Shadowing Practice: Effortless English level 1|| lesson 4 CHANGED |Learn English everyday - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Changed.
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Dear Abby, My husband of 39 years no longer hugs me or shows me any affection.
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I have seen him through cancer and diabetes.
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We have four grown children, and we have been seeing a therapist for a year and a half.
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He is kind, generous, and friendly,
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but there are no compliments or any of the flirtatious banter we used to enjoy.
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He swears he's not having an affair, and he doesn't know why he has changed.
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Perhaps you do.
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Signed, Grace in Phoenix.
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Hello, this is AJ.
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Welcome to the vocabulary lesson for changed.
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Okay, let's start.
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In the beginning, the woman writes, My husband of 39 years,
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so they have been married 39 years.
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My husband of 39 years no longer hugs me.
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No longer means not anymore.
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No longer means in the past, yes.
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In the past, he did it.
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In the past, he did.
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But now, he does not.
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So, he no longer hugs me.
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Hugs, hugs means holds, H -O -L -D, right?
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Hug means to hold someone that you like or love, to hug.
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Okay, so her husband does not hug her anymore.
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No longer hugs me or shows me any affection.
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Affection.
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Affection means kindness, love.
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Usually, affection means touching, touching somehow.
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Maybe kissing.
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Maybe hugging.
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Maybe holding.
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Those are all affection.
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Affection.
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So affection means how you show your love.
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Kissing, hugging, holding hands.
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Those are all affection.
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Okay, so no more affection from him.
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She says, I have seen him through cancer and diabetes.
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Diabetes is a blood sugar disease,
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blood sugar disease, blood sugar problem.
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Cancer, you probably know cancer.
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Cancer is a serious disease, serious disease, hard to cure.
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Cure is C -U -R -E, C -U -R -E.
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So cancer is hard to cure, difficult to cure.
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So her husband in the past, in the past, he had cancer and diabetes.
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She says, I have seen him through, seen him through cancer and diabetes.
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Okay, to see someone through means you helped them with,
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right?
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It means you stayed with them.
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You stayed with them and you helped them
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so I have seen him through cancer means I stayed with him
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and helped him when he had cancer okay when he had cancer I did not leave.
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I stayed and I helped him.
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That's what see him through or seen him through means.
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For example, I might say,
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my mom saw me through many diseases.
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When I was a child,
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I was sick my mom saw me through those diseases right
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she stayed with me she took care of me she helped me she saw me through okay
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so this wife saw him through cancer
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and diabetes she stayed with him she helped him learn the whole phrase to see someone through.
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Don't worry about each word.
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If each word you think, oh, I don't understand.
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Right?
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Just remember the whole phrase,
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the three words together, to see someone through something, some problem.
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See someone through a problem.
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Okay.
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She says, we have four grown children okay the children are older now they're adults
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and we have been seeing a therapist for a year and a half a therapist a therapist is a professional
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helper.
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Maybe a psychologist.
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Maybe a family counselor.
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So a therapist helps you with your problems.
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You talk to them and they help you.
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So maybe if you feel bad, you say, oh, I feel bad.
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I'm sad and the therapist talks to you helps you feel better
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so the husband
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and the wife are going to a therapist seeing a therapist seeing here seeing means meeting,
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M -E -E -T, meeting or going to.
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So sometimes the verb see has a different meaning.
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It means to meet or to go to.
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Sometimes it means to date, like a man and a woman.
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I say I'm seeing her, means I'm dating her, going with her, I'm meeting her a lot.
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So they're meeting a therapist a lot.
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They're seeing a therapist.
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They started a year and a half ago.
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They go, they say, we have problems, please help us.
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Okay.
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So then she says, he is kind, generous, and friendly.
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Okay, so her husband is nice.
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But there are no compliments.
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Compliments.
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Compliments.
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A compliment is a nice word or sentence about someone.
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You say something nice to someone.
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For example, you say, oh, you are very beautiful.
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That sentence, you are very beautiful, that is a compliment.
