Shadowing Practice: Getting a Library Card: Address and Postcode - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hi! I'd like to get a library card, please.
2
Of course! Is this your first card here?
3
Yes! I moved here from Boston last month.
4
Oh, welcome! Let's do it together.
5
First, what's your full name?
6
It's Emma Dean. That's D-E-A-N.
7
Okay... Emma B-E-A-N.
8
Bean? No, no! D, not B!
9
Oh, I'm sorry! D for dog?
10
Yes, D for dog. I'm not a bean!
11
Ha! Okay, Emma Dean. All fixed.
12
And what's your address?
13
It's 27 Elm Road. Flat 4.
14
Great. And the postcode?
15
Um... postcodes are new for me.
16
It's BS7 8NG.
17
Sorry, was that M or N?
18
N. N for New York!
19
Okay. Can I see proof of your address?
20
Oh no. A letter? I don't have one yet.
21
Don't worry. An email from your bank is fine.
22
Oh, great! Here it is, on my phone.
23
Lovely. And what's your email address?
24
It's [email protected].
25
27, like your house number?
26
Yes! It's easy to remember.
27
And here's your new library card!
28
Wow, thank you! How many books can I take?
29
You can borrow 8 books for 3 weeks.
30
8 books? That's great!
31
Please bring them back by the 3rd of November.
32
The 3rd? And what if I'm late?
33
It's 20p a day. But don't worry, we send emails.
34
Perfect. Thanks so much. See you soon!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Getting a Library Card: Address and Postcode”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: emma, dean, email, address, card. This video has 34 sentences and 219 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:03. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 15 of its 34 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dean noun | /diːn/ | A senior official in a college or university, who may be in charge of a division or faculty (for example, the dean of science) or have some other advisory or… |
| bean noun | /ˈbi(ː)n/ | Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. |
| borrow verb | /ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/ | To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| postcode noun | /ˈpoʊs(t)ˌkoʊd/ | A sequence of letters and numbers added to a postal address to aid the sorting and delivery of post or mail. |
| email noun | /ˈiˌmeɪl/ | A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet… |
| address noun | /əˈdɹɛs/ | A manner of speaking or writing to another; language, style. |
| library noun | /ˈlaɪˌbɹɛɹ.i/ | An institution which holds books and/or other forms of media for use by the public or qualified people often lending them out, as well as providing various… |
| worry verb | /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ | To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| fix verb | /ˈfɪks/ | To attach; to affix; to hold in place or at a particular time. |
| lovely adjective | /ˈlʌv.li/ | Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace. |
| proof noun | /pɹuf/ | An effort, process, or operation designed to establish or discover a fact or truth; an act of testing; a test; a trial. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'd like to get a library card, please.
- Is this your first card here?
- First, what's your full name?
- Can I see proof of your address?
- How many books can I take?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I'd. 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 dean, bean, borrow.
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.