Shadowing Practice: I Have To Teach My Insane Mom A Lesson - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, I'm Sasha from Los Angeles, and my mom is my best friend in the world.
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But we weren't always so close.
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In fact, we'd have the most epic fights every day.
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But before I continue, please like and subscribe.
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Mom grew up in Louisiana near the bayou, and she was always a little weird.
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Her best friends were animals, and she had a thick southern accent, and she'd say the strangest things.
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It's hotter than a goat's butt in a pepper patch.
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But everyone was nice to her because she came from the wealthiest family in town.
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She met my dad in high school.
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They fell in love, got married, and had me.
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But when I turned five, dad begged mom to move to California.
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A couple of weeks after we moved into our new house, I started to notice mom acting strange.
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Late at night, she'd march up and down the sidewalk, glare up at the windows, and sneak into dad's study.
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One day, I asked mom all about it.
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Oh, honey, that didn't happen.
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It was just your imagination.
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Nuh-uh, you did it every night this week.
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Then mom gave me the strangest look.
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That night, I heard mom and dad arguing, and a couple of days later, dad moved out.
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After dad left, mom tried to make me happy, but she only made things worse.
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On my 10th birthday, she threw me a huge party in our backyard with dozens of kids from school and their parents.
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But when my mom opened her mouth, it was a disaster.
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Well, butter my backside and call me a biscuit.
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Excuse me, what?
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I'm as happy as a tick on a dog.
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All the kids laughed at my mom.
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Even their parents thought she was a joke.
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I got so mad, I sprayed them all with the water hose.
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They ran away screaming.
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But to my surprise, instead of thanking me, Mom grounded me for a week.
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As the years passed, I started to notice that Mom was way too nice.
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When I was in middle school, Mom inherited millions of dollars.
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She donated a ton of it to several hospitals, and Mom's name was in all the newspapers.
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Next day, strangers started coming to our house to ask her for money for their fake charities and stupid businesses.
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We have to save the toothpicks.
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Teeth are suffering all around the world.
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Imagine a plate that could talk to you, then walk into the kitchen and clean itself.
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Dinner would never be the same.
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Mom just couldn't tell them no, but the moment they left, they'd call Mom an idiot and spend the money on expensive clothes and fancy cars.
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Of course, I didn't let them get away with it.
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I snuck into Mom's office and found all their addresses.
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Then, I'd toilet paper their house, leave poop on their doorstep, slash their tires, and leave notes demanding that they give Mom her money back or Ralph.
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It was exhausting protecting mom all the time, and I swear she never learned.
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We'd argue for hours about her ridiculous habits, but she refused to change.
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Dad was worried about mom too, so he started to come around more.
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It felt really good having him back in my life.
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He was the best dad in the world.
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He took me to the movies, shopping sprees at the mall, and he even let me plan a special vacation to Las Vegas for the two of us
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when mom was out of town.
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I was so excited.
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I used mom's credit card to book a fancy room at a luxury casino with the finest restaurants on the planet.
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Nothing but the best for my daughter.
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We'd just stepped into the airport when mom showed up and ruined everything.
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She canceled the trip and dragged me back home.
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A week later, I called dad to apologize for mom's behavior.
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Your mom's crazy.
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I can't stand her anymore.
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Can we hang out this weekend?
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Sorry, I'm busy.
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Maybe another time.
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I kept calling, trying to make plans with dad, but he always made up some excuse, and when he didn't call me for my 15th birthday, I was devastated.
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Mom caught me crying in my room.
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The next day, she told me someone special was here to see me.
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I raced down the stairs.
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I just knew it was dad, but instead it was a huge pig named Sam, and she said he'd be my new best friend.
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Sam followed me around the house.
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He ate my homework and pooped everywhere, but after a while, I learned to love him.
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We took long walks in the neighborhood every day.
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As you can imagine, everyone in town thought I was a crazy psycho, except for my neighbor Josh.
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Wow, cool.
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Is that a pig?
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No, Sherlock.