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It's something nice you say to another person.
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It's a compliment
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so her husband does not say nice things
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to her now not anymore no more compliments
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and also she says there are no compliments
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or any of the flirtatious banter we used to enjoy banter banter means fun conversation
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Not serious, not serious.
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Banter is not serious conversation.
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Banter is fun conversation and maybe funny conversation.
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Flirtatious, okay, this comes from flirt.
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Flirt, to flirt, a verb,
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to flirt means to attract the opposite sex.
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For example, a man talks to a woman because she is beautiful.
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He says, oh, I like you.
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You are pretty.
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Come to dinner with me.
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We call that flirting.
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Flirting.
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Talking to someone you want a date with.
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Talking to someone you are attracted to.
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Someone you like.
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So flirtatious is an adjective.
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So flirtatious banter, the phrase.
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Flirtatious banter means fun conversation about dating
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or about affection or maybe about sex.
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That's flirtatious banter.
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It's playing, playing with conversation with someone you like.
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Maybe husband and wife, maybe woman and man.
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We call that flirtatious banter, kind of fun conversation between a man and a woman.
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Okay, but that's not happening now.
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Finally, last paragraph, she says.
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He swears he's not having an affair.
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Okay, the verb, to swear.
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To swear, here, to swear means to promise. To promise.
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So he promises he's not having an affair.
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He swears.
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Swear has another meaning. So be careful.
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Swear also means to say bad words like shit.
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If you say shit, then you are swearing.
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So that's the second meaning.
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But here, swear means to promise. To promise.
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He promises.
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He swears.
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He's not having an affair.
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Okay, an affair.
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An affair means dating another person when you are married.
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So if you are married,
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but you have another girlfriend or boyfriend,
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then you are having an affair.
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Okay, so an affair means seeing an extra girlfriend or boyfriend or meeting an extra girlfriend or boyfriend.
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That's having an affair.
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We use the verb have.
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Having an affair.
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So he promises he's not having an affair.
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He doesn't have another woman.
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And he doesn't know why he has changed.
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He doesn't know why he's not showing affection.
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He's not fun with his wife anymore.
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He doesn't know why.
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And then finally she says, perhaps you do you meaning Abby or us
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People reading the letter.
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Perhaps we know.
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It's got a question.
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Okay, that is all.
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That is all of the vocabulary.
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She signs this, Grace in Phoenix.
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Grace is a woman's name.
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Okay, Grace is a name.
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Phoenix is a city.
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Phoenix.
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Phoenix, Arizona.
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Arizona is the state.
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Phoenix is the city, and Phoenix,
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Arizona, is in the southwest part of the United States.
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She lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Okay, that is all of the vocabulary lesson.
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Listen to it many times.
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Bye.
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Hello?
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So welcome to mini story A, mini story A for changed.
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In this mini story I will ask questions you know.
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Okay, questions about the letter that you know.
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Let's start.
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There is a woman. Where does she live?
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Where did she live?
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Let's practice past.
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Where did this woman live?
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Well, she lived in Phoenix.
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She lived in Phoenix.
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Did Did she live in Phoenix, Texas?
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No, Phoenix isn't in Texas.
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Did she live in Phoenix, Arizona?
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Yes, she did.
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She lived in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Who lived in Phoenix, Arizona?
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Grace, right?
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Her name is Grace.
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Grace lived in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Did she live in Phoenix, Arizona or Tucson, Arizona?
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Well, she lived in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Grace lived in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Did Grace have a problem?
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Did Grace have a problem?
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Yes, she had a problem.
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Did she have a problem with her children?
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No, no. She didn't have a problem with her children.
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Did she have a problem with her mom?
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No, she didn't have a problem with her mom.
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Did she have a problem with her husband?
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Yes, she had a problem with her husband.
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What problem did she have with her husband?
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Ah, no affection.
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He didn't show her any affection.
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Did he show her affection?
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No, he didn't.
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He didn't show her any affection.
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Did he show her a little affection?
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No, he didn't.
