Shadowing Practice: 🧙♂️⚡HARRY P0TTER BOOK 1 Ch-1/2⚡🧙♂️ audiobook for English Beginners (Leitura Guida) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Prologue Mr.
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and Mrs. Dursley live at number 4 Privet Drive.
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They are a perfectly normal family.
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They do not like anything that is different or strange, and they hate mysterious things most of all.
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They prefer a life that is calm, ordinary, and without any surprises.
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Mr. Dursley is the director of a large company.
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He is a very fat man with a very short neck.
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He has a large mustache.
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Mrs. Dursley, his wife, is thin and has blonde hair.
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Her neck is extremely long.
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She uses her long neck to look over the fence in her garden.
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She likes to watch her neighbors.
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She is a gossip.
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The Dursleys have a young son.
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His name is Dudley.
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The Dursleys think Dudley is the perfect son.
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The Dursleys have everything they want, but they also have a secret.
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Mrs. Dursley has a sister.
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Her name is Mrs. Potter.
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But Mrs. Dursley pretends she does not have a sister.
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She pretends she does not have a sister because her sister does not live a normal, ordinary life.
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Mrs. Potter and her husband are very strange and very different.
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They are very undursley.
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Like the Dursleys, the Potters have a young son too.
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But the Dursleys do not want their son Dudley to be around the Potter's son.
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The Dursleys wake up one Tuesday morning.
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It seems like a perfectly normal Tuesday morning.
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But the day is about to change.
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It is about to become very strange and mysterious.
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The Dursleys hate strange and mysterious things.
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While driving to work, Mr. Dursley sees the first strange thing of the day.
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Near his house, he sees a cat reading a map.
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Or at least he thinks he sees a cat reading a map.
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His eyes must be playing games with him.
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Later, while he is waiting in traffic, he notices many people wearing strange clothes.
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They They are wearing colorful cloaks and capes.
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Who wears colorful cloaks like that at this time of the year, he thinks to himself.
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It must be a stupid new fashion that the young people are following.
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But he notices that some of the strange people are not young at all.
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They are very old.
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But the traffic moves forward and Mr. Dursley forgets about all the strange people he sees.
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His day at work is very normal.
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He yells at many people, he makes some important calls,
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and then he decides to go across the street and have lunch.
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When he is about to enter his favorite bakery to order a sandwich,
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he notices another group of people dressed in strange clothes.
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They are talking together in a group.
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They seem very excited about something.
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Mr. Dursley passes by them as he is leaving, and this is what he hears.
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The Potters!
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You're right!
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That's what I heard, too!
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Yes, their son, Harry!
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Mr. Dursley cannot believe what he hears.
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He becomes very scared.
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He runs back to his office.
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There are many people named Potter, he thinks, and he is not sure if his nephew is named Harry anyway.
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He has never seen the boy.
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He wants to call his wife, but then he decides it is a bad idea.
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He doesn't want to make his wife upset.
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She always gets upset when she talks about her sister.
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It is very difficult for Mr. Dursley to concentrate at work.
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When it is 5 p.m., he leaves work to go home.
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As he is leaving his building, he does not see the small man who is standing in front of him.
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Mr. Dursley walks right into him.
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Sorry, says Mr. Dursley.
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The man he walks into is a small old man wearing a violet cloak.
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He does not seem angry at all that Mr. Dursley almost knocks him to the ground.
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On the contrary, he smiles a big smile and says in a very squeaky voice, Don't be sorry, sir.
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Nothing could make me upset today.
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Be happy, because you know who is gone.
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Then muggles like you, sir, should celebrate.
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This is a happy, happy day!" Then the tiny old man hugs Mr. Dursley and walks away.
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Mr. Dursley has no idea what has just happened.
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He does not know the old man and he does not know what a muggle is either.
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Mr. Dursley is beginning to hate strange things even more.
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Mr. Dursley drives home and is very surprised to see the same cat he saw earlier in the morning.
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The cat is sitting on his garden wall looking at him.
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Shoo!
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Go away! he yells at the cat.
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The cat does not move.
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It just sits there on the wall, looking at Mr. Dursley as he enters his house.
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Mr. Dursley tries to act normal around his wife, but it is quite difficult.
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He and his wife and son have a normal, ordinary dinner.
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They put little Dudley to bed, and Mr. Dursley has time to sit and watch the news on the TV.
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What a strange thing.
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Bird watchers have noticed very strange behavior by owls all over the country today.
