Shadowing Practice: Describing Matter - Learn English Speaking with Video

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We can learn a lot about the things around us.
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Things we call matter by paying attention to their properties.
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One way we do this is by using our eyes.
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Just by looking we can tell what shape, size and colour something is.
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Like a rubber ball could be round, small and coloured bright blue.
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These things we see help us tell different things apart.
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But we don't only use our eyes, we can also use our hands to feel things.
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This is how we learn about a thing's texture.
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Texture is a fancy word for how something feels when we touch it.
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Try feeling different things around you.
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Some things might be hard like a Lego brick, while others could be soft like a pillow.
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Textures can tell us how smooth or rough something is.
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Like a piece of paper is smooth, but a piece of sandpaper is rough.
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There are many more properties of things, and we use all our senses to learn about them.
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Look at the things around you now.
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How can you describe them?
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Thank you.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Describing Matter" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →