Shadowing Practice: English Speaking Practice - Speak with me! (Shadowing Method) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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I have a very special lesson for you today that's going to help you practice your speaking and pronunciation skills in English.
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Today, we're going to do some shadowing.
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You are going to become my shadow.
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Shadowing is a repetition technique that can help improve your pronunciation and aid you to sound more natural in English.
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In addition to the amazing speaking practice you're getting in today's lesson, I've also created a free PDF that you can download.
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It has the full transcription, plus some new vocabulary, some more information on how to shadow effectively, and a quiz to test what you've learned.
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If you'd like to download that, just click on the link in the description box.
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You enter your name and your email address.
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The PDF will arrive directly in your inbox.
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After that, you will automatically receive my free weekly lesson PDFs, plus all of my news, course updates, and offers.
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It's a free service, you can unsubscribe at any time.
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Also, you're here because you want to improve your English speaking.
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We both know that the absolute best way to make progress fast is to have a one-on-one tutor.
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You can find your perfect one-on-one English tutor, take a free trial with them, and get $10 in lesson credit for free.
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Languatalk is a company that I think is so awesome, I decided to become a part of it.
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So technically I'm sponsoring myself here.
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It's an online tutor platform with incredibly high quality teachers.
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They only accept around 10% of applicants across the board, much less than that for English.
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I'm using it to learn Italian.
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My husband is using it to learn Spanish.
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We're taking two lessons a week at the moment.
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It's amazing.
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I'll give you $10 in lesson credit if you sign up after watching this video.
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So as well as being able to book in a 30 minute trial session, you can claim $10 towards lessons by messaging their support team with the code speaking10.
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And this is valid for anyone signing up from today onwards.
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The link is in the description box.
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Okay, before we begin your speaking practice, I want to explain what shadowing is and what I'm going to ask you to do in this video.
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When shadowing, you repeat what someone is saying with as little delay as possible.
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It's not repeat after me, it's speak along with me.
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So while I speak, you speak too, trying to match my speech patterns, my intonation and pronunciation.
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This is a great way to improve your speaking, especially if you don't have anyone to speak with.
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It feels a bit weird at first, but once you understand and know the technique, You can use literally any audio you want to practise more.
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Just choose a person who you want to sound like and go for it.
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Okay, I'm going to tell you a story about something slightly embarrassing that happened to Will and me last week.
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Some of the vocabulary might be new for you.
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Don't worry, I've put a full list of vocab in the PDF.
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When shadowing, the primary focus is not on the grammar or the vocabulary.
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It's on mimicking the pronunciation of the speaker.
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First, just listen to me.
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Then we'll talk about the pronunciation.
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Then you can practise.
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The other night, Will and I were sitting down to dinner when we heard a thump above our heads.
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That's our first sentence.
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Did you notice anything about my pronunciation?
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I want to point out a couple of features that will help you sound more natural when you're shadowing me.
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Firstly, I used a schwa when saying Will and I, and I elided or dropped the d sound in and.
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will and I, not will and I, will and I.
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I also used a weak form of were, were, to, to, and the article a, a.
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That was just before thump, a thump.
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And did you hear which word was most stressed in that sentence?
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Thump, that was the most interesting and surprising information.
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Okay, let's practise together now.
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Speak along with me.
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The other night, Will and I were sitting down to dinner when we heard a thump above our heads.
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Good, if you want more practise, just pause the video, replay that part.
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Here's the next part of the story.
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Listen first.
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We live in an old house, so we just shrugged it off and started eating.
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There was another louder thud, and then what sounded like footsteps.
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Creepy, right?
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So before you speak along with me, I want to point out one feature of connected speech in that sentence, catenation, which is when a consonant sound at the end of one word joins with a vowel sound at the beginning of the next.
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You saw this in living and old, living and old, and shrugged it off, Shrugged it off.
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Live in an old.
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It's almost like old starts with N.
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An old.
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Live in an old.
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Let's practise again.
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Now say it with me out loud.
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We live in an old house, so we just shrugged it off and started eating.
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There was another louder thud and then what sounded like footsteps.
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Okay, the next part.
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Just listen.
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I am not joking when I tell you the hairs on my arms stood on end.
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Even Will looked a bit shaken, which is not like him at all.
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He called our dog Diego for company and went upstairs to investigate.
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Okay, a few things to point out here before we try this together.
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Firstly, I didn't use a contraction with I am, I am.
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You probably know that we almost always use contractions rather than full forms when we're speaking, especially in informal situations.
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But here I chose to use the full form for emphasis.
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I also stressed not.
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You also heard assimilation with the words on my.
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The n in on became on my.
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There are also examples of intrusion in the text.
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I am, my arms, to investigate.
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Between I am and my arms, I inserted a y sound.
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and between to and investigate, to investigate, there was a wha sound.
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Now let's practise together.
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I am not joking when I tell you the hairs on my arms stood on end.
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Even Will looked a bit shaken, which is not like him at all.
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He called our dog Diego for company and went upstairs to investigate.
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Great, okay, here's the final part of my story and your shadowing exercise.
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Listen first.
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Moments later, Diego came bounding down the stairs with a tennis ball in his mouth.
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What do you know?
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A bunch of tennis balls had fallen off the top of the wardrobe and rolled down the landing.
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And there you have it.
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Will and I felt a bit silly, but Diego was really happy.
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All right, before you do your final shadowing, there are just a few things to point out.
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One, notice how I said, what do you know?
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What do you know?
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This is an informal contraction and these are really common in speech.
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And the final thing is that I said, Tennis balls had fallen.
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Tennis balls had fallen.
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Balls had had a weak form.
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Instead of saying balls had, balls had.
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Okay, do it with me.
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Let's do your final shadowing practise.
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Moments later, Diego came bounding down the stairs with a tennis ball in his mouth.
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What do you know?
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A bunch of tennis balls had fallen off the top of the wardrobe and rolled down the landing.
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Okay, how did you do?
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Were you able to speak along with me?
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If not, don't worry.
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Shadowing is quite an advanced technique and it takes time and practise and a bit of humility to master.
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But it's a really valuable way to practise lots of different features of pronunciation and to try to sound a bit more like a native speaker if that's what you're looking to achieve.
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Let me know if you enjoyed this lesson and if you'd like to do some more shadowing lessons, I'd love to make them for you.
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Don't forget to download the free PDF.
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The link is in the description box.
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And you can claim your $10 of LanguaTalk lesson credit by messaging the support team with the code SPEAKING10 after your first lesson purchase.
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The link for that is also in the description.
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Don't forget to connect with me on all of my social media.
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I've got my Facebook and my Instagram.
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And we have finally released our B1, B2, and C1 beautiful British English programmes.
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They are 12-week, three-month programmes, and they are getting the most amazing results from our students.
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Just visit EnglishwithLucy.com if you want to learn more and enroll in one of my English courses with me.
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I will see you soon for another lesson.
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Mwah!
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you

