Shadowing Practice: Do you like garlic? ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Beth.
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It smells delicious, sizzling in oil,
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and it's great for keeping vampires away.
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But don't eat it on a first date.
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I'm talking, of course, about garlic.
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Neil, do you like garlic?
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Oh yes, I love garlic.
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I had a very garlicky meal last night.
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Mmm, I know I can smell it from here.
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Here is Jason Chan, an Australian chef who specialises in Asian cuisine,
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and Paul Eric Jensen, a Danish chef living in France,
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talking about their love of garlic to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.
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I love garlic because it's a versatile ingredient that can be used for cooking and offers various health benefits.
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We use it a lot.
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So from stocks to soups and in vegetable dishes,
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meat dishes, there's very certain a clove of garlic in somewhere.
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Yeah, it's unimaginable not using garlic.
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Jason loves garlic because it's versatile,
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meaning it can be used in many different ways.
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And Paul thinks cooking without garlic is unimaginable,
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meaning it's difficult to imagine because it would be so bad.
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love garlic or hate it.
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In this episode, we'll be finding out more about this versatile, strong-smelling food.
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And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new words and phrases as well.
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And remember, you can find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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Now Beth, I have a question for you.
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It's a little-known fact that of the 600 varieties of garlic,
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many grew only in the former Soviet Union and were unavailable in the West until the fall of communism in the 1990s.
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So, which of the following varieties of garlic grew in the former USSR?
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Is it a rock'n'boll, b fire or c resig?
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Oh, I have no idea.
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I'm going to guess fire.
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OK, we'll find out if you're right at the end of the programme.
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Garlic is much more than just a cooking ingredient.
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For centuries, garlic was an important food throughout ancient Egypt,
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Greece and Rome, as well as India and China.
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It was the Roman Empire that brought garlic to European countries like France.
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And everywhere garlic grew, it was praised for its health-giving powers.
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Here, BBC presenter Rumela Dasgupta asks author
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and garlic expert Robin Cherry about garlic's medicinal uses on BBC World Service's The Food Chain.
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And what kind of illnesses or conditions would they have treated, for instance?
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Everything from cancer, scurvy, the plague,
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respiratory ailments, it was used as an aphrodisiac.
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Garlic was used to treat respiratory ailments.
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An ailment is another word for an illness or minor health problem.
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So a respiratory ailment is an illness of the lungs.
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In ancient Greece, garlic was also used as an aphrodisiac,
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a food or drink believed to increase sexual desire.
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But interestingly, this was the same reason why some cultures avoided eating garlic altogether,
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including a religious group from India called Jains.
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Yes, Jainism is an ancient Indian religion,
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like Hinduism and Buddhism, based on the idea of uhimsa, or non-violence.
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But unlike many Hindus and Buddhists,
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Jain's definition of non-violence includes plants and vegetables.
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Jains don't eat garlic because uprooting the plant kills both it and the soil ecosystem it grows in.
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Here's Sonal Ved, a Mumbai-based cooking show host and author of many books on Indian cuisine,
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explaining another reason why Jains avoid garlic to BBC World Service programme The Food Chain.
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According to Hinduism also, garlic is considered a food which is called the tamasic food.
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It is believed to stimulate desire,
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passion, aggression, and that's why they abstain from eating those kinds of food
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because it is believed to impact your spiritual growth and also your mental clarity.
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Jains abstain from eating garlic.
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If you abstain from doing something,
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you choose not to do it.
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For example, you might abstain from tobacco or alcohol because you know they're bad for your health.
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Like the ancient Greeks, Jains believed that garlic stimulates sexual desire.
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The verb to stimulate means encourage it or cause it to develop and grow.
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Modern medicine has confirmed some of these ancient beliefs about the health benefits of garlic,
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including reduced blood pressure and better gut health.
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OK, Neil, isn't it time you revealed the answer to your question?
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Yes, Beth, I asked you which variety of garlic grew in the former USSR and I said fire.
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Was I right?
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You were absolutely correct.
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Fire or Georgian fire is a hot white garlic from the Republic of Georgia in the former Soviet Union.
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OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned starting with versatile,
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an adjective meaning to have many different purposes or uses.
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The phrase, it's unimaginable, is used to say
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that something is difficult to imagine because it would be so good or so bad.
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An ailment is an illness or health problem.
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An aphrodisiac is a food or drink believed to increase sexual desire.
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If you abstain from something,
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you choose not to do it.
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And finally, to stimulate means to encourage something or cause it to grow.
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Once again, our six minutes are up.
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If you've enjoyed this episode,
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then head over to our website,
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bbclearningenglish.com, where you'll find a quiz and worksheet to practise the vocabulary you've learnt.
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See you again soon but for now it's goodbye.
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Goodbye.

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Context & Background

This episode of 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English presents a lively discussion featuring Neil and Beth as they explore the topic of garlic. With insights from chefs Jason Chan and Paul Eric Jensen, the dialogue emphasizes garlic's versatility as an ingredient and its historical significance. The segment showcases how garlic has been appreciated not only for its culinary applications but also for its health benefits throughout history. This contextual backdrop not only enriches the conversation but also provides learners an opportunity to engage with English in a culturally and historically relevant manner.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “It smells delicious” - A phrase to compliment food, useful in various social situations.
  • “I love garlic” - Expressing personal preferences, particularly about food.
  • “Versatile ingredient” - Describing something useful in many contexts, excellent for IELTS speaking practice.
  • “Difficult to imagine” - A phrase that indicates disbelief or difficulty in understanding a situation.
  • “Respiratory ailment” - Technical vocabulary that can enhance your English proficiency when discussing health.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively use the shadowing technique while practicing this episode, follow these steps:

  1. Watch the video once without pausing. Get a sense of the flow of conversation and the speakers' accents.
  2. Listen to short clips (1–2 minutes at a time). Use a shadowing app or player that allows you to repeat segments easily.
  3. Repeat phrases aloud as you hear them. Focus on the intonation and rhythm of the speech, mimicking their shadow speech as closely as possible.
  4. Record yourself while shadowing. Playback the recording to assess your pronunciation and fluency; listen for clarity and emotional expression.
  5. Engage in conversations using the new phrases learned. Practicing them in real-life scenarios or with peers can significantly boost your confidence in speaking.

This method is particularly beneficial for learners looking to enhance their speaking skills for examinations like the IELTS. Remember, consistency is key, so practice regularly and integrate this method into your daily language exercises. Engaging in shadowspeak with enjoyable topics, like garlic, can make the learning process more effective and enjoyable!

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.

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