Shadowing Practice: Earthquakes Conversation| Learn Real English Conversations - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey, check this out.
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Hey, check this out.
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You know what Eric asked me when I got into work this morning?
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I have no idea.
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What did he ask you?
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He asked me if I felt the earthquake last night.
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Earthquake?
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You've got to be kidding.
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I didn't feel an earthquake.
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I know.
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That's what I said.
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He told me it actually woke him up last night.
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What?
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Yeah.
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It happened at like 4.42 in the morning,
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so we must have been sleeping.
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But, I mean, it's possible that even if we had been awake,
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we might not have felt it because maybe it wasn't felt this far north.
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But, I mean, I thought he was pulling my leg when he first talked about it.
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Well, I guess that's not so far-fetched considering we live on a major fault line here.
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Yeah, but actually I think this earthquake was on a different fault line.
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because Eric lives just south of San Jose.
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Yeah.
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And the earthquake, he said,
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was due east of San Jose.
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So he was obviously a lot closer to the epicenter than we were.
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So I'm not even sure it was felt here.
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Yeah, that makes sense.
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Well, you know, I've experienced quite a few earthquakes in the past several years,
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but I've been living here now a little over two years.
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I think I've only experienced one here.
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It was really strange too.
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I was, each, I should say each earthquake has been a completely different experience,
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but the one I, the one I felt here,
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I was standing outside a restaurant talking to AJ and another friend
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and all of a sudden it just felt like this shift.
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It's really hard to explain,
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but it made me think of like a cartoon,
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like how in the cartoon,
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like buildings might just shift to the right and then shift right back.
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Yeah, without falling.
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Yeah, without falling.
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And I had no idea what was going on for a few minutes afterwards.
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And then I realized, oh,
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that must have been an earthquake.
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Yeah, you know what I usually notice?
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The times that I've been at home here,
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and there's been an earthquake,
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it's almost as if there's this really big train or like a gigantic Mack truck
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going by and suddenly I start to hear the heater shaking
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and it's like the noise is like is loud for like a second and then it's gone.
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That's so weird.
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You know, it's almost like the first couple of times I felt it.
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I wasn't even aware it was an earthquake while it was happening.
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Well, that's so funny you say that because one that I experienced in Bangkok,
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it actually was after the tsunami and so later I found out
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that it was it was aftershock from the tsunami
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but anyway I was in a building up on the ninth floor
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and suddenly there was all this rattling and I'm thinking to myself it just it was so irrational I'm thinking to myself,
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God, there's like a train going by and I can't believe that this building is shaking so much from the train.
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And of course, a train wouldn't have made a building
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or at least me up on the ninth floor feel something to that effect.
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And I think it happened about two times.
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And that one wasn't until several days later when I was talking to people and they were like,
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oh, you feel the earthquake then it dawned on me oh
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that was an earthquake yeah it was no it's uh it's crazy how
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when you're not used to feeling them you could think it's
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something else yeah i mean yeah totally i've been living here for a
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while now and i've definitely felt my share of earthquakes i mean you know
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when you live here it's a given
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that you're going to experience earthquakes you just hope
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that you're not going to be here for the big one you know right when i first moved here.
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It was about five years after the Loma Prieta earthquake,
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which was a very big earthquake here.
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And there are a lot of people who lived here who
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I met who had actually been living in the area when the earthquake hit.
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So it was interesting to get their perspective.
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And it also made me remember where I was when I heard about the Loma Prieta earthquake.
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I was watching the World Series on TV and it was taking place in San Francisco.
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So as I'm watching it,
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suddenly the announcer starts saying,
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wow, I think we're feeling an earthquake here.
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And the cameras started shaking and all of a sudden the TV coverage cut out.
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So, you know, I wanted to get a rundown of what happened.
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So I turned to the news station
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and within a few minutes they were discussing this gigantic earthquake
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that had hit San Francisco
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and they started showing pictures maybe 30 minutes later of these
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people who were trying to weed through the rubble of these buildings
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that had been like coming down
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so I mean it was it was pretty scary I'll tell
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you yeah you know yeah well um you know the three
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months I was living in Japan I experienced two both of
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those were very different uh very different from the one I'd experienced here
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and also very different from the one in Bangkok
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but one of them I was actually up in my apartment
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which was on the fifth floor of a building
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and I was woken up at about five o'clock in the morning to the building swaying
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And because earthquakes are like a dime a dozen in Japan,
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they've built a lot of their buildings to absorb the shock.
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So that's why it was swaying.
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It was a very surreal feel.
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Hi, this is Kristen Dodds.
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And this is Joe Weiss.
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And we just wanted to let you know that this material is copyrighted in the year 2008 by Learn Real English, LLC.
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www.learnrealenglish.com

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice real English conversations centered around the topic of earthquakes. You will engage with a dialogue that illustrates how people discuss unforeseen events, such as natural disasters, making it relatable and relevant for everyday communication. This conversation style is not only practical for casual talks but also beneficial for IELTS speaking practice, where authentic conversational skills can set you apart. By immersing yourself in this dialogue, you will enhance your ability to express thoughts and experiences clearly.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Earthquake - A sudden shaking of the ground caused by movement of tectonic plates.
  • Epicenter - The point on the Earth's surface directly above where an earthquake originates.
  • Fault line - A crack in the Earth's surface where tectonic plates meet, often associated with earthquakes.
  • Woke up - The action of becoming awake from sleep, often due to a disturbance.
  • Felt it - A phrase used to describe the sensory experience of an earthquake.
  • Shift - A sudden movement, which in the context of an earthquake refers to the movement of the ground.
  • Pulling my leg - An idiom meaning to tease or joke with someone.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this lesson, consider using the shadowing technique while watching the video. This involves listening closely to the conversation and repeating what you hear in real-time. As you practice with the dialogue, pay attention to the pace and intonation of the speakers. This conversational style is relatively casual and can vary in speed, so don’t hesitate to pause and repeat sections to improve your English pronunciation.

When practicing, focus on imitating the emotional tones and inflections used by the speakers. This will not only help you with pronunciation but also enhance your ability to communicate effectively in similar situations. Since this conversation covers feelings and experiences related to earthquakes, think about your own experiences to add depth to your practice. Incorporating personal anecdotes when practicing can help solidify your learning and make the language feel more natural.

Additionally, utilizing resources like learn English with YouTube videos can support your journey. The more exposure you have to natural conversation, the easier it will be for you to engage in dialog confidently, whether in casual settings or during formal examinations like the IELTS.

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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