Shadowing Practice: FOMC Press Conference, September 16, 2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
338 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Good day.
2
In the meeting just concluded, the FOMC decided to raise the target range for the federal
3
funds rate by a quarter of a percentage point to three
4
and three quarters to four percent in support of the Federal Reserve's dual mandate.
5
The committee is continuing its policy of maintaining ample reserves in
6
the banking system as noted in the policy statement released just a short
7
while ago economic activity is expanding at a solid pace
8
while uncertainty remains elevated owing in part to geopolitical developments domestic spending has been resilient productivity growth strong
9
and capital investment is robust cost.
10
Job gains have kept pace with the workforce, and the unemployment rate has changed little.
11
But inflation remains elevated.
12
Today's policy action will support a timelier return to the committee's 2 percent goal.
13
This committee will deliver price stability.
14
Now I'll get into some further detail.
15
Our decision comes at a time
16
when the American economy appears to be strengthening new hiring private sector earnings business capital investment
17
each of these markers has improved in recent months and is pointing in a good direction
18
credit flows have been robust particularly for businesses
19
and as i said at the policy symposium in jackson hole
20
i would be hard pressed to describe broad financial conditions as restrictive This view was widely shared by the committee,
21
so we removed a dose of accommodation.
22
Consider the geopolitical landscape of shocks and uncertainty, and you begin to appreciate the resilience of the U .S economy.
23
Given that resilience and the potential for even greater performance, an attitude of optimism is exactly what I heard inside the
24
FOMC these last two days one basic sign of strength is
25
the state of america's labor markets the jobless the jobless rate remains low at around 4 .1 percent
26
and both job openings
27
and weekly hours have been increasing unemployment claims on a four
28
-week moving average are running at levels consistent with full employment
29
so the labor side of the fed's congressional remit is in
30
good shape yet for more than five years inflation has been running above target
31
so our predominant focus is on the price stability side of our mandate the plain fact is
32
that inflation is too high
33
and has been for too long this summer's inflation readings do not tell me that underlying trends have meaningfully improved.
34
Based on the most recent CPI and PPI data,
35
the 12 -month change in total PCE prices likely was around 3 .6 percent in August,
36
core PCE and CPI prices running at about 3 .2 and 2 .4 percent respectively.
37
Too many categories are still posting increases above 3 % on both a 6 - and 12 -month basis.
38
I noted in Jackson Hole that overall commodity prices also bear watching, and over the intermeeting period,
39
the prices of many of these key inputs have risen.
40
Since my first FOMC meeting as chairman in June,
41
my colleagues and I have been unequivocal in our commitment to price stability and to our 2 % PCE inflation objective.
42
at our july meeting we all agreed that inflation remained too high
43
and we expressed our joint readiness to act as circumstances might require
44
and a good majority of my colleagues
45
and i thought the wiser course then would be to await
46
new information in the intermeeting period last month in wyoming i
47
expressed my commitment to a monetary policy discipline not to a decision
48
i define the standard for action we must be confident that underlying inflation
49
is moving to our objective clearly and at sufficient speed today the fomc decided
50
that this standard has not been satisfied the committee's unanimous vote
51
shows our resolve to achieve price stability on a timelier basis we aim to ensure
52
that credit and financial conditions are consistent over time with our mandate.
53
that relative price changes in some sectors of the economy do not broaden, that inflation compensation in market prices stays low,
54
and that inflation expectations remain well anchored.
55
This afternoon, you also received the summary of economic projections.
56
It reflects the views of my colleagues on the committee, but as in June, I have not offered a projection of my own.
57
But like in June, I said I would faithfully discharge the summary of their projections.
58
So here goes.
59
In the summary's median projections, real GDP rises at 2 .3 percent this year, 2 .4 percent next year.
60
Total PCE inflation runs at 3 .7 percent this year and falls to 2 .3 percent next year.
61
The unemployment rate holds steady at about 4 .1 percent.
62
The median participant judges
63
that the appropriate federal funds rate to be 4 .1 percent at the end of this year
64
and to remain there next year.