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He didn't show her any affection.
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Did he show her a lot of affection?
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No, no, none, zero.
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He didn't show her any affection.
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Who didn't show her any affection?
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Uh -huh.
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Her husband, yeah.
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Her husband didn't show her any affection.
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Did she want her husband to show her affection? Of course.
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Of course she did.
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Yes.
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Definitely.
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Yes.
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She wanted her husband to show her affection.
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Was she happy about her husband?
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No, she wasn't happy.
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Was she sad about her husband?
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Yeah, yeah, she was sad about her husband.
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Why was she sad about her husband because he didn't show her any affection.
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She was sad because he didn't show her any affection.
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She saw him through cancer and diabetes.
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Did she see him through cancer?
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Yes, she saw him through cancer.
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Did she see him through a heart attack?
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No, no, no. Not a heart attack.
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She didn't see him through a heart attack.
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She saw him through cancer and diabetes.
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Did he have cancer and diabetes in the past?
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Yes, yes, he did.
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In In the past, he had cancer and diabetes.
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Did she see him through cancer and diabetes?
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Yes, yes she did.
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Did she stay with him when he was sick?
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That's right, yes she did.
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She stayed with him when he was sick.
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Did she leave him when he was sick?
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No, she didn't leave him when he was sick.
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She stayed with him when he was sick.
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When he was sick, did she stay or did she leave?
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Ah, she stayed, right?
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She's a great wife.
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She stayed with him when he was sick.
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How long have they been married?
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Hmm, 39 years, right?
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She said 39 years.
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They have been married 39 years.
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Have they been married 37 years?
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No, they haven't been married 37 years.
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Have they been married 37 years or have they been married 39 years?
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That's right, 39.
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They have been married 39 years.
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Have they been married 39 years?
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Yes, exactly.
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They have been married 39 years.
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When did they get married?
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When did they get married?
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They got married 39 years ago.
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So, did they get married 38 years ago?
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No, no, no, no, not 38.
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They got married 39 years ago.
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They got married 39 years ago.
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Are they still married now?
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Yes, they are still married.
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They are married now.
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Okay. Who are they seeing?
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They are seeing a therapist.
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Are they seeing a doctor?
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No, they're not seeing a doctor.
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Are they seeing a therapist?
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Yes, they are seeing a therapist.
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Are they meeting with a therapist or are they meeting with a doctor?
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Well, they are meeting with a therapist.
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They are seeing a therapist.
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They are meeting with a therapist.
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How long have they been meeting with a therapist?
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For a year and a half.
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Who have they been seeing for a year and a half?
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They have been seeing a therapist for a year and a half.
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Have they been meeting with a doctor for a year and a half?
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Nope, not a doctor.
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Have they been meeting with a therapist for a year and a half?
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Yes who has been meeting with a therapist for a year
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and a half well grace and her husband the husband
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and wife have been meeting with a therapist for a year and and a half.
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Does the husband, did the husband, compliment Grace?
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No, he didn't compliment her anymore.
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Who didn't compliment Grace anymore?
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Well, her husband, right?
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Her husband didn't compliment her anymore.
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Did she want her husband to compliment her?
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Yes, of course, definitely.
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Definitely, she wanted her husband to compliment her,
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but he didn't compliment her anymore anymore.
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Was Grace happy or was Grace sad because her husband didn't compliment her anymore?
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Well, sad, of course.
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She was sad.
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She was sad because her husband didn't compliment her anymore.
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Was her husband having an affair?
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Hmm.
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No, no. No, he wasn't having an affair.
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Well, he said he wasn't having an affair.
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Who wasn't having an affair?
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Grace's husband.
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Grace's husband wasn't having an affair.
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Did he swear that he wasn't having an affair?
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Yes, that's right.
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He swore, swore, past tense, he swore he wasn't having an affair.
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Did he promise he wasn't having an affair?
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Yes, he promised he wasn't having an affair.
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What did he promise?
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He promised he wasn't having an affair. Who did he promise?
