Shadowing Practice: Do Brits Really Respect Their Mothers? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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If you want to get to know the British people a little better
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and pick up some proper intermediate to advanced vocabulary while you're at it, then this video is for you.
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Because it's all about the relationship between mothers, and their children, how we show it,
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how we don't, and whether the way British parents disciplined kids a generation ago actually made any difference at all.
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I'd say a spoiler here is I had a firm opinion on this five years ago when I recorded this,
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and I'm not sure I agree with myself anymore.
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There's also some poetry near the end of this one, so yeah, brace yourself for that,
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but to be clear, rerun from earlier in the show's history, but it's a good one and well worth revisiting. So enjoy.
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So Mother's Day, formerly known as Mothering Sunday in the UK, is celebrated four Sundays before Lent.
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And for those of you who aren't in the know of what Lent is, it is the preparation or the build -up to Easter.
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And most people give something up in the UK for Lent.
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Some people give up chocolate, some people give up sweets.
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it would be a clever idea to say I'm giving up school for Lent but that didn't go down too well.
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So Mother's Day usually falls in March.
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I think it always comes in March.
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But yeah, the date changes a lot as it is in relation to when Easter is, which varies depending on the cycle of the moon.
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I could go into more detail, but...
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It's a bite -sized one and I don't want to bore you too much.
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Okay, so it's it's based on a religious event, but The younger generations of the UK,
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we don't really see it as that, and yet we still take part in it.
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Even though, yeah, the younger generations of the UK are becoming far less religious, and at the same time atheism is on the up.
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is on the up something is on the up it's uh rising um
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but yeah we don't really see mother's day as a day to celebrate only
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because you're religious most people take part in it
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and i certainly do um it's it's similar to father's day
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or even um you know valentine's day pancake day
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or even really easter sunday a lot of people nowadays we don't really think too much about the religious
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kind of even similar to Christmas, but we are aware that we're doing that.
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We take part in it through habits mostly, because it's usually a time to acknowledge a person or a relationship in your life,
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Or regarding pancake day, I guess it's just to eat your weight in flour, baking powder and sugar.
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Yeah.
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Either way, it's a good time.
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So yes, it's a day in the religious calendar, but most of the British people I know celebrate Mother's Day just to be a nice child.
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Yeah.
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Now, I'm not a perfect child with this one.
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I've occasionally forgotten it, so I don't stick to it religiously.
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Pardon the pun.
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Let me pause you there quickly.
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I'm using quite a bit of natural, slightly advanced English in this episode.
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And I know from experience, it's very easy as a listener to just nod along
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and not fully take in the vocabulary that I'm saying that could enhance your speaking skills.
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than stopping this video every five seconds and turning this into just a vocabulary lesson, I've made a free PDF for you to grab right now.
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It's got the key phrases,
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simple explanations, proper examples, and a few exercises that will 3x your learning from today's episode.
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So if you want to actually remember what you're hearing right now, then scan the QR code on screen or
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in the description box show notes or comments section and
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that link will open up the page
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that video podcast viewers can see right now drop your name and email in there and then just like magic Voila!
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The free worksheet will be waiting for you in your email inbox.
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I do understand it's not magic.
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I get it.
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I think.
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I mean, I don't get it, but I get it.
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Grab that and let's carry on.
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I don't stick to it religiously, pardon the pun.
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And I blame that on my sisters.
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I've noticed that a lot of my friends who have sisters, they rely on them to remind them it's Mother's Day soon.
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It's naughty, I know.
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We need to think for ourselves, and I probably have to now that my sisters have got kids, and they're far too busy to think about their forgetful younger brother.
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And it's probably also because I've turned 30, so they might think, hang on.
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He's a fully grown adult now.
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No need to look after him.
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He's on his own.
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Either way, in my opinion, daughters are generally more thoughtful and better at planning ahead for Mother's Day and for most things.
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And I'd be interested to know your take on this.
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So do write in.
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Is it about the gender differences or is it culturally impacting?
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How I see that mothers and daughters can end up being really close friends as the daughter ages, whereas...
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Sons in a heterosexual relationship, they tend to gravitate towards their female partner's family or what we call the in -laws.
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Probably from how I see it, because the mother and daughter bond is often stronger than,
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you know, a mother, son or a father and son.
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The mother and daughter is something about it that seems to be quite special.
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And I've heard lots of mothers or...
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mothers -to -be saying, "Oh no, I really want a daughter.
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and they're hoping that they'll one day be their best friend.
