Shadowing Practice: How to Sound Like a British Person πŸ‡¬πŸ‡§ (British RP Accent Lesson) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Okay, I can get your British accent to sound so much better with just one sentence.
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Okay, I can get your British accent to sound so much better with just one sentence.
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My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird because she feared it was starting to look bare.
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Now, this sentence contains a lot of really important sounds for a British RP accent.
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That is the accent you will hear on the BBC a lot of the time.
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So if you hear a newsreader on the BBC,
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they normally talk in what we call a received pronunciation.
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So when I say British accent,
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that is what I'm talking about.
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Obviously, we have lots of different accents in Britain,
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but this is usually the one that my English students want to learn.
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Now, the sounds in this sentence are usually the ones that my English learners find the most difficult.
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So if we can work on these sounds and say this sentence perfectly,
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you are on your way to a perfect British RP accent.
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Let's get started.
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So let's start at the beginning.
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My daughter.
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That word is a really interesting word.
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So the first vowel sound we have there is aw.
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I know it's not spelt like aw,
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it's spelt like dow, really.
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A-U-G-H oh my goodness, what a strange spelling,
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but we pronounce it like or.
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Or sound happens with lots of different spellings.
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So look at all of these words.
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All of these words have the or sound,
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but look at all of those spellings.
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It's so annoying.
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We've got for, floor, jaw, caught, and fought.
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How can all of those different spellings make one sound?
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I don't know, but just be ready for this sound because the spelling will not help you.
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So this word daughter, I want you to imagine that that first sound is just like if you were saying door, door.
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Okay, so we've got open the door,
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daughter, and really make it long.
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It's a long sound.
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Okay, in British sharp E we have short sounds and we have long sounds.
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This is a long sound.
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Daughter.
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And that ER at the end,
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we don't say the R.
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So if you are saying daughter,
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daughter, I want you to say daughter, daughter, uh, uh, uh.
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That E-R ending is actually what we call a schwa,
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a completely neutral sound.
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So make a completely neutral sound with me.
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You ready?
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Uh, uh, uh.
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That's all I want, okay?
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I don't want A, I don't want ooo, I just want a.
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So we put it together and we say daughter, daughter, daughter.
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Okay, I hope you're saying this with me because otherwise I'm just saying it on my own.
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Then the sentence carries on, put a thicc.
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Now there's that th.
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Everybody hates the th.
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The th, they just, they just,
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they just hate it, don't they?
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They hate the th.
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He hates the th.
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Everybody hates it.
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So you have to stick your tongue out.
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When you're learning, I really want that tongue to be visible.
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Thick.
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Thick.
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If you're struggling with that,
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try the TH on its own.
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So get your tongue, stick it between your teeth and breathe.
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It should feel relaxed.
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Don't go, you know, don't tense it all up.
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Relax.
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Relax your face.
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Relax everything.
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There we go.
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Thick.
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Thick.
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Then we have a sound that I never thought would be too difficult,
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but recently a lot of my students have been struggling with this sound.
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Brown.
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Now what people are finding difficult is the ow.
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That is a diphthong.
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It means there are two sounds in it.
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So a monophthong just has one sound like one sound.
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A diphthong has two.
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So we transition from one sound to another.
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So when we say the word brown,
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we need to hear both of the sounds of the diphthong.
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We need to hear aow.
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A lot of my students just do the first part but not the second,
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so it sounds like bran, bran.
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There's no oo in it.
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So
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if I slow it right down it should be brown then
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we have the word jumper some of my Spanish speakers struggle with the they say jumper
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so make sure it's jumper jumper and again
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that er ending is just a schwa forget about it throw
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the sound away don't focus on the second sound some of my students go jump ah jump ah
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and we don't need that just really give it a very light sound jumper jumper jumper
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so putting that Together we have a thick brown jumper.
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My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird.
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That is another really difficult sound.
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So it's a long sound and it requires your jaw to go down.
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I think because people see an R in that word they go bird.
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So we have to drop the jaw and we go
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put a B in front of it then put a D bird, bird, bird.
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My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird.
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You're doing well, let's carry on.
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The next interesting word here is feared, feared.
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Again, this is where people want to do an R,
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they want to say feared, feared.
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But this is another diphthong.
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The diphthong is ear ear ear do you hear how it drops to nothing ear
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so if we just say that word fear fear
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because she feared okay not feared it was starting starting
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that ah sound is like a choir Fa la la la la la la la la la starting.
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Ca, fa.
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That's the sound.
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So really think about open, jaw down, starting.
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Not starting.
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Starting.
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She feared it was starting to look bare.
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Air.
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There's another diphthong.
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Air.
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So this is the sound you would hear in these words like hair, where, bear, there.
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It was starting to look there.
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It was starting to look bare.
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Okay then shall we put it all together
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and just practice it a couple of times okay so you can pause this video,
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you can play it slower,
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do whatever you need to do.
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I'm going to say it twice for you, okay?
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Here we go.
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My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird because she feared it was starting to look bare.
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My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird because she feared it was starting to look bare.
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So take your time with that sentence.
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I want you to practice that every day if you can.
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Say it three times every day, but do it intentionally.
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It will not help you if you sit there and go,
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my daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird because that's not going to help you.
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Do it in front of a mirror.
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Look at your mouth.
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Pronunciation is all about changing the shapes that your mouth make.
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So naturally, your mouth wants to make certain shapes we need to change it
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and train it to make different shapes well done well done i hope this video was useful for you
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if it was useful give it a like and make sure you subscribe
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if you haven't already
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because we make videos to help you improve your english all
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the time make sure to go to smashingenglish.com to see all of our amazing english courses
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Thank you so much for being here and I will see you next time.
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Ta-ta!

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Context & Background

In this lesson on mastering the British RP (Received Pronunciation) accent, the speaker focuses on specific pronunciation challenges that learners face. By using the example sentence, "My daughter put a thick brown jumper on a bird because she feared it was starting to look bare," the speaker highlights sounds fundamental to achieving a British accent. The goal is to provide learners with the tools necessary for effective communication, particularly as this accent is commonly associated with formal news broadcasting in the UK, such as on the BBC.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • My daughter
  • Put a thick brown jumper
  • On a bird
  • Feared it was starting
  • Look bare

These phrases encapsulate essential sounds that learners need to master for sounding natural in British RP accent. Practicing these phrases can significantly enhance your English speaking practice and overall confidence in conversation.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique, follow these steps to tackle the specific challenges presented in this video:

  1. Listen carefully: Start by listening to the speaker pronounce the sentence. Pay particular attention to the vowel sounds and the rhythm of speech.
  2. Repeat after the speaker: Utilize the shadow speak technique. As the speaker says "My daughter," repeat the phrase in real-time, focusing on mimicking their tone and intonation.
  3. Break it down: Take each phrase in the sentence and practice it individually. For instance, isolate "daughter" and focus on elongating the vowel sound and using the schwa at the end.
  4. Use a shadowing app: Employ a shadowing app, which allows you to track your pronunciation and compare it with the native speaker's delivery. This can aid in identifying areas where you might need improvement.
  5. Practice consistently: Regular practice is key. Integrate the phrase into your daily routine until you feel comfortable. Shadowing will help you become more fluent and refine your accent over time.

By following these steps and consistently engaging in shadowspeak, you can improve your pronunciation and achieve a more authentic British accent, enhancing your English speaking practice.

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 β€” 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 β€” making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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