Shadowing Practice: How to Make A Sling - First Aid Training - St John Ambulance - Learn English Speaking with Video

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You should use a sling to stop someone's arm moving to protect it and prevent further damage.

There are two types of sling, an arm sling and an elevation sling and both can be made using a triangular bandage.

The difference between these two types of sling is

that an arm sling holds the arm in a horizontal or slightly raised position.

It treats upper arm injuries, wrist injuries, somebody who can bend their elbow and also for a rib fracture.

An elevation sling holds the arm in a raised position with the fingertips touching the shoulder.

It can help support the arm, it can also help control bleeding from the hand or the arm and also help to reduce swelling.

To make an arm sling ask the casualty to support their arm.

You just hold it for me and then use your triangular bandage

and gently pass it underneath their arm and over their shoulder

and leave the long bit facing down then bring the top bit around to the opposite shoulder

and the bit that's hanging down bring that up to beat it

if you just let go of your arm for me now

and then we support it lovely just tie a reef knot

and then tuck the corners underneath

and make sure the whole of the arm is supported down

to the little finger with the bit that's left over just twist it until it becomes nice and tight

and it snugly fits in around the elbow to make an

elevation sling first ask the casualty to support their injured arm

if you just support it there for me

and the fingertips should be touching the shoulder lay your triangular

bandage over the injured arm just get the casualty to hold

it in place just hold it there for me come underneath the arm around the back

and then tie using a reef knot and then just took the points under

With the bit that's left over just twist it until it's nice and tight

and it fits snugly in by the elbow To check circulation you need to squeeze the fingernail for five seconds.

When you let go the colour should return within two seconds.

If it doesn't it means the sling is too tight and you need to loosen it a little bit.

Keep checking the circulation every ten minutes.

So remember there are two types of sling.

You need to know which one to use for each condition and how to apply them.

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Real-Life First Aid: Learning English Through Sling Application

Imagine you’re in a situation where someone needs first aid, and you have to follow instructions to make a sling. The video walks you through this critical scenario, using clear, practical language that’s perfect for learning English. Not only will you pick up first aid skills, but you’ll also master everyday phrases used in urgent, real-world contexts—ideal for improving your speaking and listening abilities.

Useful Chunks & Collocations to Master

"Stop someone's arm moving": A common phrase for describing first aid actions, combining a verb, noun, and gerund. Great for talking about injury prevention.
"Hold it in a horizontal position": Collocation using "hold" with a prepositional phrase, useful for describing object placement. Perfect for both first aid and daily tasks.
"Check circulation by squeezing the fingernail": A key chunk for medical contexts, linking an action ("check circulation") with a method ("squeezing the fingernail").
"Tie a reef knot": Specific vocabulary for a common knot, showing how technical terms fit into everyday instructions.
"Reduce swelling": A collocation used in health and first aid, essential for discussing injury treatment.

Your Shadowing Challenge: Practice Like a Pro

Shadowing—also called shadowspeak or shadow speech—is a proven technique to improve English pronunciation and fluency. Here’s your task: Watch the video once to understand the steps. Then, play short 5-second clips and repeat them immediately, mimicking the tone, speed, and stress of the speaker. Focus on phrases like "Can you just hold it for me?" and "the colour should return within two seconds." Pause, rewind, and repeat until you match the rhythm. This exercise trains your mouth to form English sounds naturally and helps you remember useful chunks. For best results, practice daily—even 10 minutes of shadowspeaks can make a big difference. Learning English with videos like this one turns passive watching into active, engaging practice that sticks.

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	can be made · is supported
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should use · should be · should return
Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary	need to squeeze · need to loosen · need to 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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →