Shadowing Practice: English Speaking Practice: Talk About Your Morning Routine - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Vanessa: Do you want to learn real English, how it is used in the real world? Well, I have some good news. Today, you are going to practice speaking, repeating after me about my morning routine, which is probably similar to yours. You are actually going to speak English today. Yes. Hi. I'm Vanessa from speakenglishwithvanessa.com and like always, I have created a free PDF worksheet with all of today's important sentences, tips, and ideas so that you can speak English better and more fluently. You can click on the link in the description to download this free PDF worksheet…
27 sentences
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Vanessa: Do you want to learn real English, how it is used in the real world? Well, I have some good news. Today, you are going to practice speaking, repeating after me about my morning routine, which is probably similar to yours. You are actually going to speak English today. Yes. Hi. I'm Vanessa from speakenglishwithvanessa.com and like always, I have created a free PDF worksheet with all of today's important sentences, tips, and ideas so that you can speak English better and more fluently. You can click on the link in the description to download this free PDF worksheet today. It is my gift to you.
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In today's lesson, you will be speaking out loud and repeating after me. This is called shadowing.
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It's where you take a sentence that you want to say yourself, that you want to imitate, and you say it directly after someone else. This is a fabulous way to improve your pronunciation, your vocabulary, and just your speaking confidence in general. I'm going to say a sentence and then I'll give you a little tip about that sentence. I'll say it again, and then there will be a pause.
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This pause is for you. It's so that you can repeat the sentence, shadow directly what I said. And because I have magical teacher ears, I can hear you around the world no matter where you are, so you better be following the directions. I want you to speak out loud. Don't care who's listening, your dog, your family, people on the train. You are improving your English, so who cares what they think? Make sure that you speak out loud during the pause today into this lesson.
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Are you ready to get started with the beginning of the morning? The beginning of our morning routine, let's go. My alarm goes off at 6:30 A.M. every morning. We usually use this phrasal verb to go off for an alarm. My alarm goes off. I'm going to say this sentence one more time and then I'll pause so that you can repeat. My alarm goes off at 6:30 A.M. every morning. Great work. Sometimes I hit snooze and get a few more minutes of sleep. We use this phrase to hit snooze, to talk about pushing the button on your alarm or on your phone that will help you to get a few more minutes of sleep. Not the best sleep, but a few more minutes of sleep. Sometimes I hit snooze and get a few more minutes of sleep. Now, it's your turn. Go ahead.
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When my alarm goes off again, I roll out of bed. I love this phrase, to roll out of bed. It just means that you tired. You're not really rolling onto the floor, but you are so tired and you're getting out of bed. Let me say it again. When my alarm goes off, I roll out of bed. Oh no, I overslept. Don't forget that final T, I overslept. Let me say it again. Oh no, I overslept. Every now and then, I sleep in. Every now and then means occasionally. Every now and then I sleep in. But more often than not, I wake up the first time my alarm goes off. More often than not means that it happens more often than it doesn't happen. Let me say it one more time. But more often than not, I wake up the first time my alarm goes off.
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I'm a morning person, but my husband is not. A morning person is someone who enjoys waking up in the morning. I'm a morning person, but my husband is not. I'm usually an early riser, but this morning I overslept. Make sure you pronounce the hard R's in this phrase.
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Early riser. I'm usually an early riser, but this morning I overslept. Why do I wake up early? Well, the early bird catches the worm. Don't forget the hard R's in this phrase too, early bird catches the worm. Why do I wake up early? Well, the early bird catches the worm.
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Next, I take off my glasses and put in my contacts. Here we talk about taking off glasses, putting on glasses, putting in contacts and taking out contacts. Next, I take off my glasses and put in my contacts. Then I hop in the shower. Do you think I'm really hop hop hopping in the shower? No. It just means I go to the shower quickly.
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I hop in the shower. I put my hair up and brush my teeth. Don't forget that final TH, teeth. Your tongue needs to be between your teeth to say the word teeth. I put my hair up and brush my teeth. Then I pick out my clothes and get dressed. Notice at the end of the word dressed, it sounds like a T, even though it's ED, dressed. Then I pick out my clothes and get dressed.
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I usually make the bed. To make the bed means that you pull the blankets up and you make it look nice and neat. Usually, I make the bed. Then I go wake up the kids and help them get ready for school. We use this phrase, help them get ready, when you are doing something for someone else, making them breakfast, helping pick out their clothes, maybe helping them get dressed, helping them get all of their things in their backpack. You are helping them get ready. Next, I go wake up my kids and help them get ready for school. I tell them, "Rise and shine." Rise and shine is a very cheerful morning phrase that you can use to wake someone up. I tell them "Rise and shine." Usually, my kids are pretty happy in the morning, but sometimes they wake up on the wrong side of the bed. This phrase just means you are in a bad mood. Some days it's just like that. You just wake up in a bad mood. Let me say that again.
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Usually, my kids are pretty happy in the morning, but sometimes they just wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Once the kids are awake, my husband whips up something for breakfast. To whip up means to quickly make something. We don't have hours to make breakfast, so we usually whip up breakfast. Once the kids are awake, my husband whips up something for breakfast. Remember, I can hear you no matter where you are, so make sure you're repeating out loud.
