Shadowing Practice: How to Best Group Words & Pause for Clear English | Thought Groups - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Have you ever noticed that some English speakers sound like this?
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I went to the store to buy some groceries.
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And then others sound like this.
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I went to the store to buy some groceries.
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And finally, you have, I went to the store to buy some groceries.
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Which of those sounds the most clear and the most natural to you?
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If you're thinking number three,
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I totally agree with you.
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But what exactly is the difference between those three examples?
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The answer is definitely not vocabulary or grammar.
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It's knowing how to group words together naturally so that you know where to pause and breathe while you're speaking in English.
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This simple skill of knowing how to group words together will transform robotic English into smooth,
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flowing speech that others easily understand.
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I want you to think about a recent conversation where you felt stuck between two extremes,
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either speaking so carefully that each word stood alone,
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or the other extreme of running all your words together so fast that others had to ask you to repeat yourself.
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Maybe it was explaining an idea of English,
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or sharing a story with friends, or describing something important.
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Today in this lesson, you're going to learn exactly how English speakers group their words together naturally.
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By the end of this lesson,
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you're going to know what are thought groups,
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how to identify them, and where to pause naturally in your speech.
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As a result, you'll know exactly which words to group together while you're speaking for clear meaning and smooth speech.
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So let's start with what you need to know first.
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What exactly is a thought group?
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A thought group is a small collection of words that share one clear message or idea.
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I want you to think of it as a small package of meaning that helps listeners understand your message.
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Let me show you what I mean.
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I want you to take this example sentence.
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The old woman who lives next door is an actress from Italy.
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Here's how English speakers will naturally break this sentence up into thought groups or small packages of meaning.
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The old woman who lives next door is an actress from Italy.
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Each group gives us one clear piece of information in that sentence.
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Who are we talking about?
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The old woman.
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Then we have extra information about her.
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Who lives next door?
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What do we know about her?
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She's an actress.
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Where's she from?
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She's from Italy.
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Understanding this concept of thought groups
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and being able to break your sentences into clear thought groups
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and then slightly pausing so that you can breathe
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while you're speaking is going to make your speech flow smoothly in English and sound perfectly natural.
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So in order to understand all of this,
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we have to know how do you find the thought groups in a sentence?
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There are six clear patterns that we use to help us know which words belong together.
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So let's take a look at each one.
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Pattern number one, don't pause after articles or possessive pronouns.
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In general, English speakers do not pause
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in between an article and the noun that it comes with or a possessive pronoun and the noun that it comes with.
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Now, a quick reminder, articles are a, an, and the.
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Possessive pronouns could be my,
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his, her, your, et cetera.
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So if I think about words that go together,
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my daughter, his book, their house.
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We do not create a break or a pause between those words.
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The reason is these words are closely connected to the words they describe
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and they act as links to meaningful parts of a sentence.
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In other words, they create a thought group.
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So adding a pause in between these words would break the natural flow of your speech
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and create this kind of unnatural natural rhythm.
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For example, here's an incorrect way to say this sentence.
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The book is on the shelf.
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There are too many breaks there and we've broken up the shelf and the book.
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A natural way of saying this is the book is on the shelf.
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We've kept those thought groups together.
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Here are a couple more examples my daughter we've got our thought group possessive pronoun
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and the noun my daughter is learning piano the students finished their projects early and now pattern number two
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keep your infinitives together now a quick reminder an infinitive is the verb with the preposition to
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and to sound more natural we keep these infinitives together because again they're part of the same thought group.
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These infinitives communicate a single action,
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so when we split them with a pause when we're speaking,
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we disrupt the core meaning of that verb phrase.
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For example, here's an unclear way to say this sentence.
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I want to go to the beach tomorrow.
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We've split up that infinitive, to go.
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So here's how to fix it.
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I want to go to the beach tomorrow.
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I want to go to the beach tomorrow.
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Here's a couple more examples.
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She needs to finish the report by Friday.