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If it's different for your culture, let me know.
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I'd love to hear.
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OK, so Mother's Day is seven days away for me as I record this episode.
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And yeah, no sign of a reminder from either of my sisters.
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So I have to use my own initiative and think, what would I like to get my mother to do? to
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symbolise my endless gratitude for her making me for her feeding me and giving me an upbringing worthy of a king, really.
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And I've concluded that a card will probably suffice.
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And so Moonpig .co .uk gets a spike of traffic and orders.
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Moonpig is an online card designing and mailing service that started about 20 years ago in the UK.
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Now it's in America and Australia.
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And it's really user friendly.
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And that's why it's the episode sponsor.
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No, I'm joking.
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Create a little card and send it to my mother It's also good for birthday cards and stuff But yeah,
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Mother's Day They get a lot of business I imagine Um And then they always do this thing.
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When you've designed the card, you've written it, you're sending it, and then they say...
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Is that it?
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Don't you want to give the person that created you like a cuddly toy or...
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you know, at the bare minimum, a bouquet of flowers, which I often succumb to, not out of guilt, But out of feeling good about myself.
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Good about myself for spending more than a couple of pounds on my mother, who is quite honestly the most selfless,
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wonderful mother I've ever been a son to.
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But I do love her endlessly.
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And it makes me laugh that I think I've accomplished my task if I send her flowers and a card.
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It's pathetic, really, in comparison to what she's done for me.
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I don't think she'd prefer me to offer her my nipple for breakfast, lunch and tea for six to 12 months.
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So what can be done? a token.
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A token of love.
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Sent on Mothering Sunday.
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A card and flowers.
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representing so much more.
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Hopefully.
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Now, Being on the opposite side of the world, I'm not expected, or I don't think I'm expected, to make the trip back for her for this day.
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Unlike, um...
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Christmas for example where we do tend to have an assumption
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of all returning to our families to spend you know this deepest,
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darkest, yet jolliest month of the year together in the UK.
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But when I was residing in the UK, I would spend the whole day with my family, being that bit more attentive and loving to the mother hen.
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And we'd go out somewhere for lunch, typically, and maybe have a walk together
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and then go to the grandparents to let my mother wish her mother a happy Mother's Day.
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And I'm sure in the future, when we're all living to 200, this will be a rather humorous day of hopping from one generation of mothers to the next.
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You know, it might even spill over to the next day.
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I have two days of this to allow for travel time between mothers.
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Oh, and I do also remember when I was a child, I remember attempting to prepare breakfast in bed for my mum.
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And bring it through with a smile on my face thinking,
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"I'm an actual legend of a son right now." legend.
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But yeah, coming to think of it, I believe it was just a piece of toast and a glass of orange juice on a tray.
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So yeah, I'm worried how easy it is to get legendary status in my mind.
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Imagine my movie title.
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Legendary tales of a living legend.
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Charlie and his breakfast in bed for his mum.
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Now, if we look beyond what my movie trailer might sound like and think about how us Brits treat our mothers, not just on Mother's Day,
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but in general, I'd say that we don't really have a clear identity or idea on this area.
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I hear of the Italians looking after their grandparents very well
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and Koreans can't even take a sip of water in the direction of their seniors at a dinner table, apparently.
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little towards our mothers.
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I feel comfortable saying that my parents' generation who grew up in the 60s and 70s,
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they feared their parents' wrath a bit more so than my generation who grew up in the 90s and noughties.
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And yeah, we weren't.. hit very often.
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We would get occasional little smacks on the bum if we were out, if we really were naughty.
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But they were, in my opinion at the time, they were, um, Acceptable.
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No, at the time I hated it.
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But now I think they were very acceptable and they were very far and few between.
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But if we look at the youngest generation right now,
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I think it's incredibly uncommon to see a parent hit or even smack a child on the bum if they were naughty. So, I wonder.
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I wonder if it's something to do with that, whether, you know, the fear of physical force leads to respect. But...
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I don't want this to encourage you to go out and smack your children.
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I, um, I think nowadays we've got far more intelligent and psychological approaches to disciplining our children.
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And, you know, installing fear in a child probably does a huge amount more problems than I'm not currently highlighting.
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So, yeah, I definitely am anti -trail.
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I'm definitely anti -smacking.
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I'm anti -hitting kids.
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There we go.
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I've said it.
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I'm anti -hitting kids.
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Can we all agree on that?
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Thank you.