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While my husband makes breakfast, I throw together some lunches. To throw together has the same idea here as hop in the shower, roll out of bed, whip up some breakfast. In the morning, we're in a hurry, so I throw together some lunches. I try to be a little bit thoughtful about it, but it's usually a fast process. While he makes breakfast, I throw together some lunches. We sit down at the table and scarf down breakfast. Some days we scarf down faster than others, but this phrasal verb to scarf down means you eat quickly. We sit down at the table and scarf down breakfast.
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"We got to get going. We don't want to be late," this is a phrase I often say.
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You can pronounce this gotta. In American English, the T changes to a D. We gotta get going. We don't wanna, here, we're going to combine want to to become wanna, to be late, wanna be late. We got to get going. We don't want to be late.
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They grab their things and head out the door. This phrasal verb to head out means to leave.
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They grab their things and head out the door. I see them off as they leave the house. To see someone off means that you're saying goodbye. For my family, we usually stand by the side of the road and wave as my husband drives my oldest son to school and we wave and say goodbye. I see them off. I see them off as they leave the house.
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Once they leave for school, I take a moment to tidy up the kitchen. To tidy up means I just put things back where they belong. Once they leave for school, I take a moment to tidy up the kitchen.
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Now, it's time for me to plan out my day. To plan out means to plan. Sometimes we use phrasal verbs instead of regular plain verbs because it adds more flavor to our vocabulary. So you could say, "I plan my day," but isn't it more fun to say I plan out my day. Let's say that sentence again. Now it's time for me to plan out my day. Generally, I get more work done in the first part of the day. Take a look at the pronunciation of this word. Generally, generally. Generally, I get more work done in the first part of the day.
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I like to check my email first thing, so that if I need to respond to anything, I can do that first. This lovely phrase, first thing, is talking about the first thing that I do, but notice how it's used grammatically. I like to check my email first thing. We're not adding any prepositions around this. Any other phrases. It's just I like to do it first thing. Let's say that sentence. I like to check my email first thing, so that if I need to respond to anything, I can do that first. Next, I check in on my students and see if they need any help or have any questions. This phrasal verb to check in on, is a three-part phrasal verb. To check in on, and it really means that you're just monitoring someone's progress.
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Next, I check in on my students to see if they need any help or have any questions.
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Then I get started on the rest of my to-do list. This phrase to-do list means things that I need, guess what, to do. That's right. Next, I get started on the rest of my to-do list. After working for a few hours, I take a break and make some tea. To take a break means that you just rest for a period of time. For me, when I take a break in the summer, I like to drink some cold green tea, and in the winter I like to drink some hot green tea. After working for a few hours, I take a break and make some tea.
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Well, congratulations. You just spoke in English about my morning routine, which I hope is somewhat similar to yours. You used some great vocabulary, you spoke out loud, and my magical teacher ears that can hear you from around the world are very satisfied. Great work.
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Don't forget to download the free PDF worksheet for today's lesson. This is an important one.
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It includes all of the sentences that you repeated, all of the tips that I gave about vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar, and at the bottom of the worksheet, you can answer Vanessa's challenge question so that you never forget what you've learned.
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You can click on the link in the description to download that free PDF worksheet today.
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Well, thanks so much for learning English with me. Let me know in the comments what part of my morning routine is different from your morning routine. Let me know in the comments. I can't wait to see what you have to say, and I'll see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel. Bye. But wait, do you want more? I recommend watching this video next where you'll practice repeating with me about a very strange story that happened to one of my family members. I'll see you in that video to find out.
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Why practice speaking with this video?
This video offers an excellent opportunity to engage in shadow speech by practicing your English speaking skills in a familiar context: the morning routine. Learning through real-life scenarios helps you relate to the content, making it more effective for retention and practical application. Vanessa emphasizes the importance of speaking out loud, encouraging learners to repeat sentences during pauses—this technique enhances pronunciation, boosts vocabulary, and builds overall speaking confidence. By using the shadowing technique, you’ll develop a natural rhythm and flow, allowing your spoken English to sound more fluid and authentic.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the video, Vanessa introduces various grammar structures and expressions that are great additions to your English toolkit:
- “My alarm goes off at 6:30 A.M.” - This sentence uses a common phrasal verb, go off, indicating a device starting to function, which is helpful in daily conversation.
- “I roll out of bed.” - Here, the phrase roll out of bed creatively describes the act of getting out of bed, lending color and imagery to your speech.
- “Every now and then, I sleep in.” - This expression provides a way to talk about infrequent occurrences, adding nuances to your conversational skills.
- “I see them off as they leave the house.” - The expression see someone off captures the emotional nuance of bidding farewell, a valuable phrase to express affection in your conversations.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice with the video, pay special attention to tricky words and phrases to avoid common pronunciation pitfalls:
- “teeth” - Be careful to articulate the th sound correctly; your tongue should be between your teeth.
- “overslept” - Ensure you pronounce the final t clearly; it helps convey your mastery of the past tense.
- “rise and shine” - This cheerful expression requires that you emphasize both words to capture the encouragement it embodies.
- “early bird catches the worm” - Focus on the hard R sounds in early and bird to pronounce this idiom correctly.
Utilizing audio-visual resources like this video not only aids in understanding the context but also enhances your learning through the shadowspeak technique, encouraging you to speak and listen simultaneously, which is vital in developing fluency. Remember to take advantage of the free PDF worksheet mentioned in the video to reinforce your learning!
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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