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They decided to start the meeting at noon.
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Now I'm definitely using slightly longer pause breaks or breathing moments in these example sentences,
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because I really want you to hear where I'm creating those tiny little moments of pause.
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If I were to say that a little bit more naturally,
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it would sound like this.
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They decided to start the meeting at noon.
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I've still included those pause breaks.
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They're tiny.
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It's just a heartbeat of a moment,
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but it's enough to create natural flow,
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allowing me to breathe and make sure that I'm not running all my words together.
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If we go back to the beginning of this lesson where I shared
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that sentence of she went to the store by groceries,
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we have no breaks at all and it makes the entire sentence confusing and lost.
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Nobody can understand it.
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So these breaks allow for meaning to be clear and our speech to flow.
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Let's move on to pattern Number three,
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use conjunctions to start thought groups.
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A quick reminder, conjunctions are words like but, and, because, although.
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These should start a thought group and remain with the information they are linked to.
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These words act as bridges between our ideas.
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So if we pause immediately after a conjunction,
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it creates this abrupt, strange stop,
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and it breaks the natural flow of your speech.
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For example, we do not want to say,
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my sister loves cats, but I love dogs.
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We've broken the natural flow.
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So here's the right way to say that.
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My sister loves cats, but I love dogs.
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I've kept that conjunction with the part of the sentence it belongs to.
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Here's another example.
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Although it was raining, we went for a walk.
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Or, I love summer, but I don't like extreme heat.
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Moving on to pattern number four.
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Separate time and location information.
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Time expressions and location phrases usually form their own thought groups.
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This helps listeners clearly understand when and where things happen.
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Time expressions can appear at the beginning,
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the middle, or the end of a sentence.
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For example, yesterday morning, I went to the park.
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I arrived at the airport at noon.
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They'll complete the renovations next month.
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In each case, I have information about the when,
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and I'm keeping that information together.
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The same thing is true with location phrases that help us organize where something took place.
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For example, I studied at the library for three hours.
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Or she works in New York at a big company.
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And now pattern number five,
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set apart your transitional words.
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Transitional and sequential words help us to organize or create structure with our ideas.
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English speakers will form separate thought groups with these words by pausing after them.
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And this helps our listeners follow what we're saying more easily.
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For example, first of all,
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we need to make a plan.
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After that, you can take a break.
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Finally, our suitcases arrived back at the hotel.
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In each case, I've got a transitional or sequential word helping me understand the order of events or the structure.
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And I'm making sure that it's its own separate thought group.
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And for our last pattern,
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it's important to create separate groups for extra information.
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When you're adding descriptive details or extra information using who,
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which, that, where, and when,
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I want you to create a separate thought group.
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This is a clear place to break in your sentence.
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Again, this helps listeners to distinguish the main information from the bonus or additional details.
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For example, here's a sentence to avoid.
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The man who lives next door is a doctor.
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We don't want to separate who from the details that they're connected with.
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So here's the right way to say that.
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The man who lives next door is a doctor.
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Here's another example.
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My aunt who lives in Paris is visiting soon.
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or the restaurant, which opened last month, is very popular.
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Okay, there's no question that learning to group these words naturally takes practice
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but you don't have to figure it out
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or do it all alone inside my fluency school program my
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step-by-step speaking program you can master these exact patterns with guided practice
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and feedback through focused speaking sessions
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and real conversations you get to learn how to develop this natural rhythm that makes you easily understood with clear,
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smooth flowing speech.
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Now, Fluency School is a program I only open twice a year.
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So if you want to get ready to join me for the next session,
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you can learn more at speakconfidentenglish.com fluency school.
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Now that you have these six patterns in place,
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let's do a little bit of practice in some real situations.
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For example, if you're in a meeting,
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here's a sentence you might use and all the appropriate places to add a slight pause,
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allowing yourself time to breathe,
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and still creating a very smooth sentence.
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Here it is.
