Shadowing Practice: Downsizing: Talking Dad into Selling the Family Home - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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1
There she is! Coffee's on, and I made your favorite muffins.
2
Thanks, Dad. Um, there's something I've been meaning to bring up.
3
That sounds ominous. Should I be sitting down for this?
4
Oh, come on, you're already sitting down. That's a good start.
5
Well... it's about the house. And the stairs, mainly.
6
Ugh. This is about my little tumble last month, isn't it?
7
A little tumble? Dad, you were on the floor for an hour!
8
If Mrs. Patel hadn't dropped by, who knows what would've happened?
9
I appreciate the concern, but I'm hardly an invalid.
10
I've climbed those stairs every single day for forty years.
11
I know, and nobody's saying you can't look after yourself.
12
It's just that this place is a lot to keep on top of.
13
Your mother planted those roses the summer we moved in.
14
Every corner of this place has a story attached to it.
15
Oh, Dad. I miss her too... more than I let on.
16
But selling the house doesn't mean letting go of her.
17
Hmm, doesn't it? It certainly feels that way, sweetheart.
18
So, what if we looked at somewhere smaller, closer to us?
19
There's a lovely two-bedroom place ten minutes from our house.
20
Ten minutes? You'd be sick of me within a week!
21
Ha, probably. But the kids would be over the moon.
22
And the garage? It's packed to the rafters with forty years of junk.
23
We'll sort through it together. Ruthlessly, I might add.
24
Well... I'm not promising anything, you understand.
25
But I suppose there's no harm in taking a look.
26
Really? Oh, Dad, that means the world to me!
27
Now, don't get ahead of yourself. I'm only looking.
28
Fair enough. Looking is all I'm asking for.
29
And the roses come with me. That's non-negotiable.
30
Deal. We'll find you a place with a proper garden.
31
Good. Your mother would have approved, you know.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Downsizing: Talking Dad into Selling the Family Home”. This video has 31 sentences and 313 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:22. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 9 of its 31 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| forty adjective | /ˈfoɹti/ | Resembling or characteristic of a fort. |
| stairs noun | /ˈstɛɹz/ | A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors. |
| harm noun | /hɑːm/ | Physical injury; hurt; damage. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| garage noun | /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ | A building (or section of a building) used to store a car or cars, tools and other miscellaneous items. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| approve verb | /əˈpɹuːv/ | To officially sanction; to ratify; to confirm; to set as satisfactory. |
| junk noun | /d͡ʒʌŋk/ | Miscellaneous items of little value, especially discarded or unwanted items. |
| attach verb | /əˈtæt͡ʃ/ | To fasten, to join to (literally and figuratively). |
| sweetheart noun | /ˈswiːtˌhɑːt/ | A person who is always very kind. |
| tumble verb | /ˈtʌmbl̩/ | To fall end over end; to roll over and over. |
| muffin noun | /ˈmʌf.ɪn/ | A type of flattish bun, usually cut in two horizontally, toasted and spread with butter, etc., before being eaten. |
| negotiable adjective | /nɪˈɡoʊʃəbəl/ | Able to be traversed; navigable. |
| ominous adjective | /ˈɑmɪnəs/ | Of or pertaining to an omen or to omens; being or exhibiting an omen; significant. |
| rafter noun | /ˈɹɑːftəː/ | One of a series of sloped beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the downslope perimeter or eave, designed to support the roof deck and its associated… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring up verb | To mention. |
| get ahead of verb | To take preemptive action before a potential development becomes reality. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
| sort through verb | To look through (a collection of documents, facts, etc.) to make sense of them or put them in order. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Coffee's on, and I made your favorite muffins.
- Should I be sitting down for this?
- This is about my little tumble last month, isn't it?
- Patel hadn't dropped by, who knows what would've happened?
- I appreciate the concern, but I'm hardly an invalid.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, doesn't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, negotiable /nɪˈɡoʊʃəbəl/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like forty, stairs, harm.
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.