Shadowing Practice: Fluency in 5 minutes a day (with the chunking method) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Today I'm going to show you a simple technique
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Today I'm going to show you a simple technique
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that can dramatically improve your fluency and it just takes five minutes a day.
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Hello my friends it's Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy
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and here today to help you become a more fluent speaker of English.
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Now this one technique I mentioned is called the chunking method.
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Now you've probably heard of this.
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I've talked about it a little bit before,
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but I want to make it crystal clear,
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super easy for you today so that you can start practicing this straight away today
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and get into that habit of five minutes a day practicing this chunking.
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Sound good?
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Great.
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So in this video, I'm going to show you how this works,
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how you can practice, and then we'll finish up with a little story to review this.
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Let's do it.
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Now then, one of the reasons you're not fluent yet is probably
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because you focus on individual words and this is quite normal for students to do.
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The thing is proficient speakers and native speakers we don't focus on individual words we We focus on chunks,
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two or three words together.
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And we speak with chunks and we think in chunks.
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If you focus on individual words, it slows you down.
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And it's because normally you've learned through writing and reading English.
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And so you're focusing on the written word that you see is individual words.
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But when we speak, we don't think in words.
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We think in sounds.
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and we speak with sounds.
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So each chunk is a sound rather than an individual word, right?
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When I say, when I say,
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I don't say when I say,
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I say when I say, when I say.
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It sounds almost Japanese, when I say,
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when I say, but I think in sounds.
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And so it's much easier to speak with more flow and more fluently.
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It's a bit like when you go shopping and you take banana And if you take an individual banana,
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put it in your bag and another,
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boom, and another, it's quite slow.
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If you take a bunch of bananas, it's much quicker.
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And it's the same with chunks.
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It's a bunch of words put into one sound.
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That's the secret.
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Now, there are different kinds of chunks.
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There are grammatical chunks and there are lexical chunks.
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Let me give you a few examples today.
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Grammatical chunks, we've got verb chunks like, I tend to.
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I'm used to, I find it easy to, I'd like to.
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Adverbial chunks, I'm sure you know.
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At the moment, at the moment,
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by and large, at the end of the day.
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And when we say these,
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we just say them as one sound, one chunk, right?
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By and large, by and large, by and large.
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Meaning, generally speaking, by and large.
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Okay, so verb chunks, adverbial chunks.
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So these chunks are our building blocks.
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And as we put them together,
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we build and speak with more flow and more fluency.
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And the more you use them,
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and the more you think in this way,
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the more fluent you're gonna become.
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Let's move on.
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Great.
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Let's have a look at this five minute a day fluency drill.
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So we're going to look at three chunks,
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three verb chunks that we can practice with.
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And then later we'll add some adverb chunks.
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So the verb chunk is what you do.
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The adverb chunk is how you do it.
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And then we'll start building with blocks.
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So the first chunk we've got is over here.
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I tend to do something.
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meaning I usually do something it's a habit, right?
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I tend to so instead of saying I tend to we say I tend to that means repeat I tend to
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wake up early wake up early another chunk wake up early good together I tend to wake up early Got it.
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Hear the difference between I tend to wake up early and I tend to wake up early.
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Totally different.
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Building blocks rather than individual words.
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Let's try another one.
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I tend to have a big breakfast.
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Great.
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That's true for me.
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Tell me something true for you.
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Really?
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Another one.
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I tend to drink tea.
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Okay.
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I tend to drink tea.
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Great. And you?
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Three chunks now.
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I tend to get nervous before meetings.
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Right.
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You've got it.
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Okay.
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So what we can do,
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we're just kind of repeating these little chunks.
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Let's move on to chunk number two,
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which is I am used to doing something.
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So instead of I am used to, it's I'm used to.
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I'm used to.
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That's it.
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Getting up early.
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That's another chunk.
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Getting up early.
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I'm used to getting up early.
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I'm used to working on my own Three chunks, right?
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I'm used to working on my own I'm used to working on my own I'm used to living in the countryside
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Okay, again, three chunks I'm used to living in the countryside We put them all together with a bit of intonation.
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I'm used to living in the countryside.
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It's almost one chunk, right?
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The more you do it,
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the better you get at it.
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Chunk number three.
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I find it easy to do something.
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For example, for me, I find it easy to cook.
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Okay, the difference again between I find it easy to cook,
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I find it easy to cook.
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Practice that little chunk.
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I find it easy.
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I find it easy.
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Yeah.
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I find it easy to learn languages.
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I find it easy to stay organised. And you?
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Excellent.
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Good.
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Now, let's start combining a bit.
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Let's start adding some adverb chunks.
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Do you remember like, at the moment?
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Okay.
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So, I might say, at the moment,
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I tend to wake up early.
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Kind of three chunks, right?
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At the moment, I tend to wake up early.
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I'm slowing it down a bit so you can hear the chunks.
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Obviously, as you put them together,
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I would say at the moment,
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I tend to wake up early.
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I have the intonation, but that comes later.
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Just focus on the chunks first.
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Another one.
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Right now, I'm used to living on my own.