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He promised grace, right?
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He promised grace that he wasn't having an affair.
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Okay.
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That is all of mini story A.
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Listen to it many, many times.
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Listen to it every day.
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Do this for two weeks or more.
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And, of course, answer every question.
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Okay.
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Bye -bye.
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okay welcome to mini story b for changed in this mini story
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i will ask questions you know and i will also ask questions you don't know
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if you don't know the answer you must guess you must guess okay let's start
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what was the woman's name
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oh that's easy her name was grace right grace the woman's name was grace face.
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What was her husband's name?
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Was it Buford or Tom?
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Her husband's name was Buford.
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Of course, her husband's name was Buford.
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What was her name?
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Her name was Grace.
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And what was his name?
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His name was Buford.
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Buford and Grace had been married 39 years.
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But they had a problem.
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What was their problem?
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No affection, right.
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No more affection.
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Their problem was that there was no affection from Buford. Who didn't show affection?
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Ah, Buford.
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Buford didn't show affection.
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What didn't Buford do?
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Hmm.
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Buford didn't show affection.
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When didn't Buford show affection?
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Well, never, never did he show affection in the morning.
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No, he didn't show affection in the morning.
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Did he show affection at night?
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No, he didn't show affection at night.
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Did he show affection in the afternoon?
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No, he didn't.
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Buford never showed affection to Grace. Where did they live?
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They lived in Phoenix, Arizona.
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Did he show affection to Grace in Phoenix?
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No, he didn't.
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Did he show affection to Grace in San Francisco?
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Nope.
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No, not in San Francisco.
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He never showed affection to grace.
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How many children did they have?
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They had four children.
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Did they have two children?
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No, they had four children children.
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Were they seeing a therapist?
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Yes, they were seeing a therapist.
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What was the therapist's name?
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The therapist's name was Dr. Phil.
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Was the therapist's name Dr. Phil?
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Yes, the therapist's name was Dr. Phil. Who was the therapist?
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The therapist was Dr. Dr. Phil,
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what did the therapist tell Buford and Grace?
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Ah, Dr. Phil told Buford and Grace to go to a nude beach.
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Nude, N -U -D -E.
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Nude means no clothes, no clothes,
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not wearing clothes, no shirts, no pants, nothing.
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Nude, nude, no clothes.
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And a beach, B -E -A -C -H, right?
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Beach has sand and sun and water, right?
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Next to the ocean.
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Next to the ocean.
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So a nude beach is a beach where people do not wear clothes.
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No clothes.
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Oh, so Dr. Phil told them to go to a nude beach.
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Where did Dr. Phil tell them to go?
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He told them to go to a nude beach.
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Who did Dr. Phil tell to go to a nude beach?
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Ah, Grace and Buford.
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He told Grace and Buford to go to a nude beach.
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When did he want them to go?
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Ah, he wanted them to go on New Year's Day.
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New Year's Day.
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Okay, it's January 1st. January number one, right?
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January 1st.
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He wanted them to go to a nude beach on January 1st.
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Which nude beach did he want them to go to?
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Hmm.
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Did he want them to go to a Los Angeles nude beach or to an Alaska nude beach?
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Of course, Alaska, Alaska, you know, very cold.
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Is Alaska hot or is Alaska cold?
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Alaska is very cold.
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Right?
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Next to Canada.
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It's very cold.
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Did he want them to go to a nude beach in Alaska?
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Yes, he did.
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Dr. Phil wanted them to go to a nude beach in Alaska.
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Hmm.
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When did Dr. Phil want them to go to a nude beach in Alaska?
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Ah, New Year's Day,
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January 1st. Dr. Phil wanted them to go to a nude beach in Alaska on January 1st.
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Who did Dr. Phil want to go to Alaska to a nude beach on January 1st?
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Ah, Buford and Grace.
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He wanted Buford and Grace to go to a nude beach in Alaska on January 1st.
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Do they wear clothes at a nude beach?
