Shadowing Practice: How To Upgrade Your Professional Work Emails - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Okay, that is.. do not do that.
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Hi everybody, Lauren Berger, Intern Queen here.
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Back with a video about email communication.
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I know that our this versus that content does really well on Instagram, both on Intern Queen and Career Queen, and we wanted to bring some of that over to the YouTube channel.
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We're all trying to elevate our work emails and our communication.
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I know it is always a battle at Intern Queen, We call it organizational sophistication, and we are just looking to elevate every single day.
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So how can you make the most of work emails
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and how can you make sure that when you're responding to an email, it's in the most professional way?
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To give the best instruction for this video, I thought I'd give you a specific example.
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So the example I want to use is you messed up something at work
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and you got an email from your boss that basically says some version of WTF, right?
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Like, where's that thing?
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Why didn't you do it?
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What happened?
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We've all been there.
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We've all received those emails.
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And if you're anything like me, it takes you a minute to respond to those emails because you write it out and then you're like, no, too wordy, write it out again.
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You write it out again.
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And finally you send a version and you kind of cross your fingers and hope it's okay.
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So first I'm gonna go over some basic tips and things
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that you should do versus things you shouldn't do when you're responding to an email like that.
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And then I'm gonna give you an actual example
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and you guys can write it down or take a picture of it so that you remember, 'cause I'm sure we'll all be in that situation sometime soon, right?
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So the first thing is try to avoid the word I'm sorry.
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If you actually do something terrible, please say you're sorry.
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But in work communication, typically these aren't major mistakes.
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always need to use the word I'm sorry.
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I think especially as women, we tend to apologize for everything.
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You don't need to say the word I'm sorry, a hundred times a day, like save that for when you're actually sorry.
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So I think instead of doing that, you can say things like, thanks for the reminder, not I'm so sorry, I didn't do that.
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And again, I'll give you a specific example in a bit.
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Also, and this has been all over TikTok, I feel like this year, but just overusing exclamation points.
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I'm the queen of that because sometimes I I am genuinely excited, but I've tried to pull that back a little bit.
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No need to overuse the exclamation points in an email.
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It's just not the most professional.
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Also, try to show in any work email the immediate action that you're taking.
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I think it's really important to show that you're taking in the feedback and you're doing the next thing, right?
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Without a lot of complaints or excuses or extra language.
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My next step is just don't overcomplicate it.
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Again, no need to give too much detail about why something didn't happen.
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I would just get to the point, show that you get it and you're on to the next thing and you're pushing the project forward.
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And again, just don't let it linger, right?
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Really work to show in your email that you are going to take this project to the next step
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So first I'm gonna give you guys the Do not do this example, okay?
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So again, you messed up something, your boss says, where's the thing?
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And here's your email back.
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Oh, I'm so sorry.
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Eek!
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Exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point.
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I was going to do that.
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But then my dog got sick
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and I was working with Mary on this other project and I just didn't get around to it.
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And by the time I looked at my clock, it was time to eat.
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And then I had a cough and then I had a cold.
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And then I thought I had COVID, but I didn't have COVID.
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And now I'm here today.
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And I don't know when this email is going to end.
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Anyhow, I'll do this and maybe we can talk about it if you have time next week.
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If not, maybe I can do something else with it.
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Thanks so much, Lauren.
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Right?
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Okay, that is earned.
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Do not do that.
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Instead, I want you guys to write back something like this.
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Thanks for the reminder.
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I'll work on fixing that now.
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Are you open to review this with me Monday at 10 a .m.?
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I can send an invite.
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Thanks, Lauren.
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Do you guys hear the difference there, right?
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Okay, so let's just go through our like do this, don't do that real quick from that email.
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So don't Do...
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"This" was the "I'm sorry, yada, yada, yada," right?
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Instead, do that.
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It was just quickly recognizing it.
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Thanks for the reminder.
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Don't do this, go on and on and on and on and on.
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Instead, Just get to the point, right? Do that.
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Instead of sort of being vague about the next step, and if you were gonna do the thing or not do the thing, do that be really freaking clear about what you're gonna do
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and don't do this which is let it linger
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and say maybe we can talk about it
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and maybe all right instead do that and the
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that here is push the project forward take it to the
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next step are you free to discuss this on monday right show
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that you're taking ownership so i hope that video was helpful remember do this don't do that and i'll Oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 87 sentences and 1045 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:19. The speaker talks fast, about 197 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% 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:
- reminder /ɹɪˈmaɪndə(ɹ)/ (noun) — Someone or something that reminds.
- versus /ˈvɝsəs/ — Against; in opposition to.
- earn /ɝn/ (verb) — To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
- finger /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ (noun) — A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other…
- clock /klɑk/ (noun) — A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
- helpful /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ (adjective) — Furnishing help; giving aid; useful.
- ownership /ˈoʊnɚʃɪp/ (noun) — The state of having complete legal control of something; possession; proprietorship.
- complaint /kəmˈpleɪnt/ (noun) — The act of complaining.
- feedback /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ (noun) — Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results.
- invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
- apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ (verb) — To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
- sometime /ˈsʌmˌtaɪm/ (adverb) — At an indefinite but stated time in the past or future.
- instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/ (noun) — The act of instructing, teaching, or providing with information or knowledge.
- genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/ (adverb) — In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly.
- fixing /ˈfɪksɪŋ/ (noun) — The act of subverting (fixing) a vote.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- mess up (verb) — To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
- show in (verb) — To lead or direct someone to an enclosed space, usually a room.
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- get around to (verb) — To eventually begin or return to some task.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- go over (verb) — To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.
- go through (verb) — To travel from one end of something to the other.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 56 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: ownership /ˈoʊnɚʃɪp/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/, organizational /ˌɔː(ɹ)ɡənɪˈzeɪʃənəl/, exclamation /ˌɛkskləˈmeɪʃn̩/, sophistication /səˌfɪs.tɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, organizational /ˌɔː(ɹ)ɡənɪˈzeɪʃənəl/, sophistication /səˌfɪs.tɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like reminder, versus, earn.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been · I've tried |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is earned · is let |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most of · the most professional · the best |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are just looking · you're responding · you're taking |
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.