Shadowing Practice: Effortless English - Lost Custody - POV - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Okay, this is the Point of View mini-stories for Lost Custody.
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Let's get started.
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First one with the phrase 20 years ago.
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20 years ago there was a student named Yuriko.
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She was unfit to be a student.
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Every day she came to school late.
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Then she belittled the other students.
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When another student made a mistake, Yuriko yelled, Are you stupid?
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Do you have a mental disability?
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What's wrong with you, you idiot?" One day, another student named Zhenhua complained to AJ, the teacher.
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She said, I'm frightened by Yuriko.
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I'm going to quit this class.
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The teacher said, Stick it out, Zhenhua.
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Don't worry.
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I will get rid of Yuriko.
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Then we will all be better off.
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The next day, AJ, the teacher, brought a gun to class.
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He pointed the gun at Yuriko and threatened her.
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He said, Yuriko, if you come to my class again, I will kill you, and then I will take custody of your son and beat him every day.
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So leave now.
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Yuriko was frightened by AJ's threat.
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She started to cry.
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Then she ran out of the class.
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The other students cheered.
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Yay, Yuriko's gone.
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Okay, the next version begins with since January.
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Since January, there has been a new student in AJ's class.
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Her name is Yuriko.
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Yuriko is unfit to be a student.
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Every day she has come to school late.
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Then she has belittled the other students.
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When another student has made a mistake, Yuriko has always yelled, Are you stupid?
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Do you have a mental disability?
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What's wrong with you, you idiot?
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Well, one day, another student named Jin Hua complained to AJ, the teacher.
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She said, I'm frightened by Yuriko.
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I'm going to quit this class.
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The teacher said, stick it out, Jin Hua.
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Don't worry.
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I'll get rid of Yuriko.
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Then we'll all be better off.
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The next day, AJ brought a gun to school.
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He pointed the gun at Yuriko and threatened her.
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He said, Yuriko, if you come to my class again, I will kill you, and then I'll take custody of your son and beat him every day.
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So leave now.
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Yuriko was frightened by AJ's threat.
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She started crying, and then she ran out of the class.
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The other students cheered.
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Yay!
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Okay, you'll notice that when I, in the beginning there, I used the have, have, she has come to school,
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she has belittled the other students, because those are things she did every day, starting in January up until now.
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But I said, Yuriko is unfit to be a student.
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I said that because that's a general statement about her that's always true, past, present, and probably in the future too.
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So I used the present tense in that one.
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And then I switched to the past.
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I said, one day, another student named Jin Hua.
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And now we're describing one thing that happened.
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It already happened.
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It's totally finished.
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So that's when I switched to simple past again.
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Don't worry.
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Don't think about the verb tenses.
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Don't think about the names.
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perfect, blah, blah, blah.
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Don't worry about that.
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Just listen for when I change.
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Try to get a feeling, a feeling for when I'm changing.
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Okay?
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So listen carefully.
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That's your only job.
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Do not try to memorize the rules.
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Do not try to remember all those grammar rules.
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Just try to get a feeling for when I change the verb tenses.
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And maybe why do I do it?
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That's all.
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That's all you need to do.
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All right.
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Next one.
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Let's go to the future.
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Back to the future.
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In 10 years.
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Starting with in 10 years.
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Here we go.
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In the future, 10 years from now, in 10 years, there will be a class.
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And in the class, there will be a student named Yuriko.
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Yuriko will be unfit to be a student.
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Every day she'll come to class late.
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Then she'll belittle the other students.
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When another student makes a mistake, Yuriko will yell, are you stupid?
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Do you have mental disability?
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What's wrong with you, you idiot?" Now one day, another student named Jin Hua will complain to the teacher, whose name is AJ.
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She'll say, I'm frightened by Yuriko.
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I'm going to quit this class.
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The teacher will say, stick it out, Jin Hua.
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Don't worry.
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I'll get rid of Yuriko.
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Then we'll all be better off.
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The next day, AJ will bring a gun to class.
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He'll point the gun at Yuriko and threaten her.
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Yuriko, if you come to my class again, I'll kill you and then I'll take custody of your son and beat him every day.
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So leave now.
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Yuriko will be frightened by AJ's threat.
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She'll start crying and then she'll run out of the class.
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The other students will cheer.
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Yay!
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Yuriko's gone!
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Yay!
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All right, that's all for the point of view stories.
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Please now go back, listen to the first one, then pause, and try to tell the first story yourself beginning with 20 years ago.
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Try to tell all the story and use the correct verbs and the correct vocabulary.
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Then listen to the second one, starting with since January.
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Listen to it a few times and then pause and try to tell it yourself out loud, maybe alone in your room or something.
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And then finally, listen to the third one beginning with in 10 years
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or 10 years from now and try to tell that one yourself also.
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Okay?
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If you have trouble, if you can't remember exactly the words to say or you make a few mistakes, listen, just relax, okay?
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Relax.
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It takes a little time.
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The most important thing is to listen very carefully
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and to listen again and again and again until you are sleeping and dreaming about these stories.
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Then it will become automatic.
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So please relax about making mistakes.
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This is not a test.
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Okay?
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In fact, you can only listen if you want to.
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If you want to, just listen.
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You don't need to try to tell the stories yourself.
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If it makes you feel stressed, if it makes you feel nervous or uncomfortable to pause and speak, then don't do it.
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Only tell the stories if you are relaxed about it, if you can do it and you don't worry, you don't feel nervous about making mistakes.
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If you feel nervous, just relax and listen only.
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That's fine.
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Okay, I'll see you next time.
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Bye-bye.
Context & Background
In the engaging story "Lost Custody," we are introduced to a classroom scenario where a teacher named AJ struggles with a problematic student, Yuriko. The narrative unfolds through the perspectives of different characters, highlighting not just classroom dynamics but also the emotional challenges that arise. This storyline serves as a rich context for English learners to understand nuanced interactions, social issues, and the use of dramatic dialogue. By immersing in such vivid scenarios, students can develop their vocabulary and enhance their overall communication skills.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "Are you stupid?" - A common phrase expressing disbelief or frustration, often used in heated moments.
- "I’m frightened by Yuriko." - A crucial phrase that conveys fear and vulnerability, useful in various contexts.
- "Stick it out." - An encouraging phrase suggesting persistence despite difficulties.
- "Don’t worry." - A reassuring statement that can help calm someone’s fears.
- "I will get rid of you." - A strong, definitive phrase often used in conflict situations.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively enhance your English speaking practice using the "Lost Custody" video, follow this shadowing technique:
- Watch the Video: First, watch the video without subtitles to grasp the overall context and emotions expressed in the characters' dialogues.
- Listen Carefully: Play the video again, this time focusing on the intonation, pronunciation, and emotional delivery of the speakers.
- Pause and Repeat: Use the shadow speech method by pausing frequently and repeating phrases after the characters. Focus on mimicking their tone and rhythm, which is crucial in developing a natural speaking style.
- Record Yourself: After practicing, record yourself using similar phrases in your own context. This practice will help you internalize the vocabulary and expressions used in the video.
- Review and Reflect: Finally, review your recording. Listen for areas of improvement in pronunciation, intonation, and emotional expression. This reflection is essential for continuous progress.
By following these steps and incorporating the phraseology from the story, you’ll advance your skills in English speaking and shadow speech. The more you practice with techniques like these, the more confident you will become in utilizing English in your daily life and 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.