Shadowing Practice: Funny English Mistakes in Public Places - Learn English Speaking with Video
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105 sentences
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1
Hey, where's the toilet?
2
Toilet?
3
The toilet is in the restroom?
4
Huh?
5
This is the toilet, and this is the restroom.
6
In American English, the word toilet refers to this item.
7
While restroom is the word we use for public bathrooms.
8
What about bathroom?
9
The word bathroom is very common in English.
10
You can use it when you're at home or in a public place.
11
A bathroom usually has a toilet, a sink and sometimes a shower or a bathtub, but not always.
12
If you're at home or at a friend's house, it's best to say bathroom.
13
If you're at a restaurant, store or mall, you can say bathroom or restroom.
14
Oh, so where's the restroom?
15
It's right here.
16
Oh, so that is the restroom because it's public and it has no shower.
17
Hi people, welcome to this video.
18
I'm Giovanna and I will teach you English in public spaces and how to avoid the most common mistakes learners make.
19
Hey, the sign is open.
20
Sign?
21
Oh, the walk signal is on.
22
The walk signal is on.
23
We can cross the street.
24
Let's go.
25
Hey, the floor is cracked the floor is not cracked the ground is no way
26
this is not the floor we use floor
27
when we are inside a building like in a house school store
28
and then we say the floor is slippery we use ground
29
when we are outside like on the street in a park
30
or in a yard so we say the ground is slippery this mistake is common
31
because many languages use one word for both
32
but in english the two are separate oh weird so the ground is cracked correct
33
can you tell me where is the supermarket can you tell me where the supermarket is
34
because it's an indirect question but what's an indirect question you know those times
35
when we want to sound more polite
36
so we don't ask too directly such as do you know what time
37
it starts do you know where the restroom is i sounded
38
more polite did you notice all these questions were indirect questions
39
and they usually start with do you know could you tell me
40
or can you tell me these phrases make your questions sound softer
41
and more polite instead of asking directly
42
you give the listener a little introduction before the real question for example where is the restroom
43
do you know where the restroom is notice
44
that in indirect questions we don't change the word order at the end
45
we don't say do you know where is the restroom we say do you know where the restroom is
46
so remember when you want to sound polite start with do you know
47
or could you tell me and keep the rest of the sentence in the normal order.
48
Oh, could you tell me where the supermarket is?
49
It's over there.
50
Oh, thank you.
51
Excuse me, do you have time?
52
No, I'm in a hurry, sorry.
53
Hey, just time, the clock.
54
Oh, the time, not just time.
55
Yeah, do you have the time?
56
It's six o 'clock, when we ask the time we say do you have
57
that time do you have the time not just do you
58
have time do you have time do you have time means are you free do you have a moment oh
59
you're an angel thank you I need to have an English course
60
you need to create an english course no
61
i mean to study an english course oh take for courses
62
we use the verb take take in this context means participating in something receiving instruction or completing an activity.
63
Oh, that makes sense!
64
Which English course do you recommend?
65
My course, of course!
66
And right now, it has the biggest discount I've ever offered.
67
It has over 44 lessons, including real -life conversations, where you get to practice English with me.
68
But unlike my short videos, we go into much more details.
69
That sounds amazing!
70
How do I join?
71
Just click the link in the description.
72
Right now, it's just $15 and you get lifetime access.
73
That's the lowest price I've ever offered.
74
Don't miss out.
75
Excuse me, I'm late.
76
I need to take the bus.
77
Use catch in this case.
78
It sounds more natural and expresses your idea more clearly you can say take the bus
79
but it's much more natural to say catch the bus when emphasizing
80
that you're in a hurry to catch it oh can you excuse me
81
I need to catch the bus yeah go ahead oh shoot
82
I lost the bus let me help you look for the bus.
83
I can't see anything here on the ground.
84
Is it big or small?
85
No, no, no, no, no. I lost the big bus.
86
The bus.
87
Oh, you missed the bus.
88
I lost something usually means you can't find that thing like keys or your phone.
89
You can say I lost my phone but
90
if you arrived too late to catch the bus
91
you should use miss you can also say
92
i missed my flight all right it's a bad day
93
i missed the bus yeah excuse me is this seat empty yes it is no no no what it's empty
94
but it's taken my friend just went to the restroom
95
so i should say is this seat taken yes correct empty means not occupied at the moment
96
but it doesn't tell
97
if someone reserved it you can say the glass is empty
98
the box is empty the house is empty taken means reserved
99
or already claimed by someone even if the person isn't physically there.
100
So, you can say this seat is taken or this table is taken even if the person isn't physically there.
101
Well, that's it, guys.
102
I hope you had fun and learned some English along the way.
103
Don't forget to join my English course while my biggest discount ever is still available.
104
Ouch.
105
Love you all.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Funny English Mistakes in Public Places”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: restroom, bus, english, toilet, bathroom. This video has 105 sentences and 991 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:03. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| indirect adjective | /ˌɪn.daɪˈɹɛkt/ | Not direct |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| crack noun | /kɹæk/ | A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| discount noun | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | A reduction in price. |
| physically adverb | /ˈfɪz.ɪ.kli/ | In a physical manner. |
| hurry verb | /ˈhʌ.ɹi/ | To do things quickly. |
| slippery adjective | /ˈslɪpəɹi/ | Of a surface, having low friction, often due to being covered in a non-viscous liquid, and therefore hard to grip, hard to stand on without falling, etc. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
| participate verb | /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ | To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something). |
| lifetime noun | /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/ | The duration of the life of someone or something. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| miss out verb | To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Excuse me, do you have time?
- No, I'm in a hurry, sorry.
- How do I join?
- That's the lowest price I've ever offered.
- I can't see anything here on the ground.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is cracked · is taken |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've ever offered |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most common · the biggest · the lowest |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should use · should say |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/
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 toilet, indirect, polite.
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.