Shadowing Practice: Duncan Laurence - Arcade - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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A broken
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heart is all that's left I'm still fixing all the cracks Lost a couple of pieces when
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I carried it, carried it,
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carried it home I'm afraid of all I am My mind feels like a foreign land
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Silence ringing inside my head Please carry me, carry me, carry me home
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I've spent all of the love I saved We were always a losing game Small town boy in a big arcade
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I got addicted to a losing game Oh,
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oh, oh, oh All I know,
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all I know Loving you is a losing game How many pennies in the slot?
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Giving us up didn't take a lot I saw the end before it be gone Still I carry it up,
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carry it up, carry on Oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh All I know,
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all I know Loving you is a losing game Oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh All I know,
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all I know That loving you is a losing game I don't need your games,
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game over Get me off this rollercoaster Oh,
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oh, oh, oh All I know,
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all I know Loving you is a losing game Oh,
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oh, oh, oh All I know,
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all I know Loving you is a losing game

Exploring a Relatable Emotional Scenario

The video captures a raw, personal moment of heartbreak, where the speaker reflects on a failed relationship using vivid metaphors like a "broken heart" and a "losing game." This scenario mirrors real-life conversations where people share vulnerability, making it ideal for english speaking practice. The slow, emotional pace of the dialogue allows learners to focus on intonation and stress, key for sounding natural in discussions about feelings—useful even for IELTS speaking practice, which often includes personal topics.

Essential Chunks & Collocations to Master

Memorize these common word groups to boost fluency:

  • "A broken heart is all that's left" – A natural way to express emotional loss.
  • "I got addicted to a losing game" – Uses metaphor to describe unhealthy attachment.
  • "Giving us up didn't take a lot" – Casual phrasing for ending a relationship easily.
  • "Get me off this rollercoaster" – A vivid idiom for seeking escape from chaos.
  • "Silence ringing inside my head" – Creative collocation to describe overwhelming quiet.

These chunks work in daily conversations and formal settings like IELTS speaking practice, as they add depth to your speech.

Your Shadowing Challenge: Practice Now

Ready to try the shadowing technique? Here's your task: Play the video, pause after each line, and repeat it aloud immediately, matching the speaker's tone and rhythm. This shadow speech exercise trains your mouth to move like a native and improves listening comprehension. For english speaking practice, focus on the line "Loving you is a losing game"—notice how the stress falls on "loving" and "losing" to emphasize emotion. If you need a shadowing site to slow down the audio, use free tools that let you adjust playback speed. Do this for 5 minutes daily, and you’ll soon notice smoother speech and better intonation.

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 →