Shadowing Practice: English - Festivities and special occasion (A1-A2 - with subtitles) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Do you celebrate any festivities and why?
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Yes, Christmas in particular, Easter, New Year and my birthday. Which one's your favourite?
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I think probably Easter because it's spring,
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weather's getting better, summer is coming and there's a great sense of freshness about everything.
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I mostly celebrate Christmas with my family.
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It's good fun, but I'm not very religious so I don't really celebrate Easter.
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Not really actually, I don't really celebrate Christmas or Easter.
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We try and go away then because it gets quite commercial here in England.
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But my favourite is Halloween, I really enjoy Halloween.
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I love dressing up so it's a good excuse to dress up.
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Is it quite popular on campus Halloween?
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Yeah, there's a lot of events and parties and kind of trick or treating and yeah, it's good fun.
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My birthday was quite a special event this year.
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We went out and had a really, really great time.
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After exams in June, we have big balls
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and each college has their own balls so that's where you have to buy all the nice dresses for.
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I think Christmas is much more celebrated in Germany.
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Easter is much more celebrated in Germany.
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Whereas there are loads of festivities we do not celebrate in Germany like St. Patrick's Day or whatever, like all those core British festivities I think.
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And then we have bank holidays.
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It's not really a festival, it's more of a bank holiday.
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We've got St George's Day, which is to celebrate England.
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But it's not celebrated as much as St Patrick's Day is, unfortunately.
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St George's Day isn't much celebrated.
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I think perhaps it should be.
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Why don't we have a national holiday then?
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We should.
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I know what it was in India but in this country it's not the same.
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For example I used to like Diwali and Holi
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which are Indian festivals but in this country it's like cold
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and also as an adult you don't enjoy the things in the same way than you know when you're a child.

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

This video on English festivities and special occasions provides an excellent opportunity for learners at the A1-A2 level to practice their speaking skills. Engaging in conversations about cultural celebrations allows learners to enhance their vocabulary and express personal preferences. For example, discussing events like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and birthdays encourages the use of descriptive language and emotional expressions. Moreover, utilizing the shadowing technique with this video helps in mimicking natural speech patterns, rhythms, and intonations in English. By practicing with real-life topics, learners not only improve their speaking confidence but also enhance their cultural understanding—which is vital for effective communication.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, there are several key structures and expressions that learners can focus on:

  • “Do you celebrate any festivities and why?” – This question format is useful for initiating discussions. It demonstrates how to inquire about others’ experiences and feelings.
  • “I think probably…” – This phrase is an excellent expression for stating personal opinions in a polite manner. It encourages learners to share their own thoughts.
  • “It’s good fun” – A casual expression that conveys enjoyment. Learners can use this to describe activities they enjoy.
  • “Whereas there are loads of festivities…” – This comparative structure is useful for contrasting different cultures or celebrations, enriching learners’ conversational skills.
  • “I really enjoy…” – A straightforward way to express likes, which learners can adopt to discuss their hobbies and preferences.

Common Pronunciation Traps

In the video, some words and phrases may present pronunciation challenges for English learners:

  • “Easter” – It might be pronounced in various accents, so focus on the vowel sounds to ensure clarity.
  • “Festivities” – Breaking this word into syllables (fes-tiv-i-ties) could help learners articulate it better.
  • “Celebrated” – This word has a distinct stress pattern, and getting it right will enhance your speaking fluency.
  • “Magnitude of celebrations” – This phrase showcases complex vocabulary that can be practiced for improved articulation and comprehension.

Using the shadowing technique with this video, learners can master these tricky words while also improving their overall English pronunciation. Practicing along with the video will help embed these sounds in their spoken English, making conversations feel more natural.

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.