Shadowing Practice: Go, Come, Take, Put, Make, Get & More | English Action Verbs for Daily Life - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Making English Easy for Everyone Speak English with Jay and May Hey, English learners.
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Welcome back to Speak English with Jay and May, your cozy little place to build your English confidence.
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I'm May.
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Hello, May, and hello, everyone.
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I'm Jay.
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How are you today, May?
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I'm doing great, Jay.
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Actually, I just got back from the grocery store, and the whole trip made me think about today's topic.
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Like every single thing I did, I went there, I got some food, I put things in the basket,
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I took my bag, all of that.
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Every action was an English verb.
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Wait, really?
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Just a grocery trip gave you a whole English lesson idea?
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Yes, that's the magic of action verbs, Jay.
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Words like go, come, take, put, make, and get, they're everywhere – in your morning routine,
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at work, at the store, in conversations.
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These words are the engine of English.
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Oh, wow!
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So these are like the most useful verbs for beginners?
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Absolutely!
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Well, you can express so many things in daily life.
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And that's exactly what we're doing today – making these verbs feel easy, natural, and fun.
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I love that.
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Let's go!
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See?
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You just used one – let's go.
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That's our first verb right there.
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Oh, I didn't even notice.
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That's so cool.
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And that's the point.
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These verbs are already part of how you think.
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We just need to unlock them.
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But hey, before we dive in, real quick, if this podcast is helping your English, please subscribe, hit the like button,
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and share it with a friend who's learning English too.
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Turn on notifications so you never miss a daily episode from us.
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Yes, please.
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We make a new episode every single day, so you don't want to miss out.
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OK, Mae, I'm ready.
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Let's talk about these verbs.
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Perfect.
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So let's start with the big one, go.
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Now Jay, what does go make you think of?
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Umm, moving somewhere.
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Like go to school, go to work?
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Exactly.
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Go is about movement, usually away from where you are right now.
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I go to the gym every morning.
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She goes to the market on weekends.
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Simple, right?
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Yeah, that feels easy.
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But wait, what about come?
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Isn't that similar?
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Great question.
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Here's the interesting part.
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Go and come are opposites, but people mix them up all the time.
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Go means moving away from here.
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Come means moving toward here, toward the speaker.
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Oh, so like, come to my house means I want you to move toward me.
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Exactly.
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If I say, come here, Jay, I want you close to me.
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But if I say, go there, I'm sending you away.
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Think of it like a magnet.
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Come pulls, go pushes.
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A magnet!
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That's such a good way to think about it.
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Come is pull, go is push.
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You got it.
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And here's a fun story.
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When I was learning to give directions in English, I always got confused.
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I'd tell someone go to me instead of come to me, and people would look at me like, what does she mean?
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Oh no, that must have been embarrassing.
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A little, but that mistake taught me the difference forever.
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Mistakes are actually the best teachers, Jay.
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Don't be afraid of them.
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Okay, I'll remember that.
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So what's next?
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Next up, get.
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And oh, this one is a superstar.
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Get might be the most flexible verb in English.
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You use it in so many different ways.
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Really?
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Like what?
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Okay, imagine this.
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You wake up in the morning, you get up, you get dressed, you get some coffee, you get in the car, you get to work, you get a phone call.
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All in one morning, all using get.
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Wow, that's a lot of get.
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I know.
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Get can mean receive, I got a message.
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It can mean arrive, I got to the office at nine.
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It can mean become, it's getting cold.
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And it can mean obtain, can I get some water, please?
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You mean like one word, four different meanings?
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At least four.
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But don't like that scare you.
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The meaning is always clear from the situation.
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Context is your best friend in English.
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Okay, context.
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Got it!
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Oh, I said got it.
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That's get again.
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See?
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You're already using it naturally.
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This is where things change for a lot of learners.
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They think they need to memorize grammar rules, but actually, you learn these verbs by using them.
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That makes so much sense.
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Okay, what about take?
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Ah, take.
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I love this one.
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Take is about holding something and moving with it, or doing something.
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Take your bag.
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Take a photo.
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Take a break.
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Take a shower.
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Wait, take a shower?
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I'm not holding the shower and moving with it.
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Right.
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So take also works with actions and experiences.
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Take a rest.
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Take a walk.
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Take a look.
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In these cases, take just means you're doing that activity.
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Oh, that's interesting.
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So, take a look just means look?
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Exactly.
