Shadowing Practice: He Tried to Fire Her, She Hired Herself - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Um, yes, I do have a two o'clock appointment.
2
She's, she's, okay.
3
We'll just leave her out in the hallway and she's here.
4
Hi.
5
I'm at 2 p.m.
6
It's 1.39.
7
Oh, you can, I guess you can just have a seat if...
8
You know, Kevin.
9
Yes?
10
Can I call you Kevin?
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Yeah, that's my name, Samantha.
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Well, I cannot tell you what an honor it is to be considered for this position.
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Okay.
14
You can see for my resume, which I have right here for your reference.
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I have nearly five years of experience in this field.
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Yeah, they've all been here.
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Let's discuss why you want to transfer from your current position of call center representative to receptionist.
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It's basically the same job, but it requires more smiling.
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Well, as I'm sure you've seen, sir, I am great in a room.
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People really take to me.
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To limit my customer interactions strictly to phone calls really does everyone a disservice.
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I can be so much more useful up front.
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Well, you do realize that it's going to be primarily a high volume of customer complaints?
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I do.
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Here are a variety of situations that I may find myself in.
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Oh, you wrote scenes?
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Well, they're more like proms.
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I'm the head of my improv team.
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Leadership, adaptability, and discipline are just a few of the skills that I have picked up from my time in the theater.
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Throw me a prompt!
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Um, I...
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Oh, come on!
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I don't think this is a good idea.
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Any prompts?
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Any one of those prompts right there in your hands?
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I have a...
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Come on, Kev!
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It's Kevin.
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Oh!
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Ooh!
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That's a good one.
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Ma'am, I understand that you are unsatisfied with your service here today.
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Let me give you my manager's cell phone number and together we can come up with a solution to this problem.
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No, no, don't give him my cell phone number.
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That's, that's...
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No!
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This is...
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No!
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Please leave.
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I'm available to start Monday. But today's Monday.
51
Great!
52
Then I'll just move my things.
53
Oh, um...
54
Elsa, please call security.
55
Now.

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Learning English with YouTube videos like "He Tried to Fire Her, She Hired Herself" is a fun way to boost your speaking skills. The dialogue is full of real-life workplace interactions—perfect for practicing english speaking practice in contexts you might actually face. Whether you’re prepping for a job interview or want to sound more natural in casual conversations, this video’s mix of confidence, humor, and quick thinking gives you great material to mimic. Try shadow speech (repeating lines right after the speaker) to improve your fluency and timing—you’ll pick up natural rhythm without even trying!

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Let’s break down key phrases that make the speaker sound sharp:

  • "I cannot tell you what an honor it is to be considered..." This polite structure is ideal for interviews or formal meetings. It shows enthusiasm without being over the top.
  • "To limit my customer interactions strictly to phone calls really does everyone a disservice." Using "to [verb]" as a subject (infinitive phrase) adds formality. It’s a great way to explain your perspective clearly.
  • "Throw me a prompt!" This casual, direct request ("throw me") is common in friendly, high-energy conversations. It works when you want to keep a chat moving.

Practice these phrases in your own sentences—they’ll make you sound more confident and native-like.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Watch out for these tricky words in the video:

  • "Disservice" (dih-SUR-viss) – Don’t stress the first syllable; it’s easy to mispronounce as "DIS-ser-vice."
  • "Improv" (IM-prav) – Short for "improvisation," this casual term is often slurred in fast speech. Listen closely to how the speaker says it quickly.
  • "Proms" (vs. "scenes") – The speaker jokes about "proms" instead of "scenes," but the quick switch shows how intonation can change meaning. Focus on rising tone for humor here.

Use shadowspeaks techniques to mimic these sounds—pausing and repeating slowly until you get the rhythm right. It’s the best way to improve english pronunciation in real time!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowyou've seen · have picked
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itbe considered · are unsatisfied
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or predictionWe'll just leave · I'll just move

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →