Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH FILE pre-intermediate. 4A. Who does what? p.31, ex.4.11 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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43 sentences
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four point eleven i'm lazy
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but i like living in a clean tidy home maybe you're the same it doesn't matter
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if you live by yourself with a partner
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or with a group of friends you're always going to have to do some housework learn a few cleaning tricks
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and you can have a clean home
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and still have plenty of time to relax
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and do nothing tip one clean quickly
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but often clean for just 10 minutes twice a day this gives you time to for example load the dishwasher
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and do one other thing like vacuuming set an alarm on
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your phone to motivate yourself tip 2 keep cleaning products in the right place.
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Put cleaning products near the place where you need them.
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Keep bathroom cleaners in the bathroom, keep bin bags by the bin and keep dishwasher tablets on top of the dishwasher.
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Sometimes you don't clean if you can't immediately see what you need and you don't want to look for it.
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Tip 3.
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Clean the microwave regularly.
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You probably use this every day and it gets dirty quickly, believe me.
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But cleaning it is super easy.
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All you need to do is pour a little water into a microwave -safe bowl, slice a lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the water.
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Then put the two halves of the lemon in the bowl and microwave on high for three minutes.
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Leave the door closed for another five minutes and then clean the inside with a cloth.
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Tip 4.
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Use your dishwasher to clean other things If you have a dishwasher, it's probably already your best friend.
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But did you know that it can clean much more than just kitchen things?
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You can use it to clean all kinds of things made of plastic, like toys, or even flip -flops or other plastic shoes.
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And also for things made of metal, like tools or keys.
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Tip 5.
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Tell people to take off their shoes when they come in.
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If you hate vacuuming, but you also hate the floor because you don't do the vacuuming, there's an easy solution.
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Tell your housemates and guests to take off their shoes at the front door.
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And if they forget or refuse, give them the vacuum cleaner.
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Tip 6.
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Use your socks to clean the floor.
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If you have a hard floor, like wood or stone, for example, make your socks work for you.
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Take your shoes off and slide across a different part of your floor each time you move across it.
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It'll soon be completely clean.
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Then just throw your socks in the washing machine. And finally, tip seven.
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Listen to music while you clean.
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Sometimes you really need to do some housework that you hate, like ironing or cleaning the bathroom.
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Put on your favourite playlist and focus on the music, not the boring housework.
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And one last word.
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Many people say that lazy people are often the best employees because they find the most efficient way to complete a task.
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That's the way you need to think when you're cleaning.
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Good luck!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 43 sentences and 512 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:43. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| vacuum noun | /ˈvæ.kjuːm/ | A region of space that contains no matter. |
| microwave noun | /ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/ | An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves. |
| sock noun | /sɑk/ | A knitted or woven covering for the foot. |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| lemon noun | /ˈlɛmən/ | A yellowish citrus fruit. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| efficient adjective | /ɪˈfɪʃənt/ | Making good, thorough, or careful use of resources; not consuming extra. Especially, making good use of time or energy. |
| refuse verb | /ɹɪˈfjuːz/ | To decline (a request or demand). |
| juice noun | /d͡ʒuːs/ | A liquid made from plant, especially fruit. |
| slide noun | /ˈslaɪ̯d/ | An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again. |
| toy noun | /tɔɪ/ | Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| alarm noun | /əˈlɑɹm/ | A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| take off verb | To remove. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, wash /wɑʃ/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, dishwasher /ˈdɪʃˌwɑʃɚ/
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 shoe, vacuum, microwave.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | your best · the best |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep cleaning · hate vacuuming |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to do · need to do · need to think |
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.