Shadowing Practice: Effortless English - Longtime Affair - POV - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Okay, welcome to the POV mini-stories,
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Okay, welcome to the POV mini-stories,
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point of view mini-stories for the long time affair lesson.
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Same story, different versions.
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Let's start.
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First we go to the past.
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Ten years ago.
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Ten years ago there was a very small man named Jim.
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Jim was only one foot tall.
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Even though Jim was 48 years old,
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people always perceived him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public,
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Jim was just a cute little boy.
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Jim hated this.
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He said, 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 went to the gym and exercised every day.
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He became very strong.
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He also learned kickboxing.
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One day a tall man saw him,
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laughed and said, you're such a cute little man.
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Jim got angry.
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He yelled and said, I'm gonna kick your ass.
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He kicked the man.
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They started to fight.
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The fight lasted for 20 hours.
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men's hands and legs became intertwined and they fell down.
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Jim finally broke free from the man.
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Then he jumped up and kicked the man in the head.
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Jim won the fight and he yelled,
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no matter how you slice it,
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I just kicked your ass.
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All right.
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That's our past version.
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Now let's move to the perfect version we call it I guess.
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Here we go.
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Since.
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Since last year.
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Since last year.
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Okay.
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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,
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people have always perceived him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public,
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Jim has always been just a cute little boy.
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Jim has always hated this,
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but since last year, he has become very upset.
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Every day he has said,
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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 as a child.
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And so, since last year,
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Jim has gone to the gym and has exercised every day.
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He has become very strong.
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He has also learned kickboxing.
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Well, one day, a tall big man saw him and laughed and said,
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You're such a cute little man.
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Jim got angry.
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He yelled and he kicked the man.
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They started to fight.
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The fight lasted for 20 hours.
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The men's hands and legs became intertwined and they fell down.
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Jim finally broke away from the man.
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Then he jumped up and kicked him in the head.
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Jim won the fight and he yelled,
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no matter how you slice it I just kicked your ass
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alright in that version you notice
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that we use the we call it the present perfect it
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doesn't matter you don't need to know the name of the grammar
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but we use that form that have gone have been form
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because it's something that has continued through the past for a while started in the past kept going for a while
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for example people People have always perceived him as a child.
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That's been happening for a long time,
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starting when he was young until now.
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People continue to perceive him,
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have continued to perceive him as a child, right?
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It started in the past and it kept going for a while.
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And then again we talked about going to the gym.
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Since last year, Jim has gone to the gym.
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He has exercised every day,
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right, starting last year up until now.
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And then finally we changed to the past tense because we're talking about one specific event,
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the fight, right.
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That happened in the past.
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It's over.
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It was just a short event in the past,
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started, finished in the past.
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It's done.
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It's not a long time period.
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It's very short and complete.
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So we use the simple pass for that.
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It's all you need to know about grammar.
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Don't think too much about the grammar.
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All right, on to version number three, into the future.
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Okay, this is, we can imagine this is my idea for a movie and I'm telling you the story.
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What I think should happen,
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what I think will happen in this movie.
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Here's my movie idea in the future.
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Ten years from now.
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Ten years from now, there will be a very small man named Jim.
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Jim will only be one foot tall.
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Even though he'll only be 48 years old,
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people will think he's a child.
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People will perceive him as a child.
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In the eyes of the public,
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Jim will be a cute little boy only.
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Jim will hate this.
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He's going to say, 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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Jim will go to the gym and exercise every day.
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He'll become very strong.
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He'll also learn kickboxing.
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One day a tall man's gonna challenge him and laugh and say,
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you're such a cute little man.
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Jim will get angry.
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He'll yell and he'll kick the man.
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They'll start fighting.
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The fight is gonna last 20 hours.
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The men's hands and legs will become intertwined and they'll fall down.
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Jim will finally break away from the man and then he'll jump up and kick him in the head.
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Jim will win the fight and he'll yell,
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no matter how you slice it,
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I just kicked your ass.
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Okay, the simp, the future is fairly simple.
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It's pretty easy.
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Uh, you guys have learned going to and will.
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However, in normal speech we do not say going to and will.
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We change the pronunciation we say all instead of will we
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say all jimmel jimmel the manl the manl challenge him jimmel
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fight him we don't say jim will we say jimmel jimmel we just add the all sound to the subject
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and the other thing we do instead of going to we
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say gonna jim's gonna get angry not jim is going to get angry jim's gonna jim's zz Z-z-z,
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you need the z sound there.
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Jim's gonna equals Jim is going to.
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Jim's gonna.
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Alright, and that's how we actually use the future in normal speech.
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So when you hear gonna,
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when you hear all, that means the future.
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Okay, please go back, listen to each section.
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Pause and try to tell that version yourself.
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Try to tell the story using the past, 10 years ago.
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Try it again with since last year.
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And then try it again in the future.
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If you have trouble, if it's difficult, relax.
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This takes time.
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Just relax.
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Go back.
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Listen again.
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Go back.
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Listen again.
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Listen.
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Listen.
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Listen very carefully.
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Hear how the verbs change.
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Hear how the vocabulary changes sometimes.
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Listen carefully.
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That's the most important part.
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Don't get upset if you can't tell the story yourself.
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It's okay.
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That will take time.
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Listening is the most important part.
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All right.
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I will see you next time.
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Go on and listen to the commentary.
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Bye-bye.

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Context & Background

The video "Effortless English - Longtime Affair - POV" presents a compelling story about Jim, a particularly unique character who embodies the struggles of being perceived as a child despite being an adult. Through various perspectives, the narrative illustrates Jim's desire for acceptance and respect. The story unfolds in two timeframes: the past, where Jim fights against stereotypes and judgments, and a more recent version, highlighting his ongoing battle for recognition as an adult. This context not only offers an engaging storyline but also serves as a rich resource for English learners to examine interpersonal dynamics and societal perceptions.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

Extracted from the dialogue, here are five impactful phrases that can enhance your daily communication:

  • I want people to accept me as I really am. - A powerful expression of self-identity and authenticity.
  • No matter how you slice it, I just kicked your ass. - A slangy phrase showcasing confidence and assertiveness.
  • You're such a cute little man. - A phrase that captures non-verbal communication and perception.
  • I'm gonna kick your ass. - An example of confrontational speech that signals assertive emotions.
  • I have always hated this. - A statement reflecting enduring feelings and emotional responses.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively tackle the language and pronunciation challenges presented in this video, follow this systematic approach, known in the language-learning community as shadow speech or shadowing:

  1. Listen actively: Play the video while focusing on the narrative. Pay close attention to the pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm of the speech.
  2. Pause and repeat: After a short segment, pause the video, and try to repeat what you just heard. This practice helps to improve English pronunciation and enhances your grasp of natural speech patterns.
  3. Use a shadowing site: If available, utilize tools or applications that allow you to practice along with the video’s audio. This can provide visual support, helping you connect speech with textual dialogue.
  4. Record yourself: After you feel comfortable repeating segments, try recording yourself. Listen to your pronunciation and compare it with the original audio to identify areas for improvement.
  5. Experiment with shadowspeak: Focus on mimicking not just the words but the emotions and gestures conveyed by the speaker. This technique accelerates your ability to communicate naturally and expressively.

By integrating these steps into your learning routine, you will significantly enhance both your speaking skills and overall fluency in English. Embrace the journey and enjoy the process of becoming a more confident speaker!

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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