Shadowing Practice: How to discuss a topic in a group - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi! My name is Rebecca, and in today's lesson you'll learn how to participate effectively in a discussion in English, something you may need to do in your personal, professional, or academic life, okay? Now, the topic we'll use as our sample is this one: Is it better to study online or in a regular classroom? Okay? You'll have a chance to hear a discussion by native English speakers on this topic. What I'd like you to do is listen for any special expressions and phrases that they use during the discussion. Afterwards, I'll review the expressions and phrases with you, okay? Now, today I have some special friends who have agreed to help me with this lesson, and they're waiting in the classroom next door, so let's go and say hello to them.
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-- Hello! -- Hello! -- Hi!
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-- Hi! -- Well, look who's here. It's -- -- Ronnie. -- Alex. -- James. -- Adam.
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-- Thank you for joining me, and thanks for helping with this lesson, guys.
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-- No problem. -- No problem.
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-- So you know we're talking about discussions, and the topic is: Is it better to study online or in a regular classroom? Okay, who wants to go first?
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-- Okay, so I'll start, and I think that it's actually very good to study online because it's very convenient because you can study whenever you want and at your own pace. For example, someone like me, I like to study at nighttime. So for me, online works better because it's quiet at night, no one disturbs me, and I can do what I need to do.
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-- Okay, that's true, but if you're going to study online -- -- Sorry, but -- -- Please let me finish. Let me finish. As I was saying, that's true, but if you're studying online you do need to motivate yourself, so I think it's better to be in a classroom where you have other students and a teacher who can motivate you. -- That's true, but some people can't afford to go to a classroom and don't have enough money or resources to actually go to a big school. So studying online, you can actually do it for free.
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-- Me? Well, I would like to add -- May I say something?
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-- Sure. -- Soft skills. That's not usually talked about in schools, but when we talk about "soft skills", it's actual interaction, utilizing your English when you're with other people, and that's hard to get online because you're watching a screen and not actually interacting with other people.
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-- You make a very good point but I would also like to add that sometimes having classmates takes you away from your focus because you have to maybe review things many times for other people to catch up, or you have to do topics that are interesting to other people, not to yourself. So it's a little distracting sometimes, too.
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-- However, focus is a good thing. I mean, it's not a bad thing to repeat something because sometimes people don't catch the material the first time. So that way, you go over the material, and they -- you know, you get depth. So you get to learn more, and people who don't understand get the opportunity to ask questions and learn from it again.
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-- Yeah, but sometimes the resources that you get in a classroom are boring, and online you can just look up whatever you need on the Internet, and you've got it right there.
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You don't have to rely on a textbook. Sometimes it can be a bad textbook.
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-- Okay. Don't get me wrong. I mean, there are good resources on the Internet, like www.engvid.com.
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However -- -- I'm sorry, did you say www.engvid.com?
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-- I did say www.engvid.com. -- I've heard of www.engvid.com.
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-- I think I have too. -- Me too.
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-- Check it out. -- Anyway. It's a good website.
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-- So as I was saying, don't get me wrong, I think there are excellent resources online.
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However, some students who are just learning English for the first time might not know how to judge the quality of the resources. So I think if you go to a school, if you're inside a classroom, you're with a teacher who is trained, is a professional, who can give you the resources you need to improve your English.
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-- Well, it's a good thing you said about professional teachers because at www.engvid.com -- -- www.engvid.com?
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-- www.engvid.com. -- www.engvid.com.
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-- Yeah, EngVid? -- We have professional teachers ready to teach you. So in conclusion, in a nutshell, can we just, kind of, sum up and say that studying online or in a classroom will help everyone?
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-- Sure. -- I think so.
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-- I can agree with that. -- Okay. All right. Thank you very much for your help guys. -- No problem.
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-- So now, I'll review some of the phrases and expressions that you heard in the discussion.
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-- I think that it's actually very good to study online.
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-- "I think" is used when you're going to express your opinion. You could also say "I believe" and so on. Next.
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-- That's true, but if you're going to study online -- -- However, focus is a good thing -- -- Yeah, but sometimes the resources that you get in a classroom are boring.
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-- Okay, these three phrases, "That's true, but"; or "However"; or "Yeah, but", are used -- What do you think? They're used when we want to contradict what someone else has said, when we disagree with what someone else has said. Okay? Next.
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-- You make a very good point, but I would also like to add that sometimes having classmates takes you away from your focus.
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-- "You made a good point but I'd also like to add", is a very nice expression. It shows that you recognize the contribution that someone else has made to the discussion in the first part, and you're also going to add your own opinion, which is different from what the first person said. Next.
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-- But if you're going to study online -- -- Sorry, but -- -- Me? Well, I would like to add -- May I say something?
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-- "Sorry but", which Ronnie says, or "May I say something?", which James said, are two different ways in which you can interrupt a discussion. You see that the first one was purposely done for you not in a very polite way to show you how not to do it. And James says, "May I say something?", which is a very polite way to enter a discussion. Next.
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-- Sorry, but -- -- Please let me finish. Let me finish.
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-- "Please let me finish" is a very nice way to hold the floor. What does it mean to "hold the floor" in a discussion? It means to establish your position as the speaker, all right? So someone else is trying to interrupt, but you want a chance to finish whatever argument you're presenting, so you say, "Please let me finish", okay? Very nice. Next.
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-- As I was saying, that's true, but if you're studying online -- -- "As I was saying" is used when you're returning to your -- to speaking, to whatever you were saying when someone has interrupted you, okay? It's a way of saying, "Okay, now I'm talking again". "As I was saying." All right? Next.
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-- Okay. Don't get me wrong. I mean, there are good resources on the Internet.
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-- Alex uses, "don't get me wrong". Now, this is an interesting expression because when we say this, what we're saying is that, "I've been explaining something, I've been presenting a certain point of view, but I do understand that there is another point of view, and I accept that, and I understand that. However, I do still have my opinion." So we use that when we are taking into account the other opinion as well. Next.
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-- So in conclusion, in a nutshell, can we just, kind of, sum up and say that -- -- Okay, the last three phrases were used by Ronnie to end the discussion, so "in conclusion", "in a nutshell". "In a nutshell" just means "in short" or "Can we sum up by saying..." "Can we sum up?" means "Can we summarize?" All right? So that's a nice way to end a discussion by including everyone in it. It's not as if one person is deciding to end the discussion.
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She's sort of asking everyone's permission by saying, "can we sum up by saying", okay?
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I hope this lesson has given you a number of different expressions that you can use when you're taking part in a discussion, all right? If you'd like to do a quiz on this subject, please go to our website, www.engvid.com. Thanks very much for watching, and good luck with your English.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 43 sentences and 1438 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:51. The speaker talks at a natural 163 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% 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
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- classroom /ˈklɑːsɹʊm/ (noun) — A room, often in a school, where classes take place.
- resource /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ (noun) — Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel.
- phrase /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ (noun) — A short written or spoken expression.
- topic /ˈtɑpɪk/ (noun) — A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
- lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
- conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/ (noun) — The end, finish, close or last part of something.
- interrupt /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ (verb) — To disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking.
- skill /skɪl/ (noun) — A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
- bore /boɹ/ (verb) — To inspire boredom in somebody.
- polite /pəˈlaɪt/ (adjective) — Well-mannered, civilized.
- textbook /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/ (noun) — A coursebook, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially one for use in schools or colleges.
- motivate /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ (verb) — To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate.
- establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/ (verb) — To make stable or firm; to confirm.
- participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ (verb) — To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
- pace /peɪs/ (noun) — A step taken with the foot.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- sum up (verb) — To produce a total by adding.
- get in (verb) — To get into or inside something, literally or figuratively.
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- catch up (verb) — To pick up suddenly.
- do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
- done for (adjective) — Doomed; without hope of recovery.
- go over (verb) — To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.
- look up /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To have better prospects.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 42 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/, nutshell /ˈnʌt.ʃɛl/
- Long words — get the stress right: participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, interaction /ˌɪn.təˈɹæk.ʃən/
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 classroom, resource, phrase.
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 agreed · I've heard · has said |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | friends who have · teacher who can · people who don |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was saying |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may need · might not know |
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.