Shadowing Practice: Fluent English Speaking with ONLY 10 Minutes a Day | How to Build Self-Discipline&Practice Speaking - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Enjoy English Talks,
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Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Enjoy English Talks,
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where every conversation helps you learn.
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I'm Judy.
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Hello, Judy.
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Hello, everyone.
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I'm Jake.
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How are you today, Judy?
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I am great today, thank you.
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I woke up early this morning,
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I made some tea, and I sat by the window.
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Very quiet, very peaceful.
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That sounds lovely.
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I love quiet mornings.
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Yes.
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And you, Jake?
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How are you?
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I'm good, but I have to tell you something funny.
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Oh, tell me.
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This morning, I was in the kitchen making breakfast, and I was talking.
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Talking?
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To who?
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To nobody.
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I was alone.
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You were talking to yourself?
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Yes.
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I was saying things like,
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Okay, now I need two eggs.
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Where is the pan?
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The pan is on the shelf.
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All in English.
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Jake, that is actually wonderful.
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Really?
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My cat looked at me like I was crazy.
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Your cat does not understand, but your brain understands.
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You were practicing English.
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I was?
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Yes, and that is exactly what we are talking about today.
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Oh, what is our topic?
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Jake, many of our listeners say the same thing.
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They say, I want to speak English,
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but I have no one to talk to and I have no time.
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Yes, I hear that a lot too.
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No partner, no time, no chance to practice.
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But what if I told you that you can practice speaking English every single day with only 10 minutes?
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Only 10 minutes?
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Really?
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Yes, 10 minutes a day.
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That is all you need to start.
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But can 10 minutes really make a difference?
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Absolutely.
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Think about it.
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10 minutes a day, 7 days a week,
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that is 70 minutes of speaking practice every week.
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70 minutes?
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That is more than one hour.
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Yes, and most people practice speaking 0 minutes a week,
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so 10 minutes a day is a huge improvement.
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That is true.
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0 to 70.
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Big change.
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Today, we have five tips,
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five easy ways to practice speaking English in just 10 minutes a day.
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And we will also talk about self-discipline.
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Self-discipline?
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Yes.
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Self-discipline means you do something every day.
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Even when you are tired,
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even when you do not feel like it, you do it anyway.
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Ah, that is hard for me sometimes.
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It is hard for everyone.
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But today, we will make it easier.
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I promise.
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Okay, I'm excited.
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Five tips.
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Let's go.
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But first, we have a small request.
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Yes, if you like our podcast,
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please click the like button.
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And please subscribe to enjoy English Talks.
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And share this episode with your friends and family.
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Thank you.
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It helps us so much.
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We love our listeners.
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Okay, now let's start.
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So, Jake, the big problem for many learners is this.
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They study English, they read,
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they listen, but they never speak.
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Yes, I know this problem.
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I read a lot, I listen a lot,
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but speaking, not so much.
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And why not?
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Um, I think I am nervous,
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and I have no one to practice with.
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Those are two very common reasons.
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But here's the truth.
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You do not need another person to practice speaking.
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I don't?
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No, you can practice alone,
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and you only need 10 minutes.
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Okay, show me how.
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Tip number one.
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The name is talk to yourself.
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Talk to myself?
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Like I did this morning with the eggs?
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Exactly like that.
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When you're alone, speak English out loud.
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Say what you were doing,
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say what you were thinking.
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Out loud?
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Not in my head?
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Not in your head.
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Out loud.
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This is very important.
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Your mouth needs practice.
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Your tongue needs practice.
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Your lips need practice.
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Speaking is physical, like exercise.
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Oh, I never thought about it that way.
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Think about a guitar player.
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They do not just think about music.
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They move their fingers every day.
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Speaking English is the same.
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So my mouth is like a muscle.
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Yes, and muscles need exercise.
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When you talk out loud,
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you train your mouth to make English sounds.
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Okay, what should I say?
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Anything.
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You are cooking, say, I am cutting the tomato.
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Now I am putting oil in the pan.
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You are walking, say, I am walking to the bus stop.
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The weather is nice today.
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Just describe what I'm doing.
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Yes, simple sentences, present tense,
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what you see, what you do, what you feel.
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Okay, let me try.
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I am sitting in a chair.
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I'm talking to Judy.
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The room is warm.
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I feel happy.
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Perfect.
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That is exactly right.
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Four sentences.
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All easy.
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All real.
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And nobody needs to hear me.
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Nobody.
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Just you and your voice.
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Do this for two minutes every day.
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That's a great start.
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Two minutes of talking to myself.
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I can do that.
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Tip 1.
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Talk to yourself.
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Use your voice.
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Train your mouth.
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Good.
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Tip number 2.
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This one is fun.
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The name is The Mirror Trick.
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The Mirror Trick.
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What is that?
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You stand in front of a mirror and you speak English to yourself in the mirror.
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Speak to the mirror?
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Like talking to my face?
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Yes.
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You look at yourself and you speak.
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You say, Hello, my name is Jake.
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I am learning English.
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I like coffee and movies.
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That feels a little strange.
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It feels strange at first,
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but it is very powerful.