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Okay, we've got this adverbial chunk and the verb chunk.
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Another one.
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By and large, I find it easy to stay organized.
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Stay organized or stay focused?
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Stay organized, yes.
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By and large, I find it easy to stay organized.
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And what I could start to do is extend the sentence by having a because or since or as.
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At the moment, I tend to wake up early because I'm on holiday.
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No, that wouldn't make sense, would it?
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At the moment, I tend to wake up early because I'm very busy. That would make sense.
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But it doesn't matter if it makes sense.
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Actually, it's good not even to make sense.
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Say something illogical, but focus on these chunks.
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And you're building up your sentences, right?
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The idea is not to make sense.
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The idea of this practice,
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the five-minute fluency drill, is just to practice fluency, practice these chunks.
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Okay, we can do it with a mini story.
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Let me develop these into a mini story
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and I want you to really focus on the sounds of the chunks as I speak.
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Okay, whether it's logical or not.
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Here we go.
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At the moment, I tend to wake up early.
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By and large, I find it easy to wake up early because I go to bed early.
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Right now, I'm used to going to bed early because I'm on holiday.
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Right?
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Mini story, but I'm just building blocks, building little sentences.
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And in your practice, do this.
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Make up stupid stories that make no sense,
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but just practice the chunks, right?
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Later, it will all start to work out.
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But this is the drill.
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This is where you're kind of,
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like the soldiers, learn to walk and to drill.
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It's the basic footsteps.
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These are the footsteps of your language, if you like.
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Okay.
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So let me just recap,
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summarize this five-minute fluency drill.
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Very simple routine.
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First of all, pick three verb chunks.
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You can use the ones we've done today.
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I do have a PDF and you can download that and get lots more chunks you can practice with.
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First, pick three verb chunks,
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practice repeating and changing something.
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Take some adverb chunks, practice repeating,
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put them together, building up little phrases,
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and then make a mini story.
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sentence after sentence using these chunks or others building them up it can be totally illogical
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and then if you've got time do a mini story
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but that's true for you and that's more difficult
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because you have to think about meaning as well but
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if you've got time record yourself great to listen back
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and listen to the sounds and the chunks see how well you're doing you can do this five minutes a day.
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Seriously, three chunks, some adverb chunks.
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It's so easy.
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Practice first of all with the ones you've seen today.
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Go and get the PDF.
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There's loads more there you can start practicing.
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And just with this focus on sounds and chunks rather than individual words,
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you will notice a difference after a few weeks.
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That's it for today.
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If you've enjoyed this video, subscribe to the channel.
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And why not even join my YouTube channel?
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Become a member.
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You get emojis, custom emojis,
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but you also get access to private videos on all the different topics I talk about,
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especially IELTS speaking, model answers, really helpful for you.
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Join, it's just $2 a month.
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It's price of a coffee in most countries.
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Anyway, and it also helps me,
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but I'll leave it to you.
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It would be lovely to see you as a channel member.
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If you want to find out more about my courses,
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go and visit keithspeakingacademy.com.
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You can find out all about the work that I do there.
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It's been lovely today.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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I've really enjoyed it.
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And I will see you soon,
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maybe in the next video on YouTube.
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All the best now.
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Take care.
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Bye-bye.
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Thank you.
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Context & Background
In the journey of learning English, many learners struggle with achieving fluency, often because they focus too heavily on individual words rather than the natural flow of speech. In a recent video, Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy introduces an effective technique known as the chunking method. This method emphasizes the importance of thinking and speaking in "chunks" of words—two or three words together—rather than focusing on solitary words. By making this shift, learners can enhance their speaking fluency and engage more naturally in conversations. This technique, which only requires five minutes a day, can dramatically aid English learners in becoming more proficient speakers.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- I tend to – Use this to express a habit or tendency.
- I’m used to – Great for talking about familiar situations.
- I find it easy to – Helpful for indicating ease in performing an action.
- I’d like to – A polite way to express your desires.
- At the moment – Useful for discussing your current situation.
These phrases represent both grammatical and lexical chunks that can be easily practiced and integrated into daily conversations. Practicing these chunks will enable you to speak more fluidly and naturally, moving away from the disjointed delivery that often plagues learners.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the chunking method and improve your English speaking skills through shadow speech, follow this step-by-step guide:
- Choose a Short Clip: Select a segment from the video that resonates with you. A five-minute segment would work perfectly.
- Listen and Repeat: First, listen to the clip without repeating. This allows your brain to absorb the sounds and phrases.
- Break It Down: Identify the chunks within the dialogue. Focus on two to three-word phrases to practice.
- Shadow the Speech: Play the video again and start shadowing, mimicking Keith’s intonation and rhythm. This practice is crucial in developing fluency.
- Record Yourself: Use your phone or a computer to record your shadowing. Listen to your playback, noting areas for improvement in pronunciation and flow.
This method not only assists in enhancing your speaking abilities but also serves as a dynamic way to learn English with YouTube. Engage regularly with these techniques on a shadowing site to foster continual practice and advancement in your English speaking journey.
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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