Shadowing Practice: English File 4thE - Intermediate Plus - Revise and Check 3 & 4 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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59 sentences
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1
What kind of child were you?
2
What kind of child was I?
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I was a very inquisitive child.
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I was the why child.
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So anything you told me, I always responded with, Well, why?
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And how come?
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And why is that?
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and it was very annoying have you changed much um I'm still very inquisitive
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but I kind of asked more of why like I want
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to know more about your intentions as opposed to just why is something the way that it is
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Are you good at taking photos?
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I'm okay at taking photos.
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I have this technique now where instead of taking a photo with my camera,
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I'll take a video and then I'll take screenshots from the video stills.
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For example, if my son's playing football, whenever I try and take a photo, i'll always miss really what i was trying to capture
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but by taking a video i can get various stills of the exact shot
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that i want so
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so yeah i'm okay what kind of photos do you take
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um i take a lot of photos of my children um i like a lot of action shots
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so i'll take photos of them doing things.
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I like taking photos of nice places when I go anywhere so scenic photos that kind of thing.
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Do you have a camera or do you use your phone?
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I always use my phone.
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I do have a camera but I've probably not used it in about five years.
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It was quite a good one as well really expensive
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but no just the convenience of using my phone and to be honest it probably takes better photos.
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How worried are you about plastic pollution?
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Yes, I would say I'm quite concerned about plastic pollution, the effect it has on sea life, the environment in general, and I think it's good that businesses are taking it more seriously too.
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Are you doing anything to try to use fewer plastic products?
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I tend to gnaw while holding a plastic cup.
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Can I put this down for that?
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Yes, if I'm shopping I'll try to bring a bag of my own
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and if I have packed lunches for example I'll reuse the same container
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and I have a water bottle as well so I don't get plastic water, I tend to refill it.
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Did you study at university?
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Yeah, I'm studying at university now.
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What are you studying?
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Osteopathy.
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Why did you choose that subject?
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Because I used to be a competitive swimmer
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and I used to get recurrent injuries and i was seeing a physiotherapist
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and i wasn't really getting anywhere
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and then somebody suggested to me to see an osteopath i went to see an osteopath
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and my injuries improved really quickly and it inspired me to be an osteopath
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have you ever had a part -time job yeah i've uh you know
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when i was in graduate school i bartended waited tables you
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know for for part -time yep did you enjoy them I
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loved them I loved them each each one you know had different things
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but it's part of my personality I would say I've never
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had a job where I said I didn't like it you
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know I always tried to find the good at it and
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when you're bartending
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and waitering you meet a lot of interesting people you have a lot of good conversations
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and you you find you meet a lot of people who
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you know I would say you'd see some of the bad of humanity
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and how they treat others probably more so as a waiter than a bartender
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so people often complained like about the bill they can yeah
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and the service and
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if their food's late yeah it's interesting it was a lot of fun though i had a good time
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 59 sentences and 642 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:18. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pollution noun | /pəˈluʃən/ | Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc. |
| waiter noun | /ˈweɪ̯təː/ | A male or female attendant who serves customers at their tables in a restaurant, café or similar. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| capture verb | /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/ | To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem. |
| humanity noun | /hjuˈmænɪti/ | Humankind; human beings as a group. |
| fewer | /ˈfjuː.ɚ/ | Less; a smaller amount of something non-integral commonly expressed as an integer |
| complain verb | /kəmˈpleɪn/ | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. |
| intentions noun | /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/ | Desire to court, marry, date, woo or sleep with someone. |
| container noun | /kənˈteɪ.nəɹ/ | An item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported. |
| convenience noun | /kənˈvinjəns/ | The quality of being convenient. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| oppose verb | /əˈpoʊz/ | To attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend against. |
| screenshot noun | /ˈskriːn.ʃɑt/ | An image of computer or smartphone screen output at a given moment in time. |
| scenic adjective | /ˈsiːnɪk/ | having beautiful scenery; picturesque |
| bartender noun | /ˈbɑɹˌtɛndɚ/ | One who tends a bar or pub; a person preparing and serving drinks at a bar. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if I'm shopping I'll try |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be · used to get |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have packed · have you ever had |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pollution /pəˈluʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, intentions /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/, screenshot /ˈskriːn.ʃɑt/
- Long words — get the stress right: humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, inquisitive /ɪŋˈkwɪzətɪv/
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 pollution, waiter, technique.
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.