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He's a unicorn.
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Can I pet him?
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No. For weeks, every time Josh saw me walking Sam, he'd run up and try to talk to me.
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One time, he even bought me an ice cream cone.
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It's hot.
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I was thinking that you'd want one.
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I wasn't sure if you wanted a cone or a cup.
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Oh no, it's melting.
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Oh no, your fingers are all sticky.
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I'm fine.
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It's no big deal.
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I'm so sorry.
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That wasn't smart.
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I can do better, I promise.
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Hold on, I'll run and get you a cup.
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Another time, Josh bought me a hat, a popsicle, a sandwich, a whole pizza, and a t-shirt with our faces on it.
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Even though he was annoying and talked about the most random things, I started to enjoy his company and developed the tiniest crush.
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I even let him pet Sam.
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Can I really?
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Sure, but be careful.
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He's kinda shy.
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Josh rubbed Sam's head.
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Sam got mad and chased him into the bushes.
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Josh scraped his knee and started crying like a baby.
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Mom saw the whole thing and invited Josh inside.
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And as usual, she embarrassed me.
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Now aren't you as cute as a button?
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No wonder Sasha's been the happiest clam at high tide.
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Josh was totally confused.
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Mom, I'm just being honest, honey.
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You two go together like peas and carrots.
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Stop acting like a bump on a log.
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Ain't no secret that you got the hearts for that boy.
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I was mortified.
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I wanted to fold myself into an envelope and mail myself to Siberia.
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Luckily, Mom finally left the room.
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Then Josh started smiling like a demented clown.
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Why are you looking at me like that?
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I've got a crush on you too.
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Soon, Josh and I started dating.
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But when his parents found out, they weren't very happy.
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It didn't help that my mom caught Josh's mom making fun of her at the grocery store.
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That woman has no class.
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Her clothes are a disaster and that daughter of hers is a menace.
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Mom marched up to Josh's mom and started screaming like a maniac.
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Hold your horses, honey.
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If you keep talking about my daughter like that, I'm gonna slap you silly.
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What's that you say?
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I can't understand you.
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Maybe you should learn some proper English.
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Josh's mom shoved past mom and started laughing with her friends.
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Mom grabbed a pie and smashed it in Josh's mom's face.
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Josh's mom grabbed a candelope and threw it at mom's head.
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Then the two of them started fighting like wrestlers in a cage match.
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Josh tried to break it up, but accidentally got hit in the eye by someone's elbow.
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Then, a couple of security guards showed up and dragged them out the door.
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The police showed up and gave them both a warning.
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That night, Josh sent me the worst text ever.
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It said, Hi, I can't be your boyfriend anymore.
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Sorry.
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I called Josh a dozen times, but he didn't answer.
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I went to his house, and his mother sent me away.
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I was heartbroken.
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Mom tried to comfort me, but it didn't help.
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The truth was that my mom was ruining my life, and I started to really resent her.
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I wanted her to change, but I knew she never would.
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But things started looking up in the fall.
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I was accepted to a fancy private school across town, and since no one knew me, it was the perfect time to reinvent myself I changed my hair,
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bought new clothes and practiced being cool in the mirror.
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When school started the most amazing thing happened.
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The popular girls loved me.
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I landed a spot on the cheerleading team and the cutest boy in school asked me out.
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To my surprise I saw Josh in the hallway.
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He was a new student like me.
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He tried to say hello but I I totally ignored him.
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I was way out of his league.
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Life was perfect until Mom messed up everything.
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I was hanging out with Lacey and the rest of the cheerleaders when Mom showed up at school to pick me up.
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Look at that lady.
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Is that a lizard on her shoulder?
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No way!
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Is she walking a pig?
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They started laughing at Mom, and I wanted to fit in so I started laughing too.
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I know, right?
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She's so disgusting!
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I felt bad about it at first, but I couldn't go back to being a freak.
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I tried to steer my friends away, but Mom saw me and rushed over.
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Aren't y'all precious?