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It's a very natural English expression.
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Instead of just saying look, you say take a look.
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It sounds more polite and natural, especially in conversation.
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I want to try.
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Can you take a look at my homework?
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Is that right?
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Perfect!
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That's exactly how a native speaker would say it.
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See?
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You're getting it.
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Yes.
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Okay, okay.
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Put.
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What about put?
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Put is actually very simple.
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It means to place something somewhere.
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Put your phone on the table.
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Put the book in your bag.
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Put some sugar in your coffee.
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Oh, that one feels easy.
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It's always about placing something somewhere.
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Pretty much.
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The key with put is you always need to say where.
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You don't just say, put the cup.
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You say, put the cup on the shelf.
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Or, put the cup in the sink.
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The location is important.
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Ah, I see.
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Put it here.
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Put it there.
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You always need a place.
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Exactly.
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And here's a fun thing.
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Put is also used in expressions, put on your shoes, put off the meeting, which means delay it.
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Don't put it off, just do it now.
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Wait, put off means delay.
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That's different from just placing something.
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Yes.
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When verbs combine with small words like on, off, up, down, they create phrasal verbs with new meanings.
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We'll do a whole episode on those sometime.
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But for now, just remember, put on means where or start, and put off means delay.
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Oh, I like learning these little extras.
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Okay, the big one, make.
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What does make mean?
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So, make is about creating or causing something.
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Make food.
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Make a plan.
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Make a mistake.
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Make someone happy.
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You're producing or causing a result.
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Hmm, make a mistake.
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So I'm not creating the mistake on purpose.
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Great point!
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No, you're not.
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Make a mistake is just a fixed expression.
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It means you did something wrong by accident.
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It doesn't mean you wanted to make it.
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Okay.
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So make doesn't always mean you planned to create something.
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Right.
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Make a noise, you caused noise.
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Make a mess, you caused a mess.
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It's about the result, not always the intention.
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And here's the interesting part.
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A lot of learners confuse make and do.
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They're both about actions, but they work differently.
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Oh yeah, when do we use do instead of make?
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Great question.
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Think of it this way.
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Do is for tasks and duties.
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Do your homework.
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Do the dishes. Do exercise.
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Make is for things you create or cause.
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Make dinner.
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Make a decision.
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friends.
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So, do homework but make a plan?
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Yes.
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You do homework because it's a task.
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You make a plan because you're creating something.
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It takes practice, but that's the pattern.
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You know, this actually reminds me.
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I always said make exercise before, but it should be do exercise.
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Yes, a very common mistake.
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Don't worry, now you know.
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And every time you catch an old mistake, that's progress.
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Okay, I feel like I'm learning so much.
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Are there more verbs?
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A few more important ones, yes.
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Let's talk about bring and send.
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These are cousins of go and come but for objects.
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Oh, what do you mean?
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Okay, imagine this.
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If I'm at home and I call you, I might say, can you bring me some water?
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That means carry it and come to me.
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But if I say, can you send me the file, I don't need you to come, just deliver it somehow.
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So bring is like you carry something and come here, and send is just making something arrive without you coming.
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Exactly.
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Bring your friend to the party, your friend comes with you.
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me the address, just the information needs to arrive, not you.
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Oh, that's really clear.
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I like that explanation.
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And one more.
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Keep.
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Such a useful word.
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Keep your voice down.
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Keep trying.
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Keep the change.
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Keep in touch.
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Hmm.
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Keep means hold on to something or continue.
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Both.
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Keep the change means hold on to the money.
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Keep trying means continue trying, don't stop.
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And keep in touch means stay connected.
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Keep the relationship going.
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Oh, keep in touch.
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I love that expression.
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It's so warm.
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It really is.
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You say it to someone when you're saying goodbye, like, don't disappear from my life.
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Let's stay connected.
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I'm going to use that one for sure.
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Okay, what about give?
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I feel like that's important too.
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Oh, yes.
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Give is essential.
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Give me a hand, help me.
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Give it a try, attempt something.
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Give someone advice, give a presentation.
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It's about transferring, you're offering or presenting something to someone.
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So give a hand doesn't mean give your actual hand.
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No. Give me a hand just means help me.
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Isn't English funny sometimes?
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It really is.
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But I love it.
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Okay, so to recap, we have go,
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come, get, take, put, make, bring, send, keep, give.
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That's a lot of powerful verbs.
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And you already know most of them from daily life.