65
Inflation risks are to the upside, while labor risks are roughly balanced.
66
In my meetings these last few weeks, in Jackson Hole, in Asheville at the G20 meeting, which the U .S hosted,
67
and at a central bank conference in Basel, it was evident that most advanced economies companies are facing price pressures.
68
Their central banks are making their own judgments consistent with their own remits.
69
Our decision today reflects our best judgment in service to our remit.
70
The Fed has a role in sustaining the economic progress happening in America right now
71
and the rising opportunities that come with it.
72
Those who are least well off have the most to gain from a durable expansion, a solid labor market, and stable prices.
73
We at the Fed are unwavering in our vital and straightforward purpose, full employment and price stability,
74
and a thriving American economy that sets the standard for the world.
75
And with that, I'll take a few of your questions.
76
Thank you.
77
Chair Worsh, thank you for doing this um i'm richard escobito with cvs
78
um let me navigate over my questions um you know quarter
79
point rate hike does not reopen the strait of hormuz and
80
so i wonder how you think these smaller rate hikes will be effective
81
when it can't necessarily address the energy supply side of inflationary
82
pressures yeah it's a it's a good question uh richard we
83
cannot affect any individual price whether it be oil prices whether it be foodstuffs at the grocery store
84
but what we can do and will do is ensure
85
that any change in relative prices don't broaden out don't have second
86
and third order effects in the economy that's what we're tasked to do and that's what we will do
87
thank you Colby Swift in the New York Times
88
when the Fed starts raising rates it generally follows with a sequence of hikes.
89
Is there anything different in today's assessment of the economic conditions that would suggest that the typical pattern does not apply?
90
And I guess second to that, what impact do you expect higher rates to have at this juncture
91
if the bulk of what is keeping inflation elevated is stemming from supply shocks?
92
So we're trying to get to more people, so I now get to cherry pick my preferred question from you, Colby.
93
This won't surprise you i'm not in the forward guidance business the decision we made today was a sober decision
94
serious decision responsible decision one that we have been preparing for
95
and thinking about in my 110
96
or 20 days here you heard from other people in the
97
dots effectively what their forecasts are i'm not going to prejudge
98
any future decisions we make you might have heard me saying
99
jackson whole i committed to a discipline a set of principles i committed to look outside the window
100
and see what i can observe uh that's what i did in jackson that's what we did today
101
thank you mr chairman edward lawrence from fox business um
102
so the market priced in a 90 chance of a rate
103
hike today you don't want the fed to lead the markets was this a market -led
104
rate hike and then with that the bond yields are going up that's one of the indicators
105
is debt part of that issue
106
so i've said this before i'll repeat it the fed has
107
an enormous amount of power these are decisions we make
108
but getting the understanding right between financial markets
109
and the fed is a balance
110
that i've long thought could be better struck we made this decision today based on our assessment of the situation,
111
based on our assessment of the trajectory for employment, based on our judgment on the strength of the economy.
112
uh sometimes the market uh uh tries to prejudge our outcomes i'll observe market prices
113
and uh and see what they have to say but today was our decision steve thompson the watcher post
114
elizabeth thanks so much elizabeth schulzee with abc news big picture i wonder
115
if you could tell us just what will this move today actually do for American consumers?
116
And I have to ask, what is your message here to President Trump, who has repeatedly called to cut interest rates, not raise them?
117
I've got nothing for you on a discussion with the president, so, but I won't make that count as your question.
118
On the American people, as I said in my prepared remarks, the least well off are the ones who have the most to gain from stable prices.
119
The decision we made today was the right decision to deliver on the remit
120
that congress gave us to ensure stable prices moreover i would say
121
because of the underlying strength of the economy
122
because we are as i mentioned largely acting consistent with full
123
employment we can be focused on stable prices some months ago
124
i said we will deliver stable prices today's action is consistent with that Hi.
125
How are you?
126
Thank you.
127
Can you tell us a little more about what changed from the July meeting when, as you noted, the Fed did stand pat until today?
128
And as part of that, could you give us a sense of whether or not things like the retail sales report today
129
suggested that demand is heating up and possibly threatening higher prices as well?
