Shadowing Practice: Friends — New Year's Resolution - Learn English Speaking with Video
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98 sentences
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1
In fact, I'll bet you 50 bucks you can't go the whole year without making fun of us.
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You know what?
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Better yet, a week.
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I'll take that bet, my friend.
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And you know what?
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Paying me the 50 bucks can be the new thing you do that day.
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And it starts right now.
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Hey.
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Hey.
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I just asked that girl out.
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Nice.
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Nice, yeah.
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Is that part of your resolution, your new thing for today?
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Yes, it is.
15
See?
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Elizabeth.
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Hornswoggle?
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That's right.
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Elizabeth Hornswoggle.
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Hornswoggle.
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You okay, Chandler?
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Something funny about that name?
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No, no, I just think that maybe I've heard it somewhere before.
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Oh, really? Where?
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Somewhere funny, I'll bet.
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Hey!
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Oh, guess what?
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I have a date with Elizabeth Hornswoggle.
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Hornswoggle?
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Oh, this must be killing you.
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All right, see you later.
32
Lesson one, cords.
33
Now, I don't know the actual names of the cords, But I made up names for the way my hand looks while I'm doing them.
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So then, this is bear claw.
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Okay.
36
Turkey leg. And old lady.
37
What an interesting approach to guitar instruction.
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You know, some might find it amusing.
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I myself find it regular.
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Hi!
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Hi!
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I don't need...
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Ross is wearing leather pants.
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Does nobody else see that
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Ross is wearing leather pants?
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Someone comment on the pants!
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I think they're very nice.
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I really like them a lot.
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Not what I had in mind.
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See, people like
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Ross don't generally wear these types of pants.
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You see, they're very tight.
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Maybe there's something in that area.
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Good.
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I think they're really good.
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Right.
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Yeah, what'd you get?
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That's really good.
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Oh, see, I needed a new thing for today.
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And there's this leather store I go by that always smells so good.
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And I thought to myself, wow.
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You know, I've never owned a really good -smelling pair of pants before.
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Oh, come on!
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Oh, my God.
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We heard about your pants.
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I'm so sorry.
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This year was supposed to be great.
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Well, it's only the second day, and I'm a loser with stupid leather pants that don't even fit.
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No, you're not a loser.
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Yeah, I'm not a loser.
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Look at me!
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Hey, hey, look.
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Look, Ross.
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Ben drew a picture of you.
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Huh?
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You're a cowboy.
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Oh.
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Because of the leather pants?
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See?
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Ben doesn't think you're a loser.
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He thinks you're a cowboy.
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I mean, that's something.
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Yeah, it really is.
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Howdy, partner.
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Maybe I should get another pair.
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Ooh.
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You know, they had some with fringe all down the sides.
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I'm gonna go kiss Ben goodnight.
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Oh, good.
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Okay.
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Look, I can't take it anymore.
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I can't take it anymore.
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So you win, okay?
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Here.
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Pheebs, flying a jet, better make it a spaceship so you can get back to your home planet.
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And Ross, phone call for you today.
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Tom Jones, he wants his pants back.
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And Hornswoggle, what are you, dating a character from Fraggle Rock?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Friends — New Year's Resolution”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: pants, Hornswoggle, leather, Ross, loser. This video has 98 sentences and 494 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:29. The speaker talks at a steady 110 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 18 of its 98 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pants noun | /pænts/ | An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers. |
| leather noun | /ˈlɛðɚ/ | A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing; often denotes leather from cattle when no qualifier… |
| loser noun | /luzɚ/ | A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive. |
| buck noun | /ˈbʌk/ | A male deer, antelope, sheep, goat, rabbit, hare, and sometimes the male of other animals such as the hamster, ferret, salmonid, shad, skunk and kangaroo. |
| cord noun | /ˈkoɹd/ | A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example). |
| cowboy noun | /ˈkaʊˌbɔɪ/ | A man who tends free-range cattle, especially in the American West. |
| guitar noun | /ɡɪˈtɑɹ/ | A stringed musical instrument, of European origin, usually with a fretted fingerboard and six strings, played with the fingers or a plectrum (guitar pick). |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| instruction noun | /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ | The act of instructing, teaching, or providing with information or knowledge. |
| fringe noun | /fɹɪnd͡ʒ/ | A decorative border. |
| claw noun | /klɔ/ | A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird. |
| smelling verb | /ˈsmɛlɪŋ/ | Used in adjectival compounds. |
| amuse verb | /əˈmjuːz/ | To entertain or occupy (someone or something) in a pleasant manner; to stir (someone) with pleasing emotions. |
| howdy noun | /ˈhaʊdi/ | A wife. |
| spaceship noun | A manned vehicle that flies through space. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'll take that bet, my friend.
- Is that part of your resolution, your new thing for today?
- I think they're very nice.
- You see, they're very tight.
- I think they're really good.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've heard · I've never owned |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm doing · is wearing |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll bet · I'll take |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like pants, leather, loser.
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.