Shadowing Practice: How To Get Away with Murder - "Day One and you're unprepared" - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Good morning.
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Good morning.
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I don't know what terrible things you've done in your life up to this point,
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but clearly your comments are out of balance to get assigned to my class.
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I'm Professor Anneliese Keating, and this is Criminal Law 100,
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or as I prefer to call it...
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How to Get Away with Murder.
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Unlike many of my colleagues,
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I will not be teaching you how to study the law or theorize about it,
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but rather how to practice it in a courtroom, like a real lawyer.
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Now to our first case study, the aspirin assassin.
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Tell us the facts.
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Connor Walsh.
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The Commonwealth v.
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Gina Sadowski was a case of attempted murder.
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The defendant, Ms. Sadowski, worked as the second assistant to the victim.
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Arthur Kaufman, the CEO of an advertising agency.
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Ms. Sadowski was not only his assistant, though.
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She was also his mistress.
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What happened after Mr. Kaufman's wife of 27 years,
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Agnes, found out about the affair?
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You.
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He ended the relationship and transferred her to the accounting department.
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That's when she allegedly switched one of his blood pressure pills for an aspirin,
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which he knew he was allergic to.
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What occurred when Mr. Kaufman ingested the aspirin?
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Anyone?
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Mr. Kaufman went into anaphylactic shock.
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His throat swelled and his brain was deprived of oxygen for seven minutes before his first assistant was able to resuscitate him.
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Michaela Pratt.
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So we've established the actus reus.
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What was the mens rea?
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Wesley Gibbons.
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The...
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mens rea?
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Right.
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Day one and you're unprepared?
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No. Well, um, yes, but I didn't know there was anything to prepare.
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I emailed the assignment to the entire class two days ago.
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Oh, I didn't get that.
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Mr. Gibbons, as a defense attorney,
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I spend most of my time around professional liars.
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So you have to work really hard to fool me.
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I only got accepted here two days ago. From the wait list.
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So that's probably why you didn't get my email address.
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Let me help you out.
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Actus reus means guilty.
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Act the poisoning of Mr. Kaufman with an aspirin whereas mens rea means guilty mind.
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So what was Miss Sadowski's mens rea?
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Think, Mr. Gibbons.
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There's nothing more than common sense. To kill.
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Will the individual who just spoke please stand and repeat the answer?
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The mens rea, also referred to as intent,
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was to kill Mr. Kaufman.
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That's right.
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Your name?
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Laurel Castillo.
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Never take a learning opportunity away from another student.
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No matter how smart you need everyone to think you are.
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All right, before we move on,
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are there any other questions?
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Mr. Walsh.
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I noticed that the verdict wasn't listed here.
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So I guess my question is, did she do it?
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Why don't you ask her yourself?

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the video "How To Get Away with Murder - 'Day One and you're unprepared'" offers English learners a unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the context of legal dialogue. This dynamic classroom scene introduces various speaking styles and vocabulary relevant to law and ethics, enhancing conversational skills. By practicing with this content, learners can enhance their shadow speech abilities, mimicking the natural rhythm and intonation of native speakers. The video provides a real-world application for learners to observe how professionals communicate under pressure, thereby helping them simulate similar environments in their own speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The dialogue in this video includes several important grammatical structures and expressions that learners can incorporate into their own speaking skills:

  • Questions for Clarification: Questions like "What was the mens rea?" and "What occurred when Mr. Kaufman ingested the aspirin?" demonstrate how to seek clarification effectively.
  • Conditional Clauses: Phrases such as "If I didn't know there was anything to prepare" showcase hypothetical scenarios that can enrich conversation.
  • Direct Address: The use of direct address, as seen in "Mr. Gibbons," emphasizes personal engagement and can make communication more impactful.
  • Descriptive Vocabulary: Terms like "anaphylactic shock" and "guilty mind" illustrate the importance of precise language, especially in specific fields like law.

Incorporating these structures into your practice will enable you to learn English with YouTube effectively while enhancing your confidence in professional conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Throughout the video, certain words and phrases may present pronunciation challenges for English learners. Pay attention to the following:

  • Anaphylactic: The multiple syllables in "anaphylactic" can make it tricky; ensure you practice each syllable separately before blending them together.
  • Mens rea: This legal term, pronounced like "mens ray-ah," is essential in law discussions but may not be familiar to non-native speakers.
  • Guilty mind: The stress on the word "guilty" may vary slightly in different accents; practicing in context will help with accurate pronunciation.

By focusing on these pronunciation traps, and utilizing a shadowing app or a dedicated shadowing site, learners can refine their accents and improve clarity in their speech, ensuring they communicate more effectively in any setting.

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.

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