130
Thank you.
131
Yeah, so as you might know, I'm not a data point dependent guy, so I won't react one way or another to data that shows up on our doorstep.
132
But on your first question, I think the more important one, what transpired in the seven weeks since we last met?
133
First, I would say a good majority of my colleagues seven weeks ago thought seven weeks is a good investment.
134
It's a way to buy time so we can make a wise decision.
135
I'll highlight three things that have happened in that intermeeting period.
136
One is, I may have had a judgment seven weeks ago about the strength of the economy.
137
There's been a pretty wide -ranging set of data, including the labor markets, that the economy has strengthened.
138
You might have heard me say that in Jackson Hole a few weeks ago.
139
It's a judgment that I have and the committee has.
140
Second, inflation trends.
141
I said in Jackson Hole, trends matter.
142
I said in Jackson Hole, we need to look outside the window and interrogate reality.
143
My judgment some weeks ago was the inflation summer trends weren't passing the test.
144
I've seen very little information since that would make me reverse that decision.
145
So I've stuck with it.
146
And the third thing that's changed in seven weeks are geopolitics.
147
And there's no hiding from hotspots around the world.
148
And our judgment about what is the most likely or least likely of the geopolitical situation has changed.
149
All three of those things led led themselves to a firm unanimous decision today
150
claire jones financial times um you said today's decision removes a dose of accommodation
151
in your view and perhaps if you could share views around the table too
152
are interest rates now at a level that you would describe as restrictive or not thank you I've described previously,
153
I found it difficult to describe financial conditions as restrictive.
154
I think I said I was hard -pressed.
155
What I heard around the table in the last couple of
156
days is my colleagues were hard -pressed to describe it that way, too.
157
We removed a dose of accommodation so that financial and credit conditions would be more consistent with our ultimate objectives.
158
That was the decision.
159
That was our judgment and we'll continue to evaluate that prospectively.
160
Steve Leisman.
161
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
162
Steve Leisman, CNBC.
163
I want to follow up on that question.
164
Previously, most Fed officials had described the rate as modestly restrictive, and if you removed accommodation,
165
could you give us your sense of where the Fed funds rate is relative to neutral and some detail,
166
if you wouldn't mind, on your sense of is there a short -term neutral rate you're aiming for
167
and a longer -term neutral rate.
168
Do you think in terms of those?
169
In a word, no. In a few words, I'd say this.
170
I've always been interested in a neutral rate as an academic matter.
171
Back when I learned economics, we used to think of it as a Wixellian rate.
172
It's a real equilibrium rate.
173
um it's useful academically it's uh it's a discussion help us
174
think about policy do i think it has any operational effect on decisions that we make today no i don't
175
victoria um hi victoria guido with politico i wanted to ask
176
you've talked about how you don't like data dependence including today
177
but heading into this meeting there was a ton of focus on the August CPI
178
and I'm wondering if you think that
179
that was appropriate on the part of markets or
180
if you've learned anything about how you might approach communications going forward
181
so market participants and reporters I think generally over the course of the last decade
182
or so have grown accustomed waiting somewhat breathlessly on a data point
183
that isn't my view i was not waiting breathlessly on what
184
any particular data was whether it was retail sales this morning
185
or a cpi print last week i'll just reiterate trends matter data points are noisy
186
data point dependence is a dangerous preoccupation it's not something
187
that concerns me markets over time will come to understand how this fed makes its decisions what's relevant
188
and not and i wouldn't want to editorialize that for them beyond it.
189
Zach Halaszczak.
190
Thanks for doing this, Mr. Chairman.
191
Zach Halaszczak, The Washington Examiner.
192
I'm just curious.
193
A couple of weeks ago, the President sent out a message essentially threatening to cut off trade to certain countries unless rates were lowered.
194
Obviously, an unanimous decision to do the opposite.
195
What would you say to investors who sort of believe this is another test of the Fed's independence?
196
And then, kind of, when was the last time you spoke with the President?
197
Do you anticipate a post -decision meeting or?
