Shadowing Practice: English for Real-Life Situations - Learn English Speaking with Video

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270 sentences

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She texted the wrong person!

My boss is driving me crazy!

She keeps giving me extra work and expects me to finish everything by Friday.

Does she think I have no life?

I can't wait for the weekend!

Emily, I believe this message was meant for someone else.

Oh my goodness!

Mrs. Parker, I'm so sorry.

I didn't mean to send that to you.

You didn't mean what you wrote, or you didn't mean to send it to me?

Well, both, actually.

I never should have said those things.

I acted on impulse.

So you don't think I'm giving you too much work?

I didn't mean it like that.

I really appreciate my job.

I was just having a stressful day, and I let my frustration get the better of me.

I see.

And what exactly did you mean by, does she think I have no life?

I...

I was exaggerating.

I'm sorry.

Thank you for being honest, Emily.

Next time, think before you hit send.

Absolutely.

I'll be much more careful from now on.

I hope you can forgive me.

I appreciate your apology.

Let's put this behind us and focus on getting the work done.

Thank you, Mrs. Parker.

I really appreciate your understanding.

My flight was cancelled!

Excuse me, I just found out that my flight to Chicago has been cancelled.

What am I supposed to do now?

I'm sorry about that, sir.

Let me check your booking.

May I see your boarding pass?

Here you go.

I really need to get to Chicago today.

I have an important meeting tomorrow morning.

I understand.

Let me see if I can get you on another flight. That would be great.

Do you have anything available today?

There's a flight at 6 .30 p .m., but it has one stop in Dallas.

How long is the layover?

About two hours.

That's fine.

Could you book me on that flight, please?

certainly I'll take care of

that for you thank you will I have to pay anything

extra for the new ticket no sir since your original flight was cancelled

there won't be any additional charges for this rebooking

that's a relief will I get a new boarding pass yes here it is thanks

Your new departure time is 6 .30 p .m and your gate will be announced later.

Is there anything else I can help you with?

No, that's everything.

Thank you for your help.

You're welcome.

Have a safe flight.

Thanks.

Hi, Liam.

Do you have a minute?

Sure, Sophie.

What's going on?

Well, I've noticed that your guests sometimes park in my parking spot.

Yesterday, I had to drive around for 20 minutes to find somewhere to park.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

I didn't know they were doing that.

i'll let them know they need to use the visitor parking area thanks i really appreciate

it no problem is there anything else actually yes i hate to bring this up

but someone keeps leaving trash bags right outside my apartment door

really that's awful it certainly isn't me why don't we leave a polite note in the hallway

That's a good idea!

We could remind everyone to put their trash in the bins downstairs.

Perfect!

I'll write it!

Thanks.

Oh, and one last thing.

Have you received any mail addressed to me by mistake?

Actually, yes.

I got a letter for you last week.

I put it on the table inside my apartment and completely forgot about it.

Oh, don't worry.

These things happen.

Could I pick it up later?

Absolutely.

Just knock on my door whenever you're ready.

thanks liam i'm glad we could sort everything out me too

it's always better to talk things through than to let problems pile up exactly have a lovely day you too sophie

i forgot my wallet

your total comes to $47 .80 how would you like to pay

I'll just pay with my phone just give me a second oh

you've got to be kidding me my phone is completely dead oh

that's unfortunate do you happen to have another way to pay that's the problem I

I left my wallet at home and I was planning to pay with my phone.

Don't worry.

Take your time and see if you can think of something.

I can't call anyone because my phone won't even turn on.

And I don't have any cash with me either.

100

Hmm, that's a tricky situation.

101

Is there any chance you have a spare card somewhere?

102

A spare card?

103

Wait a minute.

104

I think I might have one in my phone case.

105

Oh, I can't believe it!

106

Here it is!

107

I completely forgot I had put my backup bank card in here.

108

Well, that's lucky.

109

Let's see if we can get this sorted out for you.

110

Alright, your payment went through successfully.

111

You're all set.

112

Oh, what a relief.

113

Thanks for being so patient and helping me figure this out.

114

You're very welcome.

115

Have a wonderful day.

116

Thanks.

117

You too.

118

What's up?

119

Hey, Rachel.

120

Are you doing anything this Saturday?

121

Not really.

122

What's up?

123

A few of us are going out for lunch, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along.

124

Sure!

125

What time are you thinking?

126

Around noon.

127

Does that work for you?

128

Yeah, that works for me.

129

Where are you guys going?

130

There's a new Mexican restaurant near the mall.

131

I've heard great things about it.

132

Oh, nice!

133

I'm in!

134

By the way, do you want me to pick you up?

135

No worries.

136

I can drive.

137

But thanks for offering.

138

Okay, cool.

139

After lunch, some people are going to see a movie.

140

Do you want to join us?

141

Hmm, I think I'll pass on the movie.

142

I've had a pretty busy week, and I'd rather head home and relax.

143

Totally get it.

144

You can always join us next time. For sure!

145

Oh, and what should I wear?

146

Is it a fancy restaurant?

147

Nah, nothing fancy.

148

Just wear whatever you're comfortable in.

149

Perfect!

150

Then it's a plan!

151

Awesome!

152

I'll text you the address later.

153

Great!

154

See you Saturday!

155

See you!

156

Have a good one!

157

You too!

158

The price was different at the checkout.

159

All right, your total comes to $65 .50.

160

Sorry, what?

161

I thought this jacket was $45.

162

It says $65 .50 here.

163

That's strange.

164

The price tag on the rack said $45.

165

Could you check that for me?

166

Sure.

167

Let me take a look.

168

You're right.