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Do you know why?
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Why?
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Because when you look in the mirror,
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you see your mouth, you see your face,
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you see your eyes, and you become more confident.
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More confident?
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Yes.
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Many learners are afraid to speak because they feel embarrassed.
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Embarrassed means they feel shy or uncomfortable.
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Yes, I feel embarrassed sometimes when I speak English.
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The mirror helps you get used to your own face speaking English.
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After a few days, it feels normal.
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And when it feels normal to you,
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it feels normal to others, too.
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Oh, I see.
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I practice being comfortable.
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Exactly.
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You practice the feeling, not just the words.
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And you can also watch your mouth.
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Are your lips moving enough?
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Is your mouth open enough?
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English needs a big, open mouth.
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A big mouth.
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Got it.
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Well, big enough for English sounds.
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Some sounds need your lips to be round.
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Some need your tongue to touch your teeth.
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You can see all of this in the mirror.
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So the mirror is like a teacher.
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Yes, a free teacher, in your bathroom, every morning.
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Let me try.
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Tomorrow morning I will brush my teeth,
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and then I will talk to the mirror for two minutes.
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That is a wonderful plan.
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Tip two, the mirror trick.
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Speak, watch, get confident.
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Very good, Jake.
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Tip number three.
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Are you ready?
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Ready.
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Tip three is shadow a speaker.
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Shadow?
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Like a shadow on the ground?
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Good connection.
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A shadow follows you, right?
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It copies your movement.
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In the same way, you follow a speaker.
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You copied your words.
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I copy what they say?
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Yes.
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You listen to English, a podcast,
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a video, a movie, and you repeat the words right after the speaker,
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almost at the same time.
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At the same time?
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Almost.
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You hear a sentence and immediately you repeat it,
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with the same speed, the same sound, the same feeling.
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Can I try now?
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Yes, I will say a sentence.
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You shadow me.
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Ready?
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Ready.
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I love learning new things every day.
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I love learning new things every day.
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Very good.
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Did you notice?
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You copied my speed, you copied my sound.
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That is shadowing.
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Oh, that felt good.
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Like I was inside the sentence.
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Yes.
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Shadowing helps your brain connect listening and speaking.
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You hear it, you say it, at the same time.
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So I can do this with any podcast?
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Any podcast, any video, even our podcast.
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You can pause, repeat, play again, pause, repeat.
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I will shadow enjoy English talks.
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That is a perfect idea.
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Two minutes of shadowing every day,
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your pronunciation will improve fast.
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Pronunciation means how I say the words?
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Yes, how the words sound when you say them.
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Shadowing makes your pronunciation much better.
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Tip 3.
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Shadow a speaker.
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Listen, repeat, copy the sound.
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You got it.
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Excellent.
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Tip number 4.
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The name is Describe Your World.
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Describe my world.
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What does that mean?
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It means look around you and say what you see in English.
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Like a game?
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Yes, like a game.
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Right now, look around this room.
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What do you see?
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I see a table, a brown table.
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There are two cups on the table.
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One cup is white, one cup is blue.
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There's a window.
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The window is big.
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I can see trees outside.
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Wonderful.
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You just practiced seven or eight sentences in about 20 seconds.
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That was fast.
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And you can do this anywhere in the kitchen,
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on the bus, at the supermarket, in the park.
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At the supermarket?
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What would I say?
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You say, I see red apples.
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There are many bananas.
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The milk is on the left side.
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A woman is buying bread.
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I will look like a strange person talking about bananas in the supermarket.
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You can say it quietly or in your head,
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but out loud is always better.
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Okay, quietly.
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I will whisper to the bananas.
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The bananas will not mind.
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And here's the best part.
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You do not need to prepare anything.
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Your world is always there.
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You just open your eyes and describe it.
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No books, no apps, no internet.
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Just my eyes and my mouth.
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Exactly.
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Two minutes, look around, describe everything.
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Colors, shapes, people, actions.
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A man is walking his dog.
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The dog is small and white.
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The sky is cloudy.
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Perfect example.
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You are getting very good at this.
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Tip 4.
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Describe your world.
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Look, see, say it in English.
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Yes, your world is your classroom.
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And now our last tip.
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Tip number 5.
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This is about self-discipline.
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Ah, the hard part.
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It does not have to be hard.
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Tip 5 is use a timer.
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A timer?
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Like on my phone?
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Yes.
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Set a timer for 10 minutes.
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And for those 10 minutes, you only speak English.
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No phone, no social media, no distractions.
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Just you and English.
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Only 10 minutes?
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Only 10 minutes.
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But they are focused minutes.
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Focused means all your attention is on one thing.
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So I am not half watching TV and half studying?
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No, that does not work.
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Ten focused minutes is much better than 30 unfocused minutes.
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And what do I do in those ten minutes?
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You use the four tips we just learned.
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Two minutes, talk to yourself.
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Two minutes, mirror trick.
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Three minutes, shadow a speaker.
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Three minutes, describe your world.
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That is ten minutes.
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Oh, so I combine all the tips into one session.
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Yes, one 10-minute session every day.