198
you gave me a long menu from
199
which to choose they're all very tempting um i don't have
200
anything for you on on discussions with the president um
201
and i'm not a wall street newsletter um part of the
202
independence of the federal reserve is we stay in our lane independence is a two -way street we'll let people
203
that do trade policy and fiscal policy stay in their lane too
204
that's how we can stand up here and call them the way we see them.
205
Brian Chung.
206
Hi there, Brian Chung with NBC News.
207
Just wondering if you could explain who is the lease wall off
208
and what does a rate hike do when those people might be pinched by higher mortgage rates, higher gas, higher grocery prices, and now broad higher rates?
209
Yeah, it's a fair question.
210
In the macroeconomics, we tend to look at aggregates around here, aggregate GDP, overall labor market trends, the state of inflation.
211
A lot of people in Washington spend a lot of time on distributional consequences, and that's their job and their business.
212
What I was referring to in the least well -off tend to be people that don't own financial assets, call that a bit less than 50 % of the country.
213
They don't have equity in their home.
214
They don't have equity in a 401k plan.
215
So they're living off their paycheck that comes every couple of weeks.
216
The thing that we can do, consistent with our mandate, is two things.
217
Ask ourselves, is the country running more or less at full employment?
218
And we've done that.
219
That doesn't mean that individuals aren't searching for a job, but in aggregate, we're running more or less at full employment.
220
If so, we can then look at the other side of our mandate and let that be our focus.
221
In stable prices, an environment where inflation is running consistent with our 2 % objective
222
offers good news because that way
223
when they get their wages they can put their head above water
224
and deliver real take -home pay increases we don't have total responsibility for it
225
but we do have responsibility for stable prices as i've said before inflation is a choice
226
and today we took a step in delivering it Myriam LeMetier from Agence France -Presse, AFP.
227
Are you looking at the other central banks?
228
And what do you think about the European Central Bank's move?
229
They hiked twice this year, but not in a row.
230
Thank you.
231
Well, I don't ask them to prejudge decisions that we're going to make, so I won't prejudge decisions that they make.
232
But I will say this.
233
I've spent some time with foreign central bank counterparts, not just in the last 20 years, but over the course of the last several weeks, as I mentioned, in Jackson Hole,
234
at the G20 meeting we hosted in North Carolina, and at a central bank meeting in Basel.
235
What I heard around the table from most of the advanced economies is they're suffering from price pressures,
236
too, and they're making their own choices consistent with their remit.
237
It tells me a couple things.
238
One is when the Federal Reserve makes a policy choice, it matters not just to the U .S economy, but it spills over to the rest of the world.
239
To a lesser extent, that's true for them, too.
240
When foreign central banks make decisions where they're confronted with higher prices and they choose, consistent with their remit, to raise rates,
241
then they're helping to quash inflation in their countries and there's spillovers and spillbacks in both directions.
242
Beyond that, I won't opine on what other central banks may choose to do this week or beyond.
243
Nick Timoros.
244
Thank you, Nick Timoros of The Wall Street Journal.
245
Chairman Warsh, last fall you expressed concern that the Fed was about to make its,
246
quote, sixth or seventh big mistake by deciding the economy was too strong to justify lower rates.
247
Now, today you raised rates.
248
Can you give some sense as to what changed your own assessment of the U .S economy between then and now?
249
So I don't remember the full context, but I can tell you, Nick, about the state of growth now.
250
My suspicion 110 or 20 days ago when I showed up was that the U .S economy was strengthening.
251
Even over the last several weeks, I think we now have data broadly defined that says the economy has indeed strengthened.
252
Underlying growth is higher.
253
Inflation is the problem.
254
Stable prices have been the problem for now more than five and a half years.
255
So what the committee decided to do today was take an action to ensure a timelier return to our price stability objective.
