Shadowing Practice: Getting to know Deva Cassel, our April 2025 cover star - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi, I'm Deva Cassell and I'm on the cover of Tathler Asia.
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76 sentences
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Hi, I'm Deva Cassell and I'm on the cover of Tathler Asia.
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I'm a Virgo.
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Yes, if I'm not mistaken,
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I learned this when I was really little.
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I'm a monkey.
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That's very hard to tell actually.
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I love a lot of different things,
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but I love Japanese food.
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Pasta.
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Easy with like tomato sauce and basil.
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I can cook a lot of stuff.
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I actually love cooking and I like to come up with my own recipes,
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but I do like to give it,
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I would say, maybe like an Asian fusion.
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I like risotto, because it doesn't come out good every time,
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and it's a very specific kind of rice,
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so I like trying different flavors and just blending different tastes.
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My favorite show on Netflix is actually,
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it came out very recently,
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it's called Il Gatto Pardo.
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It's a beautiful story, it's a beautiful series,
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and I really recommend it.
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Me?
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Oh, you should mention that.
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I play Angelica, Angelica Sedara.
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Hard to tell, but I would consider myself more of a cat person.
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I think I just have more of that feline attitude.
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Bit of both, actually.
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It takes a lot of energy from me to be around people,
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but I also often need people to get more energy.
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So it really balances out everything.
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My love language is acts of service and physical touch.
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I think it's a mix between oily and dry.
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It really does whatever it wants.
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It depends on the day.
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To never stop at the first thing.
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Just to always look for something different in you, from what I know.
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Hopefully on a beach somewhere.
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I haven't been to that many places.
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I've been to India and Singapore.
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And I'm going to go to Japan very soon,
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which I'm very, very excited about because I've been waiting such a long time for that trip.
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But I would love to explore more.
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The food.
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Casual chic, sort of a tomboy ballerina mix.
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Depends on the mood, depends on the day
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but I tend to for example always take my drinks hot even when it's really warm outside.
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I love me a good either chai latte or vanilla latte.
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I like a lot of things.
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Neither.
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I like tourmalines.
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They're my favorites.
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And more specifically, actually, I think we shot about with it today.
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There was this tourmaline stone with these crocodiles that have a very specific name.
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Yususha?
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Yususha or something like that.
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I forgot how to pronounce it,
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but those were just my favorite piece.
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I think one of my favorites that I've ever worn from Cartier.
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wear me.
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I mean I usually wear pretty small things.
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I don't go for the extremes and I mean I don't usually wear
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that much jewelry anyways because of my work you know I often have to change
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and take it off and I don't get to wear it as much as I would like to.
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So yeah but I do like very you know a nice pair of earrings I think is always really nice.
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She wears some rings and she wore a lot of like these coral necklaces and earrings.
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I mean they were very beautiful,
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simple pieces as well, but I think they really represent her in their minimalism.
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La joie.
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Joy.
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I was talking about it before,
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it's like I really love the panthère.
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I think it's such a beautiful symbol of la maison and it really symbolizes Cartier,
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it embodies it so well,
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but I connect more with Le Clou.
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I really like that collection.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you'll practice English by engaging with the diverse interests and experiences of Deva Cassel, our featured star. You'll focus on developing your listening and speaking skills through natural conversation that touches upon hobbies, food preferences, travel experiences, and personality insights. By practicing with this transcript, you will enhance your English speaking practice and gain confidence in your conversational abilities.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Virgo - An astrological sign representing people born between August 23 and September 22.
  • Asian fusion - A culinary style that blends elements from various Asian cuisines.
  • Netflix series - A term referring to television series available for streaming on Netflix.
  • love language - A term that describes how a person expresses and receives love.
  • tomboy - A girl or woman who enjoys activities and attire considered more typical of boys.
  • chai latte - A popular tea beverage made with spiced tea and steamed milk.
  • casual chic - A style that mixes relaxed and fashionable clothing.
  • risotto - An Italian dish made with Arborio rice and broth, often with various ingredients added for flavor.

Practice Tips

To make the most of this shadowspeak activity, consider these tips for effective shadowing:

  • Listen attentively: Start by listening to the excerpt without repeating. Take note of the tone and emotion behind Deva’s words, as this will help you capture the essence of her speaking style.
  • Shadow at a comfortable pace: Begin by echoing small sections of the transcript. This video has a conversational tone that varies in speed; practice each sentence slowly at first, then gradually increase your pace as you become more comfortable.
  • Focus on intonation: Pay attention to how Deva emphasizes certain words, particularly when expressing opinions or emotions. Mimicking this will enhance your speaking fluency.
  • Use a shadowing app: Consider recording yourself while shadowing to monitor your progress. Listening to your own voice can spotlight areas for improvement in pronunciation and rhythm, aiding your IELTS speaking practice.
  • Practice regularly: Consistency is key in mastering English. Regularly engaging in shadowing exercises will gradually improve your conversational skills and confidence.

By following these practice tips, you will strengthen your English speaking skills and develop a more natural conversational style, making you better equipped for real-world interactions.

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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