Shadowing Practice: HOW TO DO A BRITISH ACCENT CONVINCINGLY (3) (Acting Coach NYC) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is the third of three videos for American actors to learn how to do a British accent convincingly.
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In video two I covered the main issue, so you may already be able to do quite a good British accent already.
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This film covers all the vowels of the British accent that we're concentrating on, and it may feel rather boring to concentrate on vowels for five minutes,
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but we're going to get them right.
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And there's an enormous amount of work for American actors who can do a British accent right.
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Right.
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We have to start with a silly sentence which contains all the British vowel sounds.
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So just say the words after me please.
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Through good tone, or not part,
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must serve and then shape fit speech.
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And when I say all these words please, as with the other films, I'll wave at the camera and they'll probably be up on the screen and just say them straight away please.
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And then we'll be able to squeeze all of them in.
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Just repeat these words starting with the word through,
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which has the same vowel as fool, pool, boot, food.
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Don't try to remember these words, just let them flow into your mind and sort themselves out.
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The second word of the sentence is good.
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The same vowel sound as full, would, bull, could.
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So obviously fool and fool, fool and fool are very different.
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As are pull and pool, hood and hood.
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The first word was through.
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So the first word was through.
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Same as flew, who, blew, cue, rude, grew.
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And the other main word was could, as in could, should, would.
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Now the next three words of that funny sentence are TONE The same vowel as COLD BONE
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OLD BOAT bone, old, boat, home, throw, throat.
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So we've had the words through, good, tone.
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And now the word all.
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The same vowel sound as in fall.
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Nought.
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Sport.
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North.
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Born.
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So we've got the first four words of the sentence.
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Through good tone all.
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The next word of the sentence is not.
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The same vowel sound as in log.
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Hot. From.
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Rob.
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Got.
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Shot.
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And now please say the fifth word, and all the others of course, of course, but it's part.
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Part.
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The same vowel sound as in arm, laugh, guard, must. Must.
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And now the word must. Must.
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Same vowel as in bun, run, club, southern, honey.
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So those three words were not part must.
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So the ones we've covered in the sentence so far are through good tone, all not part must.
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So we're over halfway through and the next word to look at is serve.
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The same vowel sound as in burnt, girl, curl, bird, curb.
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The next sound is and, ah, and.
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Hat, tan, lamb, mad.
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Good.
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So again, through good tone, all not part. Must serve and.
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And I'm not wanting you to have to make too much of an effort on this.
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just hear the vowels and hopefully find yourself saying this sentence a little bit more Britishly,
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not through good tone, all not part, must serve and just through good tone,
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all not part, must serve and We want the British accent to just sound natural,
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to just be the way you happen to pronounce things.
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So the last four words of the sentence start with then.
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Debt.
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Help.
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Friend.
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The next word is shape, which has the same vowel sound as...
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Skate.
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Same.
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Paid. And now fit.
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The word fit.
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Him.
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Kiss.
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Dig.
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And the last word of all, speech.
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Speech.
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Same vowel sound as tea.
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Cream.
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Seat.
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Ease.
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So there's a difference between all these vowels, obviously, but I hope we've established that difference a little bit more clearly in your minds.
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So let's just say out loud, please, these two.
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Two stood.
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Coat, court.
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Hot, heart. Must, mast.
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and end hat hit heat
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Now amongst all the millions of words to be spoken there are always combinations in every accent
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so the word house in American is usually pronounced as a combination of ha and oo,
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a house, my house.
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and just as we pronounce the word ask in British as ask, ha becomes ha.
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It's a house, not a house, a house.
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House.
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These things will start running around in your mind automatically once you start listening to vowels
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when people speak with a British accent, when you're watching British videos.
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And if you're watching any of my MadEnglishman.com ones, they are only for a laugh and the accent is a much more extreme one than this.
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I can't really say much more to help you individually unless I'm working with you
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and I do work with people on Skype if you're a long way from New York and you want to do that.
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There's also a lot of free help on my website with lots of advice about how to feel British
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and that doesn't cost you anything and...
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And remember, of course, that more important than anything, more important than the costume,
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the money, the accent, anything, with the possible exception of being heard,
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which is incredibly important, be clearly spoken whatever character you're playing.
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But the most important thing is to be true.
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That's what we become actors for.
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So if you've only got a day to go before you open, don't worry too much about the accent.
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Sort out the truth of your character.
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And if you've got some time in advance, sort out a perfect accent.
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So there we are.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 104 sentences and 923 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 90 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- accent /ækˈsɛnt/ (noun) — A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to…
- tone /ˈtəʊn/ (noun) — A specific pitch.
- pronounce /pɹəˈnaʊns/ (verb) — To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously.
- bone /boʊn/ (noun) — A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
- concentrate /ˈkɑn.sən.tɹeɪt/ (verb) — To bring to, or direct toward, a common center; to unite more closely; to gather into one body, mass, or force.
- establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/ (verb) — To make stable or firm; to confirm.
- silly /ˈsɪl.i/ (adjective) — Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
- incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ (adverb) — In an incredible manner; not to be believed.
- honey /ˈhʌni/ (noun) — A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
- coat /ˈkoʊ̯t/ (noun) — An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
- exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/ (noun) — The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule.
- bull /bʊl/ (noun) — Specifically, one that is uncastrated.
- ease /iz/ (verb) — To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- amongst /əˈmʌŋst/ — Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects. See usage note at amidst.
- throat /ˈθɹoʊt/ (noun) — The front part of the neck.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- sort out (verb) — To clarify by reviewing mentally.
- ask in (verb) — To invite someone to enter one's house.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 22 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, you're, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, combinations /kɑmbɪˈneɪʃənz/
- Long words — get the stress right: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, individually /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒ(u)əli/, combinations /kɑmbɪˈneɪʃənz/, convincingly /kənˈvɪn.sɪŋ.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like accent, tone, pronounce.
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 | be spoken · is usually pronounced · being heard |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've had · we've covered · we've established |
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.