Shadowing Practice: Effortless English - Longtime Affair - Mini story - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello.
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Hello.
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Welcome to the mini-story for the Longtime Affair lesson.
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Let's get started.
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First, the mini-story.
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There is a very small man named Jim.
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Jim is only one foot tall.
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Even though Jim is 48 years old, people always perceive him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public, Jim is a cute little boy.
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Jim hates this.
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He says, I want people to accept me as I really am.
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I want them to give me unconditional respect.
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I don't want people to go on treating me like a child.
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So Jim goes to the gym and exercises every day.
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He becomes very strong.
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He also learns kickboxing.
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One day a tall man sees him, laughs, and says, you're such a cute little man.
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Ha ha ha.
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Jim gets angry.
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He yells and he kicks the man.
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They start fighting.
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The fight lasts for 20 hours.
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The men's heads and legs and arms become intertwined.
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They fall down.
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Jim finally breaks away from the man.
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Then he jumps up, kicks him in the head, and the man falls down.
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Jim wins the fight and yells, no matter how you slice it, I just kicked your ass.
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All right, back to the beginning, this time with questions.
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Here we go.
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There is a very small man named Jim.
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Is there a small woman named Jim?
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No, there's not a small woman named Jim, there's a small man named Jim.
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Jim is only one foot tall.
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How old is Jim?
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Well, Jim is 48 years old.
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Even though he's 48 years old, people always perceive him as a child.
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Is Jim a child?
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No, he's not a child.
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People perceive him as a child.
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They see him as a child, they see him and they think, oh, he's a cute little child, but he's not really a child.
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Is Jim a child or a man?
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Well, Jim is a man.
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Do people perceive him as a child or a man?
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Well, people perceive him as a child.
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Who do people perceive as a child?
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Well, people perceive Jim as a child.
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Do people perceive Jim as a big, strong man?
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No, they don't perceive him as a big, strong man.
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They don't see him as a big, strong man.
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They perceive him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public, Jim is a cute little boy.
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In the eyes of the public, is Jim a strong man?
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No, in the eyes of the public, in the public's opinion, in most people's opinion, Jim is a cute little boy.
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In the eyes of the public, is George Bush a cute little boy?
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No, no, in the eyes of the public, George Bush is not a cute little boy.
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In the eyes of the public, Jim is a cute little boy.
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In the eyes of his father, is Jim a cute little boy?
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No, no, his father doesn't think he's a little boy now.
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His father knows he's a man, a good, strong man.
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In the eyes of his father, Jim is a real man.
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But in the eyes of the public, Jim is a cute little boy.
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All right.
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Jim hates this.
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He hates people's perception.
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He hates what people think about him.
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He says, I want people to accept me as I really am.
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I want them to give me unconditional respect.
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Does Jim want total respect from everybody?
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Yes, that's right.
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He wants unconditional respect from everybody.
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Does Jim want unconditional love from everybody?
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No, Jim doesn't want unconditional love.
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He doesn't want them to totally love him always.
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He wants unconditional respect.
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He wants people to always respect him in all situations, all the time.
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He wants unconditional respect.
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Who wants unconditional respect?
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Well Jim wants unconditional respect.
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Why does he want unconditional respect?
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Well, he wants unconditional respect because people perceive him as a child.
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He doesn't like this.
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He wants unconditional respect.
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He doesn't want people to go on treating him like a child.
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He says, I don't want people to go on treating me like a child.
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Does he want people to continue to see him as a child?
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No, he doesn't want people to go on seeing him as a child.
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Does he want people to go on seeing him as a little weak person?
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No, he does not want people to continue doing that.
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He does not want people to go on doing that.
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Does he want people to go on treating him, seeing him like a big, strong person?
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Well, he does want that, but people don't do that, so they can't go on doing that, right?
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It can't continue because it's not happening already.
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It's not possible.
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They can't go on doing something if they aren't already doing it.
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To go on means to continue doing something that is already happening.
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So he says, I don't want people to go on treating me like a child.
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Treating him like a child.
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Do they treat him like an adult?
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No, they do not treat him like an adult.
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Do they treat him like a serious person?
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No, they don't treat him like a serious person.
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How do people treat Jim?
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Well, people treat Jim like a child.
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They pretend he's a child, right?
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They behave as if he was a child.
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They treat him like a child.
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Do they treat him badly in a very cruel, mean, bad way?
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Well, no, they don't really treat him badly.
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They just treat him like a child.
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They don't respect him.
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They treat him like a child.
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And so Jim gets upset.
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He goes to the gym to work out every day.
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He exercises every day.
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He becomes very, very strong.
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He also learns kickboxing.
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One day, a tall man sees him and laughs and says, ha ha ha.
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such a cute little man.
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Jim gets very angry.
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He yells and he kicks the man.
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They start fighting.
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The fight lasts for 20 hours.
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Does the fight last for 15 hours?
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No, it does not last for 15 hours.
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Does the fight last for 10 hours?
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No, the fight does not last for 10 hours, does not last for 15 hours.
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How long does the fight last?
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Well the fight lasts, the fight continues for 20 hours.
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How long is the fight?
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Well, the fight is 20 hours long.
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The fight lasts for 20 hours.
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What lasts for 20 hours?
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Well, the fight lasts for 20 hours.
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The men's hands and legs become intertwined during the fight and they fall down.
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Do their hands and legs become wrapped around each other, connected to each other?
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Yes, that's right.
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Their hands and legs become intertwined.
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They are wrapped around each other, stuck together.
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They become intertwined.
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Do their fingers become intertwined?
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No, no, not their fingers.
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Their fingers do not become intertwined, do not become wrapped around each other.
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Do their ears become intertwined?
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No, no, maybe that's not possible, right?
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Their ears do not become intertwined.
