Shadowing Practice: Hosepipe ban extension for 13 counties | RTÉ News - Learn English Speaking with Video
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21 sentences
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Now, Iska Aran has announced
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that a hosepipe ban is being extended for 13 counties in the south and east till the end of September.
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However, the water conservation order will be lifted for the rest of the country from Wednesday.
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Parched soil in the south and east, greener scenes in the north and west, and that divide is reflected in today's announcement.
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The hosepipe ban will be lifted from this Wednesday, the 26th of August, in Cavan, Clare, Donegal, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim,
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Longford, Louth, Mayo, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo and Westmeath.
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But that order will be extended to the end of September for the following 13 counties.
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Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Gildare, Kilkenny, Leash, Limerick, Meath, Offaly, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow.
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In the north and west there has been quite significant rainfall and raw water storage levels have recovered very well.
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Unfortunately however in the south and east of the country, like Dublin, Wexford, Kildare, and right down to Cork,
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our groundwater, our lake water and our river water just isn't where it needs to be.
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Matt Aaron says significant rain is expected this week.
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But in some areas, the soil is so dry, it will take more rain and more time to replenish water supplies.
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In much of Munster and Leinster, We are going to see some significant rain and showers over the next week or so,
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but it is going to take time for the moisture levels to recover in the soils.
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A water conservation order is not just about hosepipes.
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If they can avoid washing their cars, avoid washing boats, avoid paddling pools, all those types of non-essential things, it can make a huge difference.
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You can see here behind me at Roundwood Reservoir in County Wicklow how far the levels have fallen.
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There is ground behind me here that should be metres below water.
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It will take more than a few weeks rain to get this back to normal levels.
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Colman O'Sullivan, RTE News.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Hosepipe ban extension for 13 counties”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: rain, levels, hosepipe, soil, avoid. This video has 21 sentences and 327 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:01. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| soil noun | /sɔɪl/ | A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth. |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| extend verb | /ɛkˈstɛnd/ | To increase in extent. |
| conservation noun | /ˌkɑnsə(ɹ)ˈveɪʃən/ | The act of preserving, guarding, or protecting; the keeping (of a thing) in a safe or entire state; preservation. |
| recover verb | /ɹɪˈkʌvɚ/ | To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal). |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| announcement noun | /əˈnaʊns.mənt/ | An act of announcing, or giving notice. |
| announce verb | /əˈnaʊn(t)s/ | To give public notice of, especially for the first time; to make known. |
| divide verb | /dɪˈvaɪd/ | To split or separate (something) into two or more parts. |
| moisture noun | /ˈmɔɪs.t͡ʃɚ/ | That which moistens or makes damp or wet; exuding fluid; liquid in small quantity. |
| rainfall noun | The amount of rain that falls on a single occasion | |
| metre noun | /ˈmiːtəɹ/ | The basic unit of length in the International System of Units (SI: Système International d'Unités), equal to the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in… |
| hosepipe noun | A flexible pipe for carrying water or other liquids. | |
| groundwater noun | Water that exists beneath the earth's surface in underground streams and aquifers. | |
| paddle noun | /ˈpædl̩/ | A single-bladed version is typically used on canoes and some other small boats. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being extended · will be lifted · is reflected |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has announced · has been · have fallen |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, conservation /ˌkɑnsə(ɹ)ˈveɪʃən/, replenish /ɹɪˈplɛn.ɪʃ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like soil, wash, extend.
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.