169

The tag says $45, but our system shows the regular price.

170

Well, that's not what I expected to pay.

171

I chose this jacket because it was on sale.

172

I understand.

173

Maybe the discount hasn't been updated in our system yet.

174

Let me call my manager.

175

Thanks for waiting.

176

My manager confirmed that the jacket is on sale for $45.

177

Oh, great!

178

I was worried I'd have to pay the higher price.

179

Sorry about the confusion.

180

I'll correct the price now.

181

No problem.

182

I just wanted to make sure I wasn't being charged extra.

183

Absolutely.

184

Your new total is $45.

185

Wonderful!

186

Can I pay by card? Of course.

187

You can tap your card right here.

188

Perfect.

189

Thanks for sorting that out.

190

You're welcome.

191

Have a great day.

192

You too.

193

They charged me for something I never ordered.

194

Here you go, sir.

195

That's $68 .40 altogether.

196

Sorry, but I don't think this is right.

197

Could you double -check the bill? Of course.

198

What's the problem?

199

You've charged me for a seafood pasta, but I didn't order that.

200

Let me take a look.

201

You're right.

202

There must be a mistake.

203

I thought so.

204

I never order seafood.

205

I'm sorry about that.

206

I'll get this corrected right away.

207

Thanks.

208

I just want to make sure I'm paying for what I actually ordered.

209

Let me check the order in our system.

210

Oh, I see what happened.

211

The seafood pasta was ordered at table 12, but it was accidentally added to your bill.

212

Well, that explains it.

213

I'm sorry.

214

It looks like there was a mix -up between the tables.

215

I'll remove the extra charge right away.

216

Your new total is $42 .50.

217

Great!

218

Thanks for sorting that out.

219

No problem.

220

Sorry for the confusion.

221

It's alright.

222

I have nothing to wear I have no idea what to wear to Jessica's birthday party tonight

223

Well, what kind of party is it?

224

Is it casual or fancy?

225

That's the problem them.

226

She said we could dress however we wanted.

227

Now I don't know what that means.

228

Okay, let's start with something casual.

229

How about these jeans and this white t -shirt?

230

You could wear them with these cute sneakers.

231

Hmm, I don't know.

232

I don't want to look like I'm going grocery shopping.

233

Fair enough.

234

Let's try something else.

235

What about this denim skirt?

236

Try it with your pink blouse.

237

Here it is.

238

What do you think?

239

Turn around.

240

Let me see.

241

Oh, that looks really cute.

242

It's casual, but still looks nice.

243

But what shoes should I wear with it?

244

Those black ankle boots would look great.

245

No, they're not very comfortable.

246

let me try these white sneakers much better now you look stylish and comfortable

247

okay but what

248

if everyone else dresses up oh emma you're overthinking

249

this let's look at your dresses here's my blue dress i haven't worn it in ages put it on

250

Wow!

251

That looks amazing on you!

252

Really?

253

Isn't it a little too elegant?

254

What if everyone shows up in jeans?

255

Fine.

256

Let's try something completely different.

257

What about this black top and these wide -leg trousers?

258

Oh, now we're talking!

259

That outfit looks modern and a little more sophisticated.

260

You really think so?

261

Absolutely!

262

Add your gold earrings and that little black handbag.

263

And these heels would also look perfect.

264

But I can barely walk in them.

265

Then wear your flats.

266

Nobody's going to inspect your shoes.

267

You know what?

268

I think I've found the perfect outfit!

269

Finally!

270

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “English for Real-Life Situations”. This video has 270 sentences and 1653 words to shadow. The speech runs for 15:29. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 43 of its 270 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
fancy noun	/ˈfæn.si/	The imagination.
jacket noun	/ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/	A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length.
casual adjective	/ˈkæʒ(u)əl/	Happening by chance.
cancel verb	/ˈkæn.sl̩/	To cross out something with lines etc.
seafood noun	/ˈsiːfuːd/	Food from the sea, including that derived from fish, shellfish, crustaceans, cephalopods, seaweed, algae, marine mammals, and other marine organisms.
alright	/ɔlˈɹaɪt/	Used to indicate acknowledgement or acceptance; OK.
trash noun	/tɹæʃ/	Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.
spare adjective	/spɛɚ/	Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
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…
outfit noun	/ˈaʊtfɪt/	A set of clothing (with accessories).
confusion noun	/kənˈfjuːʒən/	A lack of clarity or order.
wallet noun	/ˈwɑl.ət/	A small case, often flat and often made of leather, for keeping money (especially paper money), credit cards, etc.
jeans noun	/d͡ʒiːnz/	A pair of trousers made from denim cotton.
pasta noun	/ˈpɑ.stə/	Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating.
gate noun	/ˈɡeɪ̯t/	A doorlike structure outside a house.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
come along verb	To accompany.
dress up verb	To put on special or fancy clothes.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.
go through verb	To travel from one end of something to the other.
mix up verb	To mix or blend thoroughly and completely.
pile up verb	To form a pile, stack, or heap.
turn around verb	To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Does she think I have no life?
What am I supposed to do now?
May I see your boarding pass?
Do you have anything available today?
Could you book me on that flight, please?

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	has been cancelled · I've noticed · Have you received
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was meant · was cancelled · has been cancelled
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was just having · was exaggerating · were doing
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should have · should I wear

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 65 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, trash /tɹæʃ/, shoe /ˈʃu/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/, frustration /fɹʌsˈtɹeɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, unfortunate /ʌnˈfɔː.t͡ʃə.nɪt/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, apology /əˈpɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/

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 fancy, jacket, casual.

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 for Real-Life Situations - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?