About This Lesson

In this speaking practice lesson, you will engage in a technique known as shadowing. This method focuses on imitating a speaker in real-time, allowing you to enhance your pronunciation and speaking fluency in English. By acting as my shadow, you will repeat phrases immediately as they are spoken, aiming to match intonation, rhythm, and expression. This practice not only helps in sounding more natural but also boosts your confidence when speaking English. Through shadowing, you will have the opportunity to learn various speech patterns and improve your overall communication skills.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Shadowing: A technique where you repeat after a speaker, trying to mimic their pronunciation and tone.
  • Thump: A sound made by something heavy falling or hitting a surface.
  • Will and I: A phrase that highlights the importance of pronunciation and fluency in spoken English.
  • Schwa: An unstressed vowel sound that often occurs in English, represented by an upside-down "e".
  • Elision: The dropping of a sound or syllable, often used in informal speech to aid fluency.
  • Weak forms: Variations in the pronunciation of certain words to make speech more fluid.
  • Intonation: The rise and fall in pitch while speaking, essential for conveying meaning.
  • Pronunciation: The way in which a word is pronounced; crucial for clear communication.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this english speaking practice, it's essential to approach the shadowing technique with the right mindset. Here are some tips to enhance your experience:

  • Start by listening: Pay close attention to my speech patterns and intonation before attempting to repeat. This pre-shadowing phase helps you internalize the way words are pronounced.
  • Sync your speech: Try to speak along with me with as little delay as possible, which is the core of shadow speech practice. This can be challenging at first, but consistency will improve your fluency.
  • Focus on sounds: Identify schwa sounds and instances where elision occurs, as these are key to sounding natural. For example, instead of saying “Will and I,” practice the fluid connection: “Will 'n' I.”
  • Repeat, adapt, and explore: Once you're comfortable, experiment with other audio resources. This can include podcasts, audiobooks, or other learn English with YouTube videos where native speakers use similar patterns.
  • Record yourself: Listening to your recordings will help you identify areas for improvement and track your progress in pronunciation over time.

By incorporating these techniques into your routine, you will master the shadowing technique effectively, transforming your speaking skills and building confidence as you engage in conversations. Happy shadowing!

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.

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