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Same time, same place.
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This is the secret of self-discipline.
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Same time, same place.
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Yes.
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For example, every morning at 7.30 in your bedroom before breakfast,
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you set the timer, you start.
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And when the timer rings, you stop.
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And I do this every single day?
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Every single day.
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Even when you are tired,
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even when you are busy.
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10 minutes.
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That is all.
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But what if I don't feel like it?
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That is exactly when it matters most.
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Self-discipline is not about feeling motivated.
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Self-discipline is about doing it anyway.
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Doing it anyway, even when I don't want to.
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Yes.
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Motivation comes and goes, but discipline stays.
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Think about brushing your teeth.
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Do you always feel excited to brush your teeth?
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No, never, actually.
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But you do it every day anyway, because it's your routine.
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English can be the same.
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My 10-minute English routine.
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Exactly.
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After two weeks, it becomes normal.
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After one month, it becomes automatic.
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You don't think about it.
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You just do it.
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Like a habit.
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Yes.
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Self-discipline builds the habit, and the habit builds your English.
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I like that.
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Discipline builds the habit.
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The habit builds the English.
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And remember, you do not need two hours.
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You do not need a classroom.
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You do not need a teacher.
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Just 10 minutes, a timer, and my voice.
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That is everything you need.
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Tip 5.
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Use a timer.
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10 focused minutes.
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Same time, every day.
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Perfect.
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You got it, Jake.
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Okay, let's review our 5 tips.
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Yes, let's do it.
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Today, we talked about how to practice English speaking in just 10 minutes a day.
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Jake, tip one.
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Tip one, talk to yourself.
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Speak English out loud.
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Describe what you are doing.
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Train your mouth like a muscle.
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Good.
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Tip two.
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Tip two, the mirror trick.
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Stand in front of a mirror.
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Speak English.
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Watch your mouth.
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Build your confidence.
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Perfect.
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Tip three.
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Tip three, shadow a speaker.
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Listen to English.
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Repeat the words.
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Copy the speed and the sound.
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Tip four.
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Tip four, describe your world.
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Look around, say what you see, colors, people, actions.
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Your world is your classroom.
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And tip five.
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Tip five, use a timer.
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Set 10 minutes, same time, same place, every day.
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Self-discipline builds the habit.
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You remembered everything, Jake.
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The tips are easy.
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Anyone can do them.
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That's the point.
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You don't need money.
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You don't need a teacher.
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You don't need a partner.
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You just need your voice and 10 minutes.
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10 minutes can change your English.
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Yes.
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Small daily practice makes big improvement over time.
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I'm going to start my 10-minute routine tomorrow morning.
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And I believe every single one of our listeners can do this too.
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You can do it.
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We believe in you.
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Start speaking today.
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Even one sentence is a great beginning.
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Well, that's all the time we have for today.
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Thank you so much for listening to Enjoy English Talks.
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Yes, thank you everyone.
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It was a wonderful episode today.
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Please subscribe to Enjoy English Talks.
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And give this episode a like.
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And share it with a friend who's learning English.
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And we have a question for you today.
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Yes, please leave a comment below.
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Tell us, what will you talk about in your first 10-minute English practice?
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Will you describe your room,
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talk about your morning, or shadow a speaker?
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We would love to read your answers.
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See you next time.
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Bye, everyone.
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Keep practicing your English.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Practicing speaking through video content, such as learn English with YouTube, offers a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in natural conversation. In the discussed video, Judy and Jake engage in a friendly dialogue that mirrors everyday life. This context not only makes the learning process enjoyable but also enhances your understanding of conversational English.
By dedicating just 10 minutes a day to speaking practice, you can build self-discipline and improve fluency. This method allows you to speak English regularly, even if you believe you have no one to talk to. Try shadowing the speakers in the video; mimic their pronunciation, intonation, and rhythm. This technique of shadow speak is a powerful way to develop your speaking skills.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
Throughout the conversation, several key structures and expressions stand out:
- Present Continuous Tense: "I am great today." Using the present continuous tense indicates current feelings or actions, which is essential for connecting with others.
- Simple Present for Daily Routines: "I woke up early this morning." This simple tense describes habitual actions, allowing you to discuss your daily life effectively.
- Direct Speech: "I was talking to myself." Direct speech is a great way to report conversations or thoughts. Practice this structure to sound more natural in your speech.
- Question Formation: "How are you?" Pay attention to how questions are formed, as they are vital for engaging in conversations and demonstrating interest.
These structures are commonly used in everyday dialogue, making them integral to your English speaking practice.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you enhance your speaking skills, be mindful of pronunciation challenges that may arise:
- “Breakfast” - Ensure you pronounce the first syllable clearly to avoid confusion with similar words. This word is often mispronounced by learners.
- “Peaceful” - Pay attention to the 'ea' sound; it can be tricky for non-native speakers.
- “Crazy” - Watch the vowel sounds; the ‘a’ in this word should be carefully articulated to convey the intended meaning accurately.
By focusing on these aspects during your shadowing practice, you will refine your pronunciation and gain confidence in your spoken English.
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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