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Do their hands and legs become intertwined?
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Yes, that's right.
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Their hands and their legs wrap around each other.
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Their hands and legs become intertwined.
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Do their necks become intertwined?
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Actually, yes, their necks wrap around each other.
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Their heads and necks stick together also.
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They all become intertwined.
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Their hands, their legs, their necks and head.
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They wrap around each other.
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They're stuck together and they fall down.
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But finally Jim breaks away from the big man.
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Does Jim get free from the big man?
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Yeah, that's right.
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He gets free.
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He breaks away from the man.
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Are Jim's hands and legs still intertwined?
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No, they're not.
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He breaks free, right?
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They're not connected anymore.
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They're not wrapped around each other anymore.
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He breaks free.
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Jim breaks free from the other man.
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Does Jim break free from a woman?
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No, no. He breaks free from the other man.
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After Jim breaks free, what does he do?
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Well, after Jim breaks free, he jumps up and kicks the man in the head.
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Boom!
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The man falls down unconscious.
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Jim wins the fight and he yells, no matter how you slice it, I just kicked your ass.
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All right.
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No matter how you slice it means no matter what your opinion, no matter how you look at it,
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any angle, any way you look at it, any opinion, everybody will agree Jim kicked his ass.
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And, of course, kicked your ass means to beat somebody, to win against them.
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Okay.
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So no matter how you slice it, did Jim lose?
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No. No matter how you slice it, any opinion will agree Jim won the fight.
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No matter how you slice it, is George Bush an idiot?
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Yes, that's right.
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Everybody agrees that George Bush is an idiot.
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No matter how you slice it, any way you look at it, any opinion, everybody agrees George Bush is an idiot.
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No matter how you slice it, is Jim a strong man?
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Yeah, that's right.
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I think so.
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No matter how you slice it, Jim is a strong guy.
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He's a tough guy.
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Everybody agrees now.
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No matter how you slice it, Jim is a strong guy.
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Did Jim kick the man's ass.
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Yes, he did.
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Jim kicked his ass.
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Whose ass did Jim kick?
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Well, Jim kicked the big man's ass, the big man from the gym, right?
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He kicked his ass.
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Does everybody agree that Jim kicked his ass?
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Yeah, everybody agrees.
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No matter how you slice it, Jim won the fight.
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Jim kicked his ass.
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All right, very good.
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Let's go on back to the top again.
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This time I will pause after the key words or phrases.
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Please copy my pronunciation.
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This is not a grammar exercise.
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This is a pronunciation exercise.
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So please focus on pronunciation.
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Here we go.
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There's a very small man named Jim.
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Jim is only one foot tall.
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Even though Jim is 48 years old, people always perceive him as a child.
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People always perceive him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public, Jim is just a cute little boy.
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In the eyes of the public, Jim is just a cute little boy.
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Jim hates this.
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He says, I want people to accept me as I really am.
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I want them to give me unconditional respect.
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I want them to give me unconditional respect.
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He says, I don't want people to go on treating me like a child.
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I don't want people to go on treating me like a child.
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So Jim goes to the gym and exercises every day.
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He becomes very strong.
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He also learns kickboxing.
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One day a tall big man sees him and laughs and says, you're such a cute little man.
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Jim gets angry.
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He yells and says, I'm gonna kick your ass.
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He kicks the man.
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They start fighting.
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The fight lasts for 20 hours.
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The fight lasts for 20 hours.
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The men's hands and legs become intertwined.
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The men's hands and legs become intertwined.
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They fall down.
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Jim finally breaks away from the man.
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Jim finally breaks away from the man.
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Then he jumps up and kicks the man in the head.
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Jim wins the fight and he yells, no matter how you slice it, I just kicked your ass.
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No matter how you slice it, I just kicked your ass.
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All right, very good.
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Please pause now.
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Try to tell all of the story yourself.
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everything yourself.
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If you can't remember, relax, go back, listen again.
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Alright, now for the POV point of view stories, next.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This mini-story featuring Jim, a unique character who faces public perception challenges, provides an engaging context for English speaking practice. By mimicking the narrative style, you can enhance your fluency while exploring themes of individuality and resilience. Practicing with this video not only helps you master the language but also encourages self-expression, making it ideal for preparing for tests like the IELTS speaking practice. The meandering tale gives beginners and advanced speakers an opportunity to dip their toes into various conversational scenarios.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the mini-story, several key grammatical structures and expressions stand out:
- Simple Present Tense: "Jim is only one foot tall." This structure is useful for stating facts and general truths.
- Present Continuous Tense: "They are perceiving him as a child." It helps convey ongoing actions or states, perfect for discussions about current scenarios.
- Modal Verbs: "I want people to accept me." This reflects desire and intention, essential for expressing wishes or needs in conversations.
- Comparative Structures: "People perceive Jim as a child." This can be used to compare qualities and is vital when discussing differences or similarities.
- Imperative Statements: "Go to the gym and exercise." These commands are great for giving advice or instructions in conversations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice along with the video, pay special attention to several pronunciation challenges:
- Perceive: This word can often be mispronounced. Ensure you emphasize the second syllable: per-CEIVE.
- Unconditional: Learners may struggle with this longer word. Break it down into syllables: un-con-DITI-onal.
- Twisted phrases: Phrases like "no matter how you slice it" can be tricky due to their idiomatic nature. Practice the rhythm to sound more natural.
- Expressions of anger: The phrase "kicked your ass" may also be difficult to enunciate clearly. Focus on the “kicked” and “ass” sounds to avoid slurring.
Utilizing techniques from shadowspeak and shadow speech can significantly boost your confidence and pronunciation in English speaking practice. Approaching these challenges with consistent practice will help you sound more fluent and natural in your conversations.
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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