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no no no one wears clothes at a nude beach or on a nude beach do people wear shirts on a nude beach?
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No, no, no, no, no. Do people wear pants on a nude beach?
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No. Do people wear socks on a nude beach?
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S -O -X, socks.
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No. Do people wear underwear?
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Underwear.
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Do people wear underwear on a nude beach?
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No. People do not wear underwear on a nude beach. Are people naked?
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N -A -K -E -D.
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Are people naked on a nude beach?
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Yes.
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Yes, they are.
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They are naked.
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They have no clothes.
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Why did Dr. Phil want them to go to a nude beach in Alaska on January 1st?
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Why?
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Obviously, because it's very, very cold cold? Because it's very cold.
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Why does, why did, I'm sorry,
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why did Dr. Phil want them to be cold?
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Why did Dr. Phil want them to be cold on a nude beach?
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Ah, obviously, so they would hug each other.
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Ah, very obvious, obviously, so they would hug each other.
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If they were cold, then they would hug each other.
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If they are cold, then they will hug each other.
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Dr. Phil wanted them to go to a nude beach in Alaska on January 1st
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because they would be cold and then they would hug each other.
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Ah, ha, ha.
459
Interesting.
460
Did Dr. Phil want them to hug each other?
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Yes.
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Yes, he did.
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Did Dr. Phil want them to hug each other in Alaska?
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Yes, he did.
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Where did Dr. Phil want them to hug? In Alaska.
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He wanted them to hug each other in Alaska.
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Who did he want to hug each other? in Alaska on January 1st. Who?
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Buford and Grace.
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Dr. Phil wanted Buford and Grace to hug each other on a nude beach in Alaska on January 1st.
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did this help Buford and Grace
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yes it did it helped Buford
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and Grace did it solve their problem solve s o l v e solve
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Did it solve their problem?
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Yes, yes, they hugged each other on the nude beach in Alaska on January 1st.
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Yay, they hugged each other.
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Are they happy now?
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Now, right?
478
Are they happy now?
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yes now they are happy now Buford and Grace are happy again okay that's all
480
listen to this mini story several times many many times answer all the questions okay see you next time bye bye
481
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Effortless English level 1|”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: affection, grace, nude, beach, husband. This video has 481 sentences and 3287 words to shadow. The speech runs for 47:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 69 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 117 of its 481 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| affection noun | /əˈfɛk.ʃən/ | The act of affecting or acting upon. |
| nude adjective | /n(j)uːd/ | Of a color (such as beige or tan) that evokes bare flesh. |
| therapist noun | /ˈθɛɹəpɪst/ | Someone who provides therapy, usually professionally. |
| affair noun | /əˈfɛɹ/ | Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public. |
| compliment noun | /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ | An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect. |
| diabetes noun | /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz/ | Diabetes mellitus; any of a group of metabolic diseases whereby a person (or other animal) has high blood sugar due to an inability to produce, or inability to… |
| hug verb | /hʌɡ/ | To cling closely together. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| flirt verb | /flɚt/ | To throw (something) with a jerk or sudden movement; to fling. |
| solve verb | /sɒlv/ | To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out. |
| cure verb | /kjɔː/ | To restore to health. |
| underwear noun | /ˈʌndɚˌwɛɹ/ | Clothes worn next to the skin, underneath outer clothing. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| naked adjective | /ˈneɪkɪd/ | Bare, not covered by clothing. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- If each word you think, oh, I don't understand.
- It's something nice you say to another person.
- It's playing, playing with conversation with someone you like.
- Who didn't show her any affection?
- Who wasn't having an affair?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been seeing · have they been meeting · have they been seeing |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If they were cold, then they would hug · If they are cold, then they will hug |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to enjoy |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have seen · has changed · have been |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 60 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, wasn't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: therapist /ˈθɛɹəpɪst/, cloth /klɒθ/, southwest /saʊθˈwɛst/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: affection /əˈfɛk.ʃən/, flirtatious /flɚˈteɪʃəs/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/
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 affection, nude, therapist.
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.