Shadowing Practice: Don't focus on words or grammar rules (do this instead...) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello!
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Over the next four days, I'm going to share with you my best tips for improving your English speaking.
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Let's get started!
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Hi, and welcome to the Espresso English Podcast, where you can improve your English in just a few minutes a day.
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My name is Shaina, and I'm the teacher at Espresso English.
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Make sure to visit the website, EspressoEnglish .net, where you can get online courses and ebooks that will help you learn English even faster.
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Let's get started with today's lesson.
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Here's one reason it can be hard to speak English.
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You might know a good number of English words, but then it's difficult to put them together into sentences when you speak.
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First of all, it's a lot of work to put together an entire sentence word by word.
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That takes a lot of time and it makes your speaking slow.
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Second, a lot of questions come into your mind.
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Am I using the right words?
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Is the grammar in this phrase correct?
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What if I make a mistake?
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Will the other person laugh at me or not understand what I'm trying to say?
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These doubts and worries can stop you from speaking or make you nervous to try.
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So my first tip that will help you speak English more fluently
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and confidently is not to focus on memorizing words or grammar rules.
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Instead, focus on learning whole phrases.
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Let me show you why this is so powerful.
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Think about one of the first phrases you learned in English.
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Nice to meet you.
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You learned this expression as a complete phrase, so now it's easy to say it automatically.
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Nice to meet you.
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You don't need to think about whether to use the word nice, pleasant, or enjoyable.
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You don't need to debate which tense the verb should be in.
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If it should be to meet, or meeting, or have met, or will meet.
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You don't need to think about any of that.
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You can just say nice to meet you quickly and naturally without worrying about mistakes, just like a native English speaker.
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And the reason is because you learned it as a phrase, a whole phrase, instead of putting together the individual words by yourself.
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So you can get fluent in English faster if you focus on learning phrases, the same phrases that native speakers use every day.
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So how can you learn useful English phrases?
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One way is by watching TV shows and YouTube videos.
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Pay special attention to the phrases that are used in each situation, and write them down to help you remember them.
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A faster, easier way to learn phrases is to take my Everyday English Speaking course,
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because the lessons in this course are based on conversations that happen in day -to -day situations, from shopping to traveling to socializing.
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In this course, you'll learn hundreds of phrases that you can use with confidence, without having to think about how to put the words together.
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You can click on the link in the video description to sign up and start the Everyday English speaking course today.
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That's all for now.
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Remember, focus on learning whole phrases, not just individual words.
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And tomorrow, I'll give you some tips on how to increase your confidence to speak English.
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If you want more great English lessons,
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visit EspressoEnglish .net, where you can sign up by email to receive a free ebook with 500 plus real English phrases.
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You'll also find online courses to help you improve your English fast, even if you don't have much time to study.
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Keep practicing your English and I hope you have a wonderful day!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Don't focus on words or grammar rules”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: English, phrase, word, speaking, meet. This video has 46 sentences and 608 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:49. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| pleasant adjective | /ˈplɛz.ənt/ | Giving pleasure; pleasing in manner. |
| tense noun | /tɛns/ | The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. |
| enjoyable adjective | /ɛnˈd͡ʒɔɪ.ə.bl̩/ | Pleasant, capable of giving pleasure. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
| confidently adverb | /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/ | In a confident manner; with confidence; with strong assurance; positively. |
| fluently adverb | In a fluent manner, as expressing oneself easily, especially in a foreign language. | |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| socialize verb | /ˈsoʊʃəlaɪz/ | To interact with others, especially personally, informally and off the clock rather than formally and officially. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| put together verb | To assemble, construct, build, or formulate. |
| sign up verb | To add a name to the list of people who are participating in something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Let's get started with today's lesson.
- Am I using the right words?
- What if I make a mistake?
- You don't need to think about any of that.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will help · Will the other person laugh · will meet |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to think · need to debate · having to think |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | Am I using · I'm trying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, confidently /ˈkɑnfɪdəntli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like phrase, lesson, grammar.
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.