Shadowing Practice: English Reading Practice - A Short Beginner ESL Conversation - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Welcome to my YouTube channel.
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My name is Camille.
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And I'm Calvin.
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And we love to teach English through dialogues and stories.
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And so today we're reading from my latest book,
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105 Beginner English Conversations, which is a great resource to learn English in a practical and fun way.
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So this book has, yeah, 105 conversations, free audio.
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Every, after every conversation, there's a real life English tip and three comprehension questions with the answers.
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Cool.
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So what are we doing?
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We're going to read this conversation.
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Okay.
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And then at the end, we're going to ask the comprehension questions and we might explain a few things as well from the conversation.
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Sounds good.
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Let's go.
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Let's go.
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So I'll be Lena.
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If you have this book, you can follow along on page 65.
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If you don't, we'll put the text up on the screen.
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Excuse me, can you tell me how to get to Santa Monica Pier?
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Sure, you can take bus number 10.
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It stops right near the pier.
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Great.
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How often does it come?
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About every 12 minutes during the day.
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And how do I pay for the ticket?
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You can pay when you get on the bus.
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Cash or card works.
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It's $2 .50 if I'm not mistaken.
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Perfect.
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How long will it take?
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Around 15 minutes if traffic isn't too bad.
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You can take an Uber and be there in 10 minutes, but it will cost about $12.
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I can wait for the bus.
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I can't wait to see the Ferris wheel in the ocean.
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You'll love it.
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And don't forget the food stands.
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The tacos there are really good oh
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I love Mexican food these ones are authentic everyone loves them
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I'm excited to try them thanks again for your help you're very welcome
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so the real -life tip is I can't wait
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so people say I can't wait when
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if they're very excited about something like oh
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I'm going on this trip to Switzerland I can't wait my kids can't wait for school to be finished
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that is very true yes i can't wait for you to buy this book also true yeah
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so santa monica peers in california yeah so she's asking she's a tourist probably
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because she doesn't know about the bus schedule saying it's coming every 12 minutes
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so the little thing
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that you get to go on the bus is called a ticket bus ticket yeah exactly
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so usually in cities you get a card nowadays
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but sometimes maybe different different cities have an actual ticket
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which is more like a paper temporary thing
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and a ferris wheel is what ferris wheel is a big circle thing
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that rotates and you can get in the chair
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and you go around and around and see a view on the top exactly
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and when somebody says authentic what does that mean authentic means
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that it's as far as this in context Mexican tacos there's a lot of different tacos you can make
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so the Mexican type are the most authentic because it comes from
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that origin the most real yes mm -hmm exactly perfect well
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let's do number one what bus should lana take is it 12 um 10 10 10 bus number 10 yes
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this is these are why these are good
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because there's a lot of numbers in there we said 12
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for the 12 minutes oh yeah well for the cost of an uber 10 minutes on the yeah yes exactly
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so you might have to flip back and check the answer
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which is totally fine okay how much is the bus fare do you guys remember how much it was
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the uber was 12 and the bus 250 two dollars
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and 50 cents yes
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and what food does the bus driver dante recommend at the pier we'll let them answer
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that one yes down below in the comments authentic is your true authentic is your clue oh
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I think we're having too much fun here
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so I hope you guys liked
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that conversation don't forget to get the book on my website
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or Amazon if you're still here at the end you're a rock star you deserve a thumbs up
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but give us one too and don't forget to share it with a friend subscribe bye guys see ya Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “English Reading Practice - A Short Beginner ESL Conversation”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bus, authentic, conversation, ticket, exactly. This video has 74 sentences and 702 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:56. The speaker talks at a steady 142 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| authentic adjective | /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/ | Of the same origin as claimed; genuine. |
| uber adjective | /ˈuːbəɹ/ | Super; high-level; high-ranking. |
| pier noun | /pɪɹ/ | A raised platform built from the shore out over water, supported on piles; used to secure, or provide access to shipping; a jetty. |
| taco noun | /ˈtɑkoʊ/ | A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa. |
| comprehension noun | /ˌkɑmpɹɪˈhɛnʃn̩/ | A thorough understanding. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| temporary adjective | /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/ | Not permanent; existing only for a period or periods of time. |
| audio adjective | /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/ | Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight. |
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
| dialogue noun | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals. |
| flip verb | /flɪp/ | To throw so as to turn over. |
| clue noun | /kluː/ | Information which may lead one to a certain point or conclusion. |
| peer noun | /pɪɹ/ | Somebody who is, or something that is, at a level or of a value equal (to that of something else). |
| nowadays adverb | /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/ | At the present time; in the current era. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go around verb | To move or spread from person to person. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be finished · is called |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | my latest · the most authentic · the most real |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might explain · might have |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll be · we'll put · will it take |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 28 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, thumb /ˈθʌm/
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 authentic, uber, pier.
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.