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We're just making the meaning clearer.
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You know, Jay, I want to ask you, imagine you're going to a friend's birthday party.
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Can you make a few sentences using the verbs we talked about?
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Oh, um, okay.
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I'll go to the party at 7.
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I'll bring a gift.
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I'll give it to my friend.
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I'll take some photos.
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And I'll make sure to have fun.
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Applause!
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Perfect!
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That's beautiful, Jay.
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Every single sentence was correct and natural.
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Really?
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I feel so good right now.
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You should.
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That's exactly what we want, to use these verbs without thinking too hard.
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And listeners, you try it too.
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Make your own sentences at home.
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That's how it really sticks.
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Okay, Mae.
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I think it's time for the vocabulary moment.
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I love this part.
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Yes, let's do it.
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I'm going to highlight five useful phrases from today's conversation.
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These are expressions you can use in real life starting today.
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Ready.
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Number one.
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Get up.
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This means to rise from bed or get out of a sitting position.
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Simple and essential.
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I get up at six every morning.
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Nice.
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Mine is, I can't get up early on weekends.
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That's very real for me.
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Very real.
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Number two.
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Take a break.
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It means to stop working for a short time and rest.
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Let's take a break.
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We've been studying for two hours.
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Oh, I need to remember that one.
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Hey, let's take a break and get some coffee.
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Perfect example.
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Number three.
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Make a decision.
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It means to choose something after thinking about it.
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I need to make a decision about my job.
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Hmm.
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It's hard to make a decision when both options are good.
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Exactly.
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Good sentence.
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Number 4.
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Keep in touch.
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This means to stay connected with someone even if you don't see them often.
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It was great seeing you.
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Let's keep in touch.
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I love this one.
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I moved to a new city, but I keep in touch with my old friends.
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Wonderful.
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And number five, give it a try.
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It means to attempt something, to try something new.
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I've never cooked Thai food before, but I'll give it a try.
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Oh, that's a great expression.
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I was nervous about public speaking, but I gave it a try, and it was okay.
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I love that example, Jay.
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And listeners, these five phrases use them this week, In messages, in conversations, anywhere.
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That's how they become yours.
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Seriously, even just texting someone, let's keep in touch, that's real English.
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Exactly.
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Okay, Jay, we're coming to the end of today's episode.
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What was your biggest takeaway?
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Honest, Gray, that these verbs are already part of my daily life.
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I just needed to connect the English words to the actions I already do.
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And the magnet idea, com is pull, go is push.
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I'll never forget that.
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That makes me so happy to hear.
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And I hope all of you listening feel the same way.
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These aren't boring grammar rules.
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These are tools.
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Real, living tools that help you speak, text, work, and connect.
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And the more you use them, the more natural they feel.
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That's the That's the whole point, right?
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That's exactly it.
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Practice makes progress, and we're here every single day to practice with you.
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Every day.
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Come back tomorrow because May has more amazing lessons waiting.
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Always.
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Alright, English learners, before we go, we have a question for you, and we love reading your answers in the comments.
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Here it is.
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Which verb from today's episode do you want to practice most?
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Go, come, get, take, put, make, bring, keep, or give.
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And can you write one sentence using it?
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Drop your sentence in the comments below.
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We read every single one.
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And remember, there's no wrong answer.
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Every sentence you write is a step forward.
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You're doing amazing.
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Seriously.
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Keep going.
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Keep trying and keep learning.
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Until next time, English learners, stay curious, stay confident, and keep building that English life one word at a time.
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See you next time!
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Bye everyone!
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Keep in touch!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 369 sentences and 2333 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:08. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| delay noun | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| magnet noun | /ˈmæɡ.nɪt/ | A piece of material that attracts some metals by magnetism. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| grocery noun | /ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/ | Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies. |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
| curious adjective | /ˈkjʊɹ.i.əs/ | Tending to ask questions, or to want to explore or investigate; inquisitive; (with a negative connotation) nosy, prying. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
| put off verb | To postpone, especially through procrastination. |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
| miss out verb | To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed. |
| step forward verb | to take one or more steps forward, especially in response to a request for identification |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most useful · the best · the most flexible |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | Keep trying · stop working · love reading |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might be · might say |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm doing · we're doing · is helping |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 57 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, intention /ɪnˈtɛnʃn̩/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, shoe /ˈʃu/, dish /dɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/
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 verb, connect, homework.
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.