Shadowing Practice: Five Short Plays Chapter 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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The Robbery, Scene 1, The Plan Harry comes into the room.
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His friends look up at him.
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Hello, everyone.
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What are you doing?
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Nothing, Harry, nothing.
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What can we do?
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We haven't got any money.
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I know, I know.
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But it's OK.
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I have some work for us.
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We can make a lot of money.
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Work?
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But you don't like work, Harry.
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Ah, but this work is different.
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How, Harry?
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What are we going to do?
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We're going to rob a bank.
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Rob a bank?
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But how can we?
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I have a plan, a very good plan.
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Which bank are we going to rob?
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The capital bank.
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Which one is that?
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The one next to the library in the high street.
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That's a very big bank.
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Be quiet and listen.
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Now, I want Wilf to drive the car and Gladys to stand outside the bank and watch the street.
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OK, Harry.
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Sid.
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Yes, Harry.
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What do you want me to do?
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You must go into the bank and speak to everyone there.
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Say to them, stay there.
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Don't move.
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I've got a gun in my pocket.
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But, Harry, we haven't got a gun.
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I know that.
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You just put your hand in your pocket like this.
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Move your hand up and down in your pocket and say, this is a gun.
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I understand.
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Good.
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Now, Ron, I want you to go with Sid.
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Yes, Harry.
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And then what?
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Go to one of the bank workers and say, My friend has a gun.
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Give me the money.
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What are you going to do, Harry?
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I'm going to wait in the car with Wilf.
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Do you have any questions?
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No. OK, so let's look at the plan again.
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Scene 2.
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The robbery.
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Sid and Ron run into the library.
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The people there look up from their books.
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Listen to me, all of you.
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This is a robbery.
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Don't move!
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I've got a gun in my pocket!
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Oh, don't shoot!
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Please don't shoot!
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We don't want to die!
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Nobody's going to die, but you must do what I say!
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Go on, Ron!
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What are you waiting for?
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Get the money, quick!
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Listen, my friend over there has got a gun.
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Give me the money.
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Give it to me now!
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What money?
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What do you mean, what money?
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The money in this bank, of course.
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I'm sorry, this is not a bank.
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This is a library.
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What did you say?
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A library?
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That's right.
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People come here to borrow books.
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We don't have any money here.
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Er, you don't have any money.
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Oh dear.
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Sid?
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Sid?
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What?
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Have you got the money?
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There isn't any money.
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It's not a bank, Sid.
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We're not in a bank.
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This is a library.
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A library?
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That's right.
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They've only got books.
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Lots and lots of books.
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Books?
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Well, get some of those then.
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We must take something or Harry's going to be angry.
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Give me lots of books.
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Have you got a library card?
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A card?
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No, I haven't.
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I'm sorry.
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You can't borrow books without a library card.
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Look, you don't understand.
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We're not borrowing books.
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We're stealing them.
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I'm sorry, but you can't do that.
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Sid, we can't steal books, she says.
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I've got a gun.
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Tell her that.
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My friend's got a gun and he knows how to shoot.
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Look, it's not a problem.
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I can give you and your friend a library card.
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Then you can borrow the books and not steal them.
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What are your names?
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Oh, all right.
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I'm Ronald Savage and he's Sidney Dupree.
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Ronald Savage, Sidney Dupree. And what's your address?
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27 Dunfor Road, Hamley.
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27 Dunfor Road, Hamley.
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Good.
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Here you are.
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Now you can borrow some books.
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But I don't know anything about reading.
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You must help me.
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Which books are best?
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Quick, Ron.
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I can't stand here much longer.
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Here are some good books for you.
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The Great Train Robbery, The Return of Sherlock Holmes and The Adventures of Robin Hood.
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They're all very famous books.
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Oh, that's nice.
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They look interesting.
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Thanks.
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Ron, come on, quick!
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It's OK, Sid.
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I've got the books.
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All right.
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We're going now, but don't move.
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Don't move or talk for five minutes.
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Can we read?
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Erm, all right, but you must read quietly, OK?
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Come on, Sid.
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Let's go.
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Harry and the others are waiting.
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Goodbye and happy reading.
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Oh, yes, thank you.
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All right, Sid, I'm coming.
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Oh dear, I was so afraid Oh, they weren't so bad The one called Sid, he didn't really have a gun,
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you know Perhaps, but they were robbers They wanted to rob the bank Yes,
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but they came into the wrong building Why do you look so pleased?
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Well, it's important for everybody to read books Not just you and me, but everybody, even bank robbers.
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But you aren't going to get those books back, are you?
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Oh, yes, I am.
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Remember, I've got their names and their address.
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Thank you.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 155 sentences and 828 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| borrow verb | /ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/ | To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. |
| robbery noun | /ˈɹɑbəɹi/ | The act or practice of robbing. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| worker noun | /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ | One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| quietly adverb | /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ | Producing little or no noise. |
| borrowing noun | /ˈbɔrəwɪŋ/ | An instance of something being borrowed. |
| robber noun | /ˈɹɑ.bɚ/ | A person who robs. |
| angry adjective | /ˈæŋ.ɡɹi/ | Displaying or feeling anger. |
| quiet adjective | /ˈkwaɪ̯.ət/ | With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise. |
| library noun | /ˈlaɪˌbɹɛɹ.i/ | An institution which holds books and/or other forms of media for use by the public or qualified people often lending them out, as well as providing various… |
| quick adjective | /kwɪk/ | Moving with speed, rapidity or swiftness, or capable of doing so; rapid; fast. |
| shoot verb | /ʃut/ | To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile). |
| address noun | /əˈdɹɛs/ | A manner of speaking or writing to another; language, style. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| hand up verb | To deliver an indictment (e.g. to a judge). |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 pocket, borrow, robbery.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | We're not borrowing · We're stealing · We're going |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must go · must do · must take |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | We're going to rob · I'm going to wait · Nobody's going to die |
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.