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Anyway, I'd say British people aren't particularly respectful of their mothers in comparison to other cultures.
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I wouldn't be disrespectful of my mother.
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I don't feel like I'm disrespectful.
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But yeah, just again, comparing, I think...
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I...
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as a teenager and as my friends were, we would talk back to our mums occasionally.
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We would challenge their authority, especially as teenagers.
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But then when a son gets stronger, he might start to leave the mother alone
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and instead turn his attention to challenging the father of the family to test his limits.
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But before I start delving into the Oedipus complex, we will leave it there.
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Although this has actually led me to think about how we treat our mother's as we age,
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as we grow up, and how we are with the older generations.
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But I've already run out of time on this Bite Size episode, so I will hold that thought for another mini episode in a couple of weeks.
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And to end on a loving note for all the mothers out there, here are two poems to celebrate Mother's Day.
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Right, time to get soppy.
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Soppy.
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Emotional.
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A bit.
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pathetic in a loving way.
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Putting on the soppy voice now: "For all the times,
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you gently picked me up when I fell down." For all the times you tied my shoes and tucked me into bed.
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or needed something but put me first instead.
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For everything we shared, The dreams, the laughter and the tears.
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I love you with a special love that deepens every year.
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And a slightly less soppy one.
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You taught me to say please and thanks.
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Because politeness is the way. So...
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Please Can I borrow some money?
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Thanks.
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Just kidding.
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Happy Mother's Day.
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And those were both written by...
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unknown, a very well unknown poet in today's society online.
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So yes, happy Mother's Day everyone.
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Right, that's it for today's episode.
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Now, before you go, a quick word on the Academy,
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because I know a fair few of you listening are stuck in that same loop.
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You understand loads when you're listening.
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You can follow a podcast like this one without much bother.
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But the second you open your mouth to actually speak, it all falls apart.
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the words vanish, the confidence goes with them,
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and you end up saying something far simpler than what you actually meant or nothing at all.
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And that's the biggest thing I hear from my learners and it's exactly what the Academy, the Academy is built to fix.
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It's not another app full of grammar drills you'll forget by lunchtime.
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It's live classes, real feedback
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and a proper community of people all getting unstuck from the same problem you are experiencing right now.
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So if you want to join who are actually improving their spoken English each week,
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then you can try the whole thing for just £5 for your first month right now.
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So head over to the britishenglishpodcast .com slash academy,
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have a nose at what's inside and come join me in my next Zoom class that I hold twice a week.
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right that's all i have to say for now um i've
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been your host charlie of the british english podcast have a lovely week and i'll see you soon bye .
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Learning English with YouTube videos like this one is a goldmine for improving real-world speaking skills. The dialogue blends casual conversational tone with intermediate-to-advanced vocabulary, mirroring how native speakers actually communicate. It’s perfect for shadow speech—a technique where you repeat phrases aloud immediately after the speaker—to master natural rhythm and intonation. Whether you’re using a shadowing app or practicing manually, this video’s mix of personal anecdotes, cultural insights, and everyday expressions helps you build fluency in contexts that matter, from discussing holidays to sharing opinions. You’ll not only learn words but also how to use them in relatable situations, making your speech more authentic.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is packed with practical language structures. Here are three key ones to focus on:
- "is on the up": This phrase, meaning "increasing," is a natural alternative to "is rising." Example: "Atheism is on the up among younger Brits." Use it to describe trends in casual conversations.
- "take part in it through habits": The structure "through + noun" emphasizes the method behind an action. Practice saying, "I keep fit through daily walks" to sound more precise.
- "stick to it religiously (pardon the pun)": This combines a phrasal verb ("stick to") with a pun, showing how humor is woven into speech. Try using "stick to" in sentences like, "I stick to my morning routine religiously" to add flair.
Common Pronunciation Traps
British English has unique sounds that can trip up learners. Watch out for:
- "Lent": Pronounced /lent/ (not "lent" with a long "e"). The short "e" sound is key—practice saying it with a quick, sharp vowel.
- "Voila": Though borrowed from French, Brits often say /vwɑːˈlɑː/ (not "voy - lah"). Listen closely to the speaker’s emphasis on the second syllable.
- "pancake": The "a" is short (/ˈpænkeɪk/), not long. Avoid overstretching the vowel to sound more natural.
Use the shadowing technique to mimic these sounds—pause, repeat, and compare your pronunciation to the speaker’s. Over time, you’ll nail the subtleties that make your speech sound native-like.
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.