Shadowing Practice: English Shadowing Practice Day 2 | Speak English Fluently in 30 Days - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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you Hi everyone, welcome back to The Learning Lab, where English is easy and enjoyable.
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I'm James, and I am so happy you came back for Day 2.
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Seriously, the fact that you're here right now means you are already doing better than most people.
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Most people start a challenge and stop on Day 1, but not you.
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You showed up again.
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That is huge.
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That is genuinely huge.
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And if this is your very first time here, welcome.
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We are doing a 30 -day English shadowing challenge, and every single day, you're going to be able to do it day we come back with a new episode, new practice, and a whole lot of fun.
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So please, before we go any further, hit that subscribe button right now, and the bell too.
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Tap the bell so you never miss a day, because trust me, you do not want to miss what's coming.
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Jenny, tell 'em, should they subscribe?
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I mean, yes, obviously.
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But also, James, you say that is huge about everything.
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Yesterday it was huge, today it's huge.
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Because it is huge, Jenny.
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Every day is huge.
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Each day is a new opportunity to grow.
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Am I wrong?
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You're not wrong.
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You're just...
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Very enthusiastic.
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But yes, everyone, welcome back.
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Welcome if you're new and please do subscribe.
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This series genuinely builds day by day.
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So you want to follow along from the beginning if you can.
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And if you missed day one, go back and watch it first.
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We explain everything about what shadowing is and how to do it correctly.
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Today, we're building on that foundation.
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And today, oh, today is so good.
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Jenny, should we just tell them?
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Go ahead.
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I can see you physically cannot hold it Today, we're practicing English shadowing using movies.
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Yes, movies.
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One of the most fun, most natural, most exciting ways to hear real English in the world.
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And I have been waiting to do this episode since we planned this whole series because I love movies.
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I grew up watching movies.
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Movies basically taught me how to tell stories.
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So the idea of using movies to help people learn English, I mean, come on, it doesn't get better than that.
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movies are such a powerful tool for language learning.
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And it's not just because they're fun, even though that matters a lot.
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Movies give you language in context.
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When you hear a character say something in a film, you don't just hear the words.
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You see their face, you hear their voice, the emotion, the speed, the tone.
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You see the situation around them.
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All of that extra information helps your brain understand
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and remember the language so much more deeply than just reading a sentence in a textbook.
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Okay, let me give you an analogy.
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Imagine you're trying to learn the word "nervous." You could read a definition in a dictionary: "nervous" - feeling worried or anxious.
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Okay, fine.
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But now imagine you watch a scene in a movie where
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a character is about to walk on stage for the first time
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and their hands are shaking and they keep taking deep breaths and they whisper to their friend, I'm so nervous right now.
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Suddenly, you don't just know the word, you feel it.
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You understand it in your body.
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That's what movies do.
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They make language real.
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Exactly.
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And that emotional connection is actually very important for memory.
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There is research that shows we remember things better when they are connected to emotions.
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So when you learn a word or a phrase from a movie scene that made you laugh or cry or feel excited,
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your brain holds onto it much more strongly than if you just memorized it from a list.
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and I wasn't even trying to memorize them.
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I just watched the movie, I loved it, and the words stayed with me forever.
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And that's exactly the experience we want to create for you as an English learner.
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We want phrases to stick in your brain because you connected with them emotionally, not because you forced yourself to memorize them.
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So today, we are going to do two things.
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First, Jenny and I are going to talk about how to use movies for shadowing.
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The right way to do it, the mistakes to avoid.
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And second, and this is the fun part, we are actually going to practice together.
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We'll say some movie style lines out loud, nice and slow, and you shadow along with us.
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Sound good?
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Sounds great!
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So let's start with the how, because here's the thing: a lot of people have heard the advice "watch movies in English to improve your English,"
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and a lot of people have tried it, and a lot of people felt like it didn't really work.
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They watched an English movie, they didn't understand very much, they felt frustrated, and they gave up.
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Does that sound familiar to anyone?
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Oh absolutely.
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I've heard this from so many students.
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They say, "I tried watching English movies, but I couldn't understand anything, and the people speak too fast, and there are too many accents,
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and I just ended up turning on subtitles in my own language
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and basically watching it in my own language." And I completely understand that feeling.
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Because watching movies passively, just sitting back and watching, is very different from using movies actively for language learning.
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Right.
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Passive watching is fine for entertainment, but if you want to improve your English, you need to be active,
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you need to engage, and shadowing is one of the best ways to make movie watching active.
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So here is the method we recommend, step by step.
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movies are actually fantastic for this.
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Films like Toy Story, The Lion King, Finding Nemo, the language is clear, the emotions are very easy to understand,
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and the sentences are not too long or complicated.
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Oh, I love that recommendation.
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And I know some people might think, animated movies?
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Those are for children.
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But honestly, the language in those films is so natural, so warm, so expressive, it's perfect for a learner.
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And the stories are wonderful too.
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So you actually enjoy watching, which means you're more likely to keep going.
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hard to follow the plot, it's free to focus completely on the English sounds and words.
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That makes shadowing so much easier.