256
Price stability is foundational to economic growth, and I think we took an important step today to deliver it
257
and we did it in part by removing uh the dose of accommodation that i that i mentioned before
258
uh neil irwin
259
thank you mr chairman uh neil irwin with axios uh longer
260
term bond yields are up quite a bit over the last
261
few months especially the last few weeks what do you believe
262
the bond market is telling you especially about the growth outlook the neutral rate uh
263
and what are the implications for monetary policy yeah um let
264
me speak to the history what bond market prices do prospectively i want to let them do
265
that i want to let them uh tell me any story they wish to i want to try to interrogate
266
that but why did yields rise let's say since the last fomc meeting till this i'll give you three
267
three reasons
268
but i would say these things tend to be over determined this is a complicated set of things
269
that are affecting the most important asset anywhere in the world, the 10 -year treasury.
270
It's the risk -free asset upon which every price of virtually every asset in the world is related to.
271
So I'll say three things.
272
First is economic strength.
273
I think part of the reason why we've seen over the
274
course of 2026 long -term yields go up is the economy is strengthened.
275
Second reason, competition for capital.
276
The surge in capital expenditures, which I referenced in my remarks, is real.
277
And the so -called hyperscalers are out in the market raising funding.
278
And so the competition for capital is real.
279
And I think it partly explains the increase in yields.
280
The third is geopolitics.
281
The situation in hotspots around the world are driving long -term yields um it's not simply spot prices of energy
282
or spot prices for corn or soybeans or wheat
283
but it's the difference between those spot prices and
284
so -called crack spreads what that means for products
285
that find their way into uh stores uh across the country i think those are the three leading explanations
286
but certainly not an exclusive list michael mckee from bloomberg radio and television.
287
You said in Jackson Hole that you want to see inflation come down clearly and at sufficient speed,
288
which is a standard without necessarily a measurable threshold.
289
And the reason I ask is
290
because today you say today's policy action will support a timelier return to the committee's 2 % target, and yet in the summary of economic projections,
291
the median pushes the 2 % target achievement out to 2029, another two years.
292
And I'm wondering how you can square those two things one easy way to square
293
that Mike is those aren't my forecasts those are the forecasts of my 18 colleagues
294
and I tried to represent them dutifully to you my business is to not give forward guidance
295
but my commitment in June was to reaffirm to the American people to anyone listening
296
that we will deliver price stability my commitment in July was
297
to say we want to buy a little bit of time
298
we want to evaluate what's happening across a range of dimensions
299
what i said in jackson hole in august is we're committed
300
to a discipline not to a decision today's action uh starts to show we're serious about this
301
and we will deliver on the price stability objective
302
and as the statement said we'll do it on a on a timelier basis that's our decision
303
and uh uh when we continue our discussions over the course of the next several weeks and months, we'll have more to say about it,
304
but I'm ill -prepared to prejudge those future actions.
305
Matt from CNN.
306
Thanks, Chairman Warsh.
307
Matt Egan with CNN.
308
You've spoken in the past about the positives that could come from widespread adoption of artificial intelligence.
309
How concerned are you, if at all,
310
about these increasingly alarming warnings we've heard from AI leaders about losing control of this powerful technology and doing real -world damage,
311
damage that would presumably impact the real economy?
312
So I've spent a lot of time thinking about AI, and before I found my way to this post, I spent a lot of time talking about it publicly.
313
Independence of the Federal Reserve is about staying in our lane.
314
We care very much about what's happening in artificial intelligence.
315
We care much about the implications on the demand side of the economy, and ultimately on the supply side of the economy.
316
I care so much, I think it's so important
317
that we establish a task force
318
that should report by the end of the year to help us think about the implications for our future policy conjuncture.
319
But the policy decisions that are made about the risks and rewards, the challenges and opportunities, those are decisions made by other parts of the government.
320
I'm going to leave it to them to make those political decisions, those policy decisions the implications those decisions obviously have some bearing on our day job
321
and that's where we'll be focused thank you mr. chairman
322
Jennifer Sean Berger with Yahoo Finance inflation has run up mostly from higher energy prices
323
and tariffs which some say our supply shocks that rate hikes cannot fix
324
and should faint on their own so long as inflation expectations stay anchored and Now that you have hiked rates,
325
do you need to push growth below potential, unintentionally pushing weakness on the job market to bring inflation down?