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Thank you for your feedback.
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I understand your concerns, and I'll address them all.
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Practice that with me.
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Let's go back and try it again,
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and I want you to shadow or mirror what you hear me saying.
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Thank you for your feedback.
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I understand your concerns and I'll address them all.
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Next, let's talk about sharing weekend plans.
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For example, I'm planning to visit the museum with my family on Saturday morning.
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Let's do it again.
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I'm planning to visit the museum with my family on Saturday morning.
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And then let's imagine that you have to explain a delay.
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Maybe you're late for a meeting.
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Here's how you would do that.
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Because of the heavy traffic,
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I might be late to our appointment.
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Because of the heavy traffic,
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I might be late to our appointment.
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Okay, now it's your turn to practice.
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I'm going to share some sentences with you here on the screen,
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and I want you to choose one of these sentences to practice grouping into words naturally.
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So you should see these sentences here on the screen next to me.
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I'm not going to say them out loud because I'm afraid
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that I might use those natural breaks and you'll hear where I put those pauses.
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I want you to review these sentences
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and think carefully about what you've learned in this lesson and try to create those natural breaks.
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If you need to, you can absolutely pause this video for a moment and try saying some of these out loud.
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You can also share your answers with me in the comment section down below this video.
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I'll also share the answers with those natural breaks in the comments below.
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I want you to remember that developing these natural speech patterns takes consistent practice.
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So start with one pattern at a time and start one sentence at a time,
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gradually expanding, combining them more and more as you get comfortable.
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Now, if you found this lesson helpful to you,
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I would love to know,
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and you can tell me in one very simple way.
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Give this lesson a thumbs up here on YouTube and subscribe for more English confidence tips every single week.
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Also, if you find yourself taking too long to respond in conversations
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because you're spending a lot of time thinking and translating in your head,
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I want you to watch my lesson on how to think faster in English.
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It will show you exactly how to skip the translation step and respond naturally in your conversations.
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Thank you so much for joining me.
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I look forward to seeing you next time.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will learn about the concept of thought groups and how to use them for clearer English speech. Thought groups are essential for breaking down sentences into manageable portions, allowing for natural pauses that enhance comprehension. By the end of the lesson, you’ll not only understand what thought groups are but also how to identify them in your sentences. This understanding will empower you to transform your speech from robotic to smooth, making your communication more effective whether you are in IELTS speaking practice or everyday conversations.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Thought group: A small collection of words that convey a single idea.
- Infinitives: The base form of a verb preceded by the preposition "to," indicating an action.
- Conjunction: Words such as "but," "and," or "because" that connect thought groups.
- Pause: A brief stop in speech that helps distinguish between thought groups.
- Article: Words like "a" and "the" that introduce nouns.
- Possessive pronoun: Words like "my," "his," "her," and "their" that show ownership.
- Shadow speak: The technique of mimicking a speaker for practice.
Practice Tips
To incorporate the techniques from this lesson into your speaking practice, consider shadowing as an effective exercise. Find a video on a shadowing site that demonstrates the use of thought groups, such as this lesson from YouTube. As you practice, try to replicate not just the words, but also the natural pauses and intonation of the speaker. Begin with slower-paced videos; this allows you to grasp where thought groups begin and end.
When shadow speaking, focus on the following:
- Identify the thought groups: Listen carefully to how the speaker clusters words and marks pauses.
- Emulate the rhythm: Pay attention to the flow of speech and practice breaking your sentences in a similar manner.
- Use a timer: Gradually increase the speed of the video, challenging yourself to keep up while maintaining clarity.
By consistently practicing this method, you improve not just your pronunciation but also your overall fluency, which is crucial for successfully navigating IELTS speaking practice and beyond. Remember, clear speech is achievable with consistent effort, and tools like “learn english with youtube” can support you on this journey.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever noticed · we've broken · We've kept |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | woman who lives · man who lives |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are thought · are closely connected · are linked |
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.