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That's such a smart tip.
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I never thought about it that way before, but it makes so much sense.
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Like, if I watch a movie I already love in English, I'm relaxed.
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I'm comfortable.
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I'm not stressed about the story, so I can really focus on how the characters are speaking, not just what they're saying.
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Exactly.
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Okay, step for shadowing with movies.
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You don't have to watch the whole film in one go without stopping.
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In fact, for shadowing practice, you should stop all the time.
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You hear a line you like, you pause.
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You replay it two or three times.
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You listen carefully to the sounds, the rhythm, the emotion in the voice.
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And then you say it out loud yourself.
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You try to copy not just the words, but the feeling behind the words, the tone, the energy.
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Yes, and this is where shadowing movies becomes really powerful because when you copy a movie character's voice, you're not just learning words,
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you're learning how real people express emotions in English.
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How they sound when they're excited, when they're scared, when they're in love, when they're angry.
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That emotional variety is almost never something you get from a textbook.
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OK, I have to tell a quick story here.
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Is that OK?
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Can I have 30 seconds?
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You're going to tell it whether I say yes or no, so...
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Fair point, fair point.
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Okay, so I had a student once, lovely person, very hard working, but she was really scared of speaking English, like genuinely scared.
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She would go completely silent whenever she had to speak, and I asked her, What do you love?
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What makes you happy?
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And she said, "I love Disney movies.
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I've watched them since I was a little girl." And I said, "Perfect!
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Go home, watch your favorite Disney movie in English with English subtitles, and pick one line, just one line that you love, and shadow it.
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Say it again and again until it feels natural in your mouth."
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And she came back the next week and she said, "James?
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I'm not a kid." I picked a line from Moana.
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I must have said it 50 times, and now it just comes out of my mouth naturally.
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And I said, "That's it!
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That's the whole secret !" One line, 50 times, Natural.
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That's a beautiful story, and it really does capture something true about the process.
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You don't need to shadow the whole movie.
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You don't even need to shadow a whole scene.
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Sometimes one perfect sentence practiced many, many times teaches you more than 100 sentences practiced once.
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One line, 50 times.
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I'm going to make that a t -shirt, too.
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You need to open a store.
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Okay, so let's also talk about what to listen for when you shadow a movie line, because it's not just about the words.
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There are three things I want you to pay attention to.
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Jenny, do you want to take this one?
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Sure!
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So the first thing to listen for is stress.
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In English, we stress certain words in a sentence.
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We say them a little louder, a little longer, and this stress changes the meaning and the feeling of the sentence.
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For example, "I love this movie" sounds different from "I love this movie." Same words, different stress, slightly different meaning.
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So when you shadow, try to notice which words the speaker makes bigger and louder.
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The second thing to listen for is the speed, but not just overall speed.
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Listen for where the speaker slows down
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and where they speed up native speakers don't speak at the same speed the whole time.
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They slow down on important words, they speed up on smaller words like "and", "the", "a", "of".
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It creates a kind of wave: fast, slow, fast, slow.
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And when you start to feel that wave in your own speaking, your English suddenly sounds so much more natural.
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And the third thing, this is my favorite, is emotion.
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Listen to what the character's voice does when they feel something.
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When a character is excited, their voice goes higher, faster.
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When they're sad, it gets slower, softer.
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When they're angry, there's a sharpness to every word.
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And when you shadow, try to bring that emotion into your own voice too.
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Don't shadow like a robot, shadow like an actor.
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Put the feeling in.
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Shadow like an actor.
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I love that.
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And I know it might feel embarrassing at first.
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You're sitting alone in your room and you're pretending to be a movie character
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and your voice is going up and down and you feel completely ridiculous.
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I know.
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But that embarrassment, that's just your brain getting used to something new.
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Push through it.
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Because on the other side of embarrassed is confident.
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I promise.
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Alright, are we ready for today's practice session? So ready!
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Okay everyone, here's how this is going to work.
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We're going to give you some movie -style sentences, the kind of short, clear, emotional lines you might hear in a film.
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Ginny and I will each say them slowly and clearly, and your job is to shadow.
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Say them right after us, out loud, full voice, with the same emotion.
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Ready?
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Let's go.
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Okay, I'll start.
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These are sentences about friendship, because friendship is one of the most common themes in movies and the language around it is very natural and useful.
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I'll say each one twice, shadow after me.
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You are my best friend in the whole world.
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You are my best friend in the whole world.
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Come on, say it.
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Imagine you're saying it to someone you really love.
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Put that feeling in your voice.
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"You don't know what I would do without you." You don't know what I would do without you.
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Oh, that one gets me every time.
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So much feeling in that sentence.
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Okay, I'm going to give you some lines about being brave, because every great movie has a moment where someone has to be brave.
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Here we go!
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I am scared, but I'm going to do it anyway.
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I am scared, but I'm going to do it anyway.
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That's a good one.
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Short sentences, simple words, but so much meaning.
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This is hard, but I am not going to give up.
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This is hard, but I am not going to give up.
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Say that one again, everyone, and this time really mean it, because that sentence isn't just a movie line.
