didn't sleep on the way home
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and i did so actually i've managed to stay up past my usual bedtime um had a bath got my pjs on
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just gonna watch a bit of telly and then go to sleep
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but i really hope you guys enjoyed the video give it a thumbs up
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if you did and also thank you
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so much for all your questions we've been going through them already
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and there's some goodies so we will be answering those in tomorrow's video
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um i hope you all had a lovely day whatever you've been doing and we will see you again tomorrow bye
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Learning English with YouTube just got better—this cozy vlog is perfect for shadow speak practice! The casual, real-life dialogue mirrors everyday conversations, making it easy to mimic natural rhythm and tone. Whether you’re prepping for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more fluent, the video’s mix of family chat, quick reactions, and playful moments gives you a chance to practice informal and semi-formal speech. Plus, the short, relatable scenes mean you can focus on small chunks—ideal for building confidence fast!
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is packed with useful phrases you can start using today. Here are 3 key ones:
- “Quick! While she's asleep let's get the lights off!” This shows how to use exclamations and imperative sentences for urgency—great for everyday commands.
- “I didn't even realise she currently does it at night.” The past simple + present simple combo here is perfect for talking about new discoveries. It’s a common structure in storytelling and casual chat.
- “How on earth has she pressed, turned it on and pressed record?” “How on earth” adds emphasis to a question, making it sound more natural than a plain “how.” Use it to show surprise or confusion!
Common Pronunciation Traps
Watch out for these tricky sounds to improve English pronunciation: - “Frantically” has a silent “t”—say “fran-tik-lee,” not “fran-ti-kl-ee.” - “Toddler” often gets mispronounced with a long “o”; keep it short: “tod-ler.” - The contraction “I'll” (from “I will”) is quick—don’t overemphasize the “l.” Listen closely to how the speaker blends it into “I'll meet you down the stairs.”
Practice shadowing these lines with a shadowing app to nail the rhythm. You’ll be sounding more like a native in no time!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | we've been going · you've been doing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't filmed · have done · has gone |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be unwrapped · be turned · are wrapped |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | concert which is · free which is |
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.