Shadowing Practice: How To Study Hard - Richard Feynman - Learn English Speaking with Video

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You asked me if an ordinary person, by studying hard, would get to be able to imagine these things like I imagined.
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Of course, I was an ordinary person who studied hard.
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There's no miracle people.
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It just happens they got interested in this thing and they learned all this stuff.
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They're just people.
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There's no talent, a special miracle ability to understand quantum mechanics
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or a miracle ability to imagine electromagnetic fields that comes without practice and reading and learning and study.
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So if you say you take an ordinary person who's willing to devote a great deal of time
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and study and work and thinking and mathematics and time, then he's become a scientist.
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There is a small subset of the people that can be very happy being obsessive about things.
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And obsession can often get things done that just practical, prudent, pedestrian work won't or at least won't for a very long time.
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But I do think that great things require a lot of hard work.
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So there's no way you can expect to change the world without working really hard.
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By the way, even changing the world, the folks that I respect the most have nudged the world in like a slight direction,
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slight, very, very slight.
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I think to have great outcomes, you actually do need to work at like three standard deviations above the mean.
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But when I read about companies going to like four day work weeks and stuff, I just like, I chuckle because I can't get enough done with a seven day week.
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I don't know how, and people will say, oh, you're just not working smart.
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And it's like, no, I work pretty smart, I think in general.
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And I think the focus should be more like how much you do.
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So I am kind of like believer on a high level
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in this 10,000 hours kind of concept where you just kind
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of have to just pick the things where you can spend time and you care about and you're interested in.
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You literally have to put in 10,000 hours of work.
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It doesn't even matter as much like where you put it.
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And you'll iterate and you'll improve and you'll waste some time.
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I don't know if there's a better way.
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You need to put in 10,000 hours.
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But I think it's actually really nice
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because I feel like there's some sense of determinism about being an expert at a thing if you spend 10,000 hours.
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You can literally pick an arbitrary thing, and I think if you spend 10,000 hours of deliberate effort and work, you actually will become an expert at it.
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And so I think that's kind of like a nice thought.
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And so basically I would focus more on like, are you spending 10,000 hours?
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One other thing
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that I think is helpful for the psychology of it is many times people compare themselves to others in the area.
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I think it's very harmful.
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only compare yourself to you from some time ago, like say a year ago.
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Are you better than you a year ago?
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It's the only way to think.
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And I think this, then you can see your progress and it's very motivating.
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You will waste time doing something wrong.
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You will eventually figure out it's not right.
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You will accumulate scar tissue and next time you'll grow stronger.
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Because next time you'll have the scar tissue and next time you'll learn from it.
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And now next time you come to a similar situation, you'll be like, Oh, I messed up.
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I've spent a lot of time working on things that never materialize into anything materialize into anything.
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And I have all that scar tissue and I have some intuitions about what was useful, what wasn't useful, how things turned out.
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So all those mistakes were not dead work.
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So I just think, did you just focus on working?
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What have you done?
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What have you done last week?

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video featuring Richard Feynman offers profound insights into the nature of hard work and studying. By practicing your speaking skills with the shadowing technique, you not only enhance your pronunciation but also internalize Feynman’s impactful ideas about diligence and progress. Utilizing shadowspeaks can effectively improve your fluency as you mimic his intonation and pacing. Engaging with this content allows you to grasp complex concepts expressed in simple terms, making it easier for you to communicate effectively in English. Additionally, when you repeat after Feynman, you're diving deeply into the thought processes of a thinker renowned for his clarity and accessibility, thereby increasing your own eloquence.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Feynman employs a variety of grammatical structures and expressions throughout the video that are especially useful for English learners:

  • “there's no miracle people”: This phrase emphasizes that success comes from dedication rather than innate talent, using a simple sentence structure to convey an important message.
  • “You will waste time doing something wrong”: This conditional structure illustrates the inevitability of errors when learning, which is a relatable concept for any learner.
  • “You literally have to put in 10,000 hours”: The use of the adverb "literally" adds emphasis. Such expressions can enhance your persuasive speech when discussing your own experiences or learnings.
  • “It doesn’t even matter as much like where you put it”: This phrase offers a more conversational tone, showcasing a blend of informal speech and clarity that’s valuable for learners looking to sound natural.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking along with this video, be mindful of several pronunciation challenges that may arise:

  • “obsessive”: Focus on the 's' sound followed by the 'i' vowel to avoid common mispronunciation.
  • “determinism”: Pay attention to the rhythm of this five-syllable word, ensuring you acknowledge each part.
  • “materialize”: This word features a subtle 'r' sound that may be tricky for non-native speakers. Practice the 'r' in front of the vowel to master it.

By engaging with these specific nuances and practicing with the shadow speak method, you'll become more effective at expressing complex ideas in English. Overall, you can leverage this shadowing site to enhance your language skills while drawing inspiration from Feynman’s wisdom. Start incorporating these practices today and watch your English fluency grow!

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.