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Owls are normally only active at night, but today many owls have been seen flying in every direction since this morning.
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Experts cannot explain this strange behavior.
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Very, very odd behavior indeed.
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And now, the weather with Jim.
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Is it going to rain owls later tonight?
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Mm-hmm-hmm-hmm.
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Well, Ted, answers the weatherman, I certainly hope not.
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But that is not the only strange thing happening today.
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People from all over the country have been calling me and telling me they have been seeing falling stars,
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thousands and thousands of shooting stars falling from the sky.
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Mr. Dursley sits frozen in his chair,
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shooting stars all over Britain, owls behaving strangely?
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Mysterious people wearing strange clothes and talking about the potters?
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At that moment, Mrs. Dursley comes into the living room with two cups of tea.
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Mr. Dursley thinks he has no option.
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He must say something to his wife.
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Uh, Petunia dear, have you spoken to your sister recently?
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As expected, Mrs. Dursley looks shocked and angry.
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Remember, she normally pretends she does not even have a sister.
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No, she says angrily.
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Why?
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Oh, nothing.
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the strange things happening on the news, owls shooting stars, and there were funny-looking people in town today.
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I just thought maybe it had something to do with, you know, people like her.
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Mrs. Dursley has an angry look on her face.
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Their son, continues Mr. Dursley, would be around Dudley's age now, right?
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What's his name again?
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Howard, isn't it?
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His name is Harry.
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What a nasty, common name that is, answers Mrs. Dursley.
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Of course, Harry.
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Mr. Dursley's heart begins to beat very quickly.
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Yes, I agree.
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A terribly common name.
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He does not say another word about the topic.
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and they both go to bed.
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While Mrs. Dursley is in the bathroom, Mr. Dursley looks out the window into the front garden.
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The cat is still there on the wall.
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It is looking down the street like it is waiting for something.
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Hey there, I'm Josh Cashel.
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I'm the creator of this channel, Inglés Esencial, and I really hope you enjoyed the video that you just saw.
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And I'd like to ask you to take two seconds out of your time, out of your busy day and busy schedule, from watching my content.
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to click the like button, to click the subscribe button, so you can watch all the past and all the future content that I will be creating,
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especially for you.
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Thank you so much for your support, and I'll see you in the next video.
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Bye-bye.
Context & Background
The opening of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" presents us with Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, a typical family residing at number 4 Privet Drive. Through their characterization, we uncover the contrast between the mundane and the magical world. The Dursleys epitomize normalcy and comfort within their predictable lives, shunning anything out of the ordinary. This setup lays the groundwork for the enchanting experiences that are to unfold, offering a rich context for English language learners to practice their skills. By focusing on the Dursleys' seemingly normal life, the reader gradually becomes familiar with everyday settings, vocabulary, and expressions, crucial for effective english speaking practice.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- “They are a perfectly normal family.” - This phrase highlights the Dursleys' mundane lifestyle, a useful phrase to describe typical family dynamics.
- “They do not like anything that is different or strange.” - A useful way to articulate preferences in conversations about similarities and differences in cultures or social scenarios.
- “He has a large mustache.” - A simple yet effective way to describe physical appearances, a practical phrase when interacting socially.
- “Her neck is extremely long.” - This phrase can help learners practice descriptive language when discussing characteristics of people.
- “The traffic moves forward.” - A common situation that can be used in various contexts, helping learners talk about daily experiences.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
Shadowing is a powerful technique for enhancing speaking skills. Here’s how to effectively practice with this video:
- Watch the video without sound. Familiarize yourself with the visuals and context. Observe the Dursleys’ reactions and the depicted normalcy.
- Listen to the first section of the transcript. Focus on pronunciation and intonation. Repeat the phrases aloud, concentrating on matching the speaker's pace.
- Break it down. Select one phrase from the "Top 5" list above and practice it in various contexts. For instance, use “They do not like anything that is different or strange” to discuss your preferences with a partner.
- Record yourself. After shadowing, record your voice as you read the passage. Compare your pronunciation and rhythm with the original audio to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
- Engage in dialogue. Incorporate the phrases into your conversations. Whether practicing with a friend or participating in online communities focused on english speaking practice or IELTS speaking practice, using these phrases will reinforce your learning.
Utilizing resources such as shadowspeaks and other shadow speech techniques will further enhance your practice, aiding in building a strong foundation for your English communication skills. By consistently following this plan, you can effectively progress in becoming a more confident English speaker.
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.