Shadowing Practice: How Are Genetic Tests Changing Families? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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At home genetic tests can uncover connections you never knew existed.
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Revelations like these can upend families with upsetting findings or enrich them with incredible discoveries.
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That's what happened to Edric McNary of Chicago in 2017.
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So it's interesting, so I am adopted, and so it's always been a curiosity of mine for most of my adult life.
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I decided to try this Ancestry DNA kit to try to see if I could find my parents that way.
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And then about a month after we sent in the results, we got our information back.
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Genetic test companies start by reading the sequence of the three billion letters in your genetic code.
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All variations in the code serve as markers that make your genes unique.
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Algorithms identify those who share many of these markers, making them very likely to be close relatives.
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In McNary's case, the test revealed a life-altering surprise.
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It mentioned that there was someone else that had a very similar parent-child relationship genetically.
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And so I reached out and was like, hey, I'm looking for a mother.
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Did you live in Indiana?
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Like, you know, in the 70s, you know, and actually the response I got back was actually, this is, um, this is for my daughter.
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I'm actually looking for her father.
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Well, obviously, I think the first thing was just like, there's no way.
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You know, it's just kind of like how, I mean, obviously we know how that's possible.
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And, you know, if I had awareness of that, I would have, you know, done the right thing by, you know, taking care of the mother and getting married and all that fun stuff.
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So after some conversation, we kind of realized that she absolutely is my daughter.
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Spitting image.
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You cannot deny it.
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It turned out that 17 years before, when McNary's daughter was conceived, her mother couldn't reach him.
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When I first moved to Chicago, I had aspirations to be in the entertainment industry.
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That being said, I was broke a lot.
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So my cell phone was shut off a lot.
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And so, you know, her mother and I were, you know, we had gone out and dated a little bit in our own separate ways.
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We actually went to Michigan to meet with them.
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My oldest daughter now, they're like peas in a pod.
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They text each other, they talk to each other.
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She comes and visits all the time.
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She'll be here next week.
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We get along great.
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She's my homie.
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She really is.
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When she comes into town, we go for a pool.
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She has been wanting to find her dad for her entire life, but now she has it, and she feels complete.
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I actually turned on my GPS tracking on my phone, so she knows where I'm at all the time.
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Maybe extreme, but I just want to just reinforce that point
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that you will always know where I'm at before the rest of your life.
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I love her.
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I'm not going anywhere.
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I'm here for good.
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It's a message a genetic test allowed this father to send.
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Kat Sandoval, Newsy.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “How Are Genetic Tests Changing Families?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: genetic, daughter, test, mother. This video has 44 sentences and 522 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:06. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| marker noun | /ˈmɑː(ɹ)kə(ɹ)/ | A felt-tipped pen, a marker pen. |
| aspiration noun | /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of aspiring or ardently desiring; an ardent wish or desire, chiefly after what is elevated or spiritual (with common adjunct adpositions being to and… |
| conceive verb | /kənˈsiːv/ | To have a child; to become pregnant (with). |
| enrich verb | /ɪnˈɹɪt͡ʃ/ | To enhance. |
| uncover verb | /ʌnˈkʌvɚ/ | To remove a cover from. |
| pea noun | /piː/ | Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others. |
| genetically adverb | /d͡ʒəˈneɾɪkli/ | In a manner relating to genes or genetics. |
| reinforce verb | /ˌɹiː.ɪnˈfɔːs/ | To strengthen, especially by addition or augmentation. |
| spit verb | /spɪt/ | To evacuate (saliva or another substance) from the mouth, etc. |
| revelation noun | /ˌɹɛv.əˈleɪ.ʃən/ | The act of revealing or disclosing. |
| curiosity noun | /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ | Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring. |
| algorithm noun | /ˈælɡəɹɪðm̩/ | A collection of ordered steps that solve a mathematical problem. A precise step-by-step plan for a computational procedure that possibly begins with an input… |
| alter verb | /ˈɔl.təɹ/ | To change the form or structure of. |
| variation noun | /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/ | The act of varying; a partial change in the form, position, state, or qualities of a thing. |
| adopt verb | /əˈdɑpt/ | To take voluntarily (a child of other parents) to be in the place of, or as, one's own child. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| reach out verb | To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something. |
| shut off verb | To stop or turn off by closing something, such as a valve. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, couldn't, she'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: aspiration /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/, revelation /ˌɹɛv.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: aspiration /ˌæspəˈɹeɪʃən/, genetically /d͡ʒəˈneɾɪkli/, revelation /ˌɹɛv.əˈleɪ.ʃən/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
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 marker, aspiration, conceive.
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.