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That sentence is about your English learning journey, too.
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Oh, Ginny, that gave me actual chills.
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Ha ha.
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Okay, let's do one more set, a little longer this time.
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I'm going to give you a short, movie -style paragraph.
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Two or three sentences together.
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Shadow along with me, try to say it at the same time as me, or just a tiny bit behind.
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Here we go.
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I used to think I couldn't do this.
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Everyone told me it was too hard.
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But I kept going one step at a time, and now here I am.
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Beautiful.
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Now you say it out loud one more time.
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Don't rush, feel every word.
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And I want to point out something about that paragraph.
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Did you notice the sentence length?
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Short sentences: "I used to think I couldn't do this." Everyone told me it was too hard.
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Each sentence has one clear idea.
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That is very common in movies, especially in emotional moments.
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Short, clear, powerful sentences.
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And that rhythm, short sentence, short sentence, short sentence, is something you can use in your own speaking, too.
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These are everyday words, but together in that rhythm, with that emotion, they feel so powerful.
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That's the magic of movie language.
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It takes simple words and makes them feel big.
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Which is actually a great lesson for your own English speaking.
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You do not need long, complicated words to sound impressive.
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You need the right simple words, in the right order, with the right feeling.
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That's it.
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I want to frame that quote and put it on my wall.
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The right simple words, in the right order, with the right feeling.
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Jenny, that was genuinely wise.
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Thank you.
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I have my moments.
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Okay, so before we wrap up today, I want to give everyone a little homework.
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And I know, I know, homework sounds scary, but I promise this homework is actually really fun.
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Tonight, or whenever you have a little free time, I want you to find a movie you love or a movie you have seen before in your own language.
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Watch one scene in English with English subtitles and pick just one line, one sentence, one line that you like.
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Maybe it made you laugh, maybe it moved you, maybe you Thank you.
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And say it out loud 10 times.
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Shadow it.
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Copy the voice, the emotion, the rhythm.
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Just 10 times.
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That's it.
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That's your homework.
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And if you want to share your line with us, leave it in the comments below.
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Tell us what movie it's from and what the line is.
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We would love to read them.
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Honestly, the comments on this channel are so wonderful.
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You all share so much and it really does make us smile every day.
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Every single day.
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We read every single comment.
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So please share your movie line with us.
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Let us know how day two went.
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Was it fun?
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Was it scary?
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Did you feel like a movie star?
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Because you should.
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You are out here doing the work and that deserves some celebration.
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anywhere.
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30 days, together, one day at a time.
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And if you haven't subscribed yet, please, please, please do it right now.
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Tap subscribe, tap the bell notification, and you will get every single episode as soon as it comes out.
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We don't want you to miss a day of this journey, because every day matters.
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Every day really does matter, and so do you.
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Thank you for being here, thank you for practicing, and thank you for trusting us with your English learning.
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That means more to us than we can say.
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It really does.
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Okay, go find your movie, pick your line, say it 10 times, and we will see you tomorrow for Day 3.
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Bye, everyone.
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Bye.
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Keep shadowing.
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About This Lesson
Welcome to Day 2 of your English shadowing practice! Today, you’ll focus on the engaging method of using movies to enhance your speaking skills. This lesson is all about leveraging the natural dialogue and emotional context provided in films to deepen your understanding and fluency in English. As you practice, you'll gain invaluable insights into tone, speed, and emotional expression—all crucial elements for effective communication. Shadowing movies gives you the chance to mimic authentic speech patterns, helping you become more comfortable and confident in your speaking abilities. Remember, every day of practice is a step toward improved fluency—significant growth is just around the corner!
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Shadowing: A language learning technique where you repeat what you hear in real-time.
- Context: The situation or background information that accompanies spoken words, enhancing understanding.
- Nervous: Feeling worried or anxious, used within an emotional framework to understand usage better.
- Tone: The attitude or emotional quality conveyed in speech.
- Speed: The rate at which someone speaks, crucial for matching natural delivery.
- Characters: Individuals portrayed in a movie, providing relatable contexts for language use.
- Emotion: The feelings conveyed in speech that can change the meaning of words.
Practice Tips
When engaging in shadow speak using movies, aim to replicate the tone and rhythm of the actors’ dialogue. Here are some practical tips:
- Choose a clip: Select a scene from a movie you're familiar with to make it easier to focus on the language.
- Observe before you shadow: Watch the scene once to understand the context and emotional cues, then prepare to repeat after the characters.
- Start slow: If the actors speak quickly, don’t worry; rewind and go through it a few times. Gradually increase your speed as you grow comfortable.
- Focus on expressions: Pay close attention to the actors' facial expressions and gestures, as they can help you convey the right emotion during your shadow speech.
- Repeat multiple times: Practice each line several times to embed the phrasing and intonation in your memory effectively.
With these shadowing tips, you’ll not only improve your vocabulary but also enhance your overall speaking abilities. Keep practicing every day, and soon you'll be proficient in shadowspeaks that will make your English fluency shine!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to think |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have heard · have tried · I've heard |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most fun · the best · the most common |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | better than · more deeply than · more strongly than |
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.