Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH FILE pre-intermediate - 7A. First day nerves. p. 54, ex.7.1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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7.1 Simon When I was about 30,

I got a job as an editor in a publishing company.

It was my first office job, and I didn't really know what to wear.

But for the interview, I wore a suit.

In fact, I bought the suit specially for the interview.

I got the job, so I thought that must be okay.

So, on the first day, I went to work wearing a suit and tie.

I got to work early.

I wanted to make a good impression, and I was the first person in the office.

So I went in, I found my desk with my name on it, and I sat down.

And there were a few papers and documents for me to read, so I started reading those.

I turned on my computer and after about 10, 15 minutes, the other people in the office started to arrive.

And I noticed that nobody else was wearing a suit.

And I thought, okay, it's not a big problem.

So I introduced myself to the other people.

I said, hello, how are you?

Hello, pleased to meet you

and the next thing someone said to me was my computer's

really slow do you think you know what the problem is

and I said no no not really

so then I introduced myself to somebody else

and said hello nice to meet you

and she replied hello nice to meet you

and then she said do you know how I can connect my computer to the printer.

And I said, no, I have no idea how to do that.

Anyway, I went back to work and about half an hour later I had a meeting with my boss.

And she said, how's it going?

And I said, yeah, it's all good.

Well, everybody seems really nice.

Um, just one thing.

Why does everybody think I can fix their computer?

And she looked at me and what I was wearing, and she said, it's your suit.

Nobody in this office ever wears a suit.

So they think you're from the IT department and you've come to help with a computer problem.

They're the only ones who wear suits.

So, I never wore it again, to this day.

It was my first day at work as a teacher at a language school.

And they asked me to come the first week of term to observe some teachers, to watch their lessons.

and then I was going to start teaching the following week.

But when I arrived there, they told me that one of the teachers was ill

and they asked me to take the class and it was three-year-old kids.

So I was in a class with about ten three-year-olds who were running around.

My boss gave me a storybook to read to them but the kids couldn't speak any English.

I'd never taught, or never been trained to teach children that small.

I tried to read the book to two of them

but the others were running around shouting and hitting each other

and at the worst possible moment just

when all of them were being really noisy

and not doing anything I was telling them to my boss the director of the school opened the door

and just looked at me I felt terrible

but then she said these children are too young for you aren't they and I said yes I was nearly crying

luckily after that she never gave me any classes with really young children

but it was the most stressful class I've ever tried to teach

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What You'll Learn from This Real-Life Work Story

This video offers practical english speaking practice by focusing on two key skills: describing past experiences with clarity and responding to unexpected social interactions. You’ll learn to structure stories using time markers like "when I was about 30" and "after about 10, 15 minutes," which help listeners follow along. Additionally, the dialogue models how to express confusion politely ("I have no idea how to do that")—a common scenario in new environments. These skills are perfect for learn english with videos since they mirror real-world communication.

Listen For These Connected Speech Patterns

Pay attention to how the speaker links words naturally. For example, "I got a job as an editor" becomes "I gotta job as an editor" in fast speech, with the "t" in "got" blending into "a." Another example is "it's your suit," where "it's" and "your" link to sound like "it'syour." Reductions like "I didn't really know" becoming "I didn't reall' know" (dropping the final "y" sound) are also common. Noticing these patterns will help you understand native speakers better and sound more natural yourself.

Say It Like a Native: Rhythm and Stress

To master the speaker's flow, try the shadowing technique (or shadowspeak): play a short clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, mimicking the stress and rhythm. Notice how words like "interview," "impression," and "computer" are stressed on the first syllable, while phrases like "I thought that must be okay" have a rising intonation at the end, showing uncertainty. The speaker also uses pauses effectively—after "so I sat down" and "anyway, I went back to work"—to emphasize key points. Practicing this shadow speech will help you sound more confident and conversational in English.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've come · I've ever tried
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was wearing · were running · were being
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the worst · the most stressful
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	started reading · start teaching

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: ENGLISH FILE pre-intermediate - 7A. First day nerves. p. 54, ex.7.1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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