Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Earn Your Stripes - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Welcome to English in a Minute.
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Animals like tigers and zebras have stripes.
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Humans don't.
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Or do they?
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Earn your stripes.
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Jonathan, I heard you just joined a symphony.
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How's it going?
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It's great.
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But I still feel like I've got to earn my stripes.
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I'm only playing the third trombone part for now.
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Jonathan, you are going to earn so many stripes.
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Thanks, Anna.
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So many stripes.
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To earn your stripes means to prove you deserve to be accepted and respected by other people in a group.
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This phrase comes from the military.
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Soldiers who earn certain honors wear stripes that they attach to their uniforms.
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And that's English in a Minute.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "English in a Minute: Earn Your Stripes" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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 →