Shadowing Practice: How to Deal With Negative SELF-TALK. - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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I do a lot of inner child work with my therapist.
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And she was like, why don't you find a photo of yourself
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and put it on your bathroom mirror so that every morning, every night, every day when you walk into your bathroom mirror,
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you're looking at her and you're remembering that if there's anything negative that you're ever saying about yourself, if you're ever being mean to yourself, you're talking about her.
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And I was looking through old photo books
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and I flipped to a page and there was a photo I'd never seen of myself ever.
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And it was just me as a little girl with a bow in my hair
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and a dress on and I have like a little alien tattoo or something right here.
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And I'm like, have this big cheesy smile on my face.
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And I was like, that's the photo.
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So I pasted it on my bathroom mirror and I talked to her.
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And I'm always like, if I'm ever looking in the mirror and being negative towards myself or anything, I always look right over to her and I'm like, she's dope.
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And I love her.
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That's such a great tool.

What You'll Learn from This Video

This clip is a goldmine for english speaking practice, especially if you want to sound more natural in casual conversations. You’ll pick up how to share personal stories with warmth—using phrases like "I was like" and "she was like" to make dialogue feel alive. It also teaches you to talk about emotions and self-reflection, a key skill for IELTS speaking practice where expressing personal experiences is crucial. Plus, you’ll learn to use conversational fillers ("and stuff," "right here") that make your speech flow like a native’s.

Listen For These Sounds

Pay attention to connected speech in the video. Phrases like "why don't you" blend into "whydoncha" (reducing "don't you" to "doncha"), and "I'd never seen" becomes "I'd never seen" with a soft "d" linking "I'd" and "never." You’ll also hear reductions like "she's dope" where "she is" shortens to "she's," and "that's the photo" with a quick "that's" instead of "that is." These small links and reductions are what make native speech sound smooth—perfect for shadow speech practice.

Say It Like a Native

To mirror the speaker’s rhythm, focus on stress. She emphasizes words like "dope," "love," and "great" to show emotion, so make sure to put extra weight on those. Notice how she pauses slightly before "and I was like" to build anticipation—copy that pause to make your stories more engaging. For shadowspeaks practice, repeat her lines out loud, matching her pace and tone. When she says "every morning, every night, every day," speed up a bit to create a rhythmic flow, then slow down for "that's such a great tool" to highlight the key point. This will help you sound more natural and confident in your learn english with videos journey.

Whether you’re practicing shadow speech or prepping for an exam, this video gives you real, usable language that works in everyday life. Hit play, repeat, and watch your speaking skills grow!

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the pastwas looking
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around nowyou're looking · I'm ever looking

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 →