326
And how do those dynamics play out, given the forcefulness with which AI is driving the economy right now?
327
So there's a lot there, Jennifer.
328
Let me see if I can't do just a little bit of it.
329
First, we believe that the unemployment rate is basically running consistent with full employment I don't believe
330
that we need to do harm to the labor markets to achieve our objective I don't believe
331
that the two parts of our mandate price stability
332
and full employment are working at cross -purposes over the medium term
333
so economic growth that is ensuring continuous sustainable durable economic growth that's the business we're in
334
and And the job we did today, the job we'll continue to do, is to ensure price stability, which can mean that sustainable, durable economic growth can go on for longer,
335
the economy can be stronger, and as I mentioned before, the least well -off can get the benefits of it.
336
Thank you.
337
Thank you.
338
Thank you.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
📺 Same Channel
✨ Recommend Video
C11
122 sentences
Fed in July: A Weaker Case for Hiking
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
92 sentences
AOC Speaks at March on Washington 2026
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C14
106 sentences
DPM Gan Kim Yong's Speech at the "Trust and AI: Navigating a World in Transition" Leaders Dialogue
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
183 sentences
Marco Rubio is on a different level..
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
![Fed Chair Kevin Warsh speaks after raising rates for the first time in three years [FULL]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2TQhR0qfDsU/mqdefault.jpg)
C12
357 sentences
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh speaks after raising rates for the first time in three years [FULL]
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
198 sentences
To Save the Economy... We’re About to Break It
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
279 sentences
White House holds briefing as Iran tensions fuel fears of wider conflict
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C1365 sentences
Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat on The David Rubenstein Show
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
449 sentences
This Time WAS Different
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
44 sentences
How Long Can the Fed Hold On?
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C1162 sentences
Forward Guidance: A Stronger Canada
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 338 sentences and 4342 words to shadow. The speech runs for 28:35. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| inflation noun | /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/ | An act, instance of, or state of expansion or increase in size, especially by injection of a gas or liquid. |
| consistent adjective | /kənˈsɪs.tənt/ | Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature. |
| stability noun | /stəˈbɪlɪti/ | The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change. |
| stable noun | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses. |
| objective noun | /ɒbˈd͡ʒɛk.tɪv/ | A material object that physically exists. |
| judgment noun | /ˈd͡ʒʌd͡ʒ.mənt/ | The act of judging. |
| yield verb | /jiːld/ | To give as a result or outcome; to produce or render. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| mandate noun | /ˈmændeɪ̯t/ | An official or authoritative command; an order or injunction; a commission; a judicial precept; an authorization. |
| neutral adjective | /ˈnuː.tɹəl/ | Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned. |
| accommodation noun | /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/ | Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or students, etc. |
| strengthen verb | /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/ | To make strong or stronger; to add strength to; to increase the strength of; to fortify. |
| projection noun | /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | Something which projects, protrudes, juts out, sticks out, or stands out. |
| assessment noun | /əˈsɛsmənt/ | The act of assessing or an amount (of tax, levy or duty etc) assessed. |
| commitment noun | /kəˈmɪtmənt/ | The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| cut off verb | /ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf] | To remove by cutting. |
| follow up on verb | To take further actions regarding (something). | |
| going forward adverb | In the immediate future and beyond. | |
| heat up verb | To heat, to cause to become hotter. | |
| live off verb | To depend on financially. | |
| play out verb | To play (a game etc.) to its conclusion. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been increasing · has been running · have been preparing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · have kept · has improved |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were lowered · might be pinched · is strengthened |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Those who are · ones who have · stability, which can |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 83 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, sixth /sɪksθ/, seventh /ˈsɛvənθ/, threshold /ˈθɹɛʃ(h)oʊld/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: inflation /ɪnˈfleɪ.ʃən/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, projection /pɹəˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, shock /ʃɔk/
- Long words — get the stress right: stability /stəˈbɪlɪti/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, unemployment /ʌn.ɪmˈplɔɪ.mənt/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, unanimous /juˈnænəməs/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like inflation, consistent, stability.
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.