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Fine as a frog's hair split four ways.
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It's so nice to finally meet your friends, Sasha.
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Then the worst thing happened.
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Sam squealed and then pooped on Lacey's shoes.
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The entire ride home, I was raging mad.
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I didn't talk to Mom for the rest of the night.
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The next morning at school was the worst.
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Lacey and the other kids couldn't stop talking about mom.
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Who was that crazy woman and how did she know your name?
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I lied and told her that mom was my maid and she was too poor and crazy to live by herself.
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So she lived at my house and my real parents owned a successful multinational business
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and they traveled to a new country every week on their private jet.
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Too bad for you.
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That really stinks.
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I defired her a long time ago.
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Yeah, I know.
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It's hard, but I've learned to live with it.
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Josh overheard me talking to Lacey and ambushed me at my locker 10 minutes later.
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What's wrong with you, Sasha?
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Why would you say those mean things about your mom?
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Why do you care?
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You broke up with me because of her.
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It wasn't like that.
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It's complicated.
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Just like your stupid face.
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My parents gave me an ultimatum.
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They said that if I kept dating you, then they wouldn't pay my school tuition or give me an allowance or buy me a car.
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Breaking up with you was the worst decision I ever made.
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I regret it every day, but I didn't think I had a choice.
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But now I know I was wrong.
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I think we can make this work, but even if we can't get back together, maybe we could at least be friends?
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I've got plenty of friends.
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I'm really worried about you.
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You shouldn't have to pretend to be someone you're not just to fit in with those jerks.
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At least those jerks didn't drop me when things got inconvenient.
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I stormed off.
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I couldn't believe that Josh had the nerve to judge me.
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As the days passed, I ignored mom and spent all my free time with my new friends.
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Then I got a phone call from my dad.
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He asked me to meet him after school.
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Promise me you won't tell your mom.
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You must realize by now that she's crazy.
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I've been trying to contact you for years, but she refused to let me see you.
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I met Dad at a cafe, and we talked for hours.
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He told me about his fabulous new life as an artist, and how he traveled the world and made tons of money, but I never remembered seeing any of his paintings.
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He even invited me to travel with him for the summer.
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Then this strange man came in, and Dad got really nervous.
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I love you, honey.
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I have to go, but I promise, but I promise I'll make things up to you.
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Dad gave me a big hug and he left with the man.
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All of a sudden, I felt like I was five again, watching Dad leave.
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A typhoon of tears rolled down my cheeks.
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I was so angry that I'd missed out on having a dad for so many years because of Mom.
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By the time I got home, it was really late and Mom was upset with me.
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Honey, we need to talk.
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You don't walk Sam anymore.
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You hardly spend any time with me.
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And every time I try to talk to you, you're madder than a wet hen and tougher than a two dollar steak.
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What does that even mean?
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You've been difficult and you used to be sweet as cherry pie.
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What's going on?
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It's you!
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You're weird and strange and everyone thinks you're a freak!
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You're embarrassing and you've been ruining my life since I was five!
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Even Dad says you're crazy, and I know you've been keeping him away from me.
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Mom looked at me like she'd seen a ghost.
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What are you talking about?
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Dad told me everything.
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He even invited me to travel with him for the summer.
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He's an artist now, and he's awesome.
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Your father is lying like a dog on a rug.
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I should have told you earlier, but your dad has some problems.
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He's a thief and a con artist, and he owes a lot of money to some really bad men.
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I didn't believe her.
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I couldn't.
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My dad was a good guy.
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She was the crazy one.
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I was so angry, I screamed.
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I couldn't stand being in the same room with her for another second.
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I turned and ran out the front door.
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Then, the craziest thing happened.
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This van rolled up, and the scary man from the cafe jumped out.
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He grabbed me and tried to pull me into his car.
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Mom and Sam appeared out of nowhere.
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Let my daughter go, you low-down, dirty snake.
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Mom yanked me out of the man's arms and pushed me to safety.
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Mom and the man fought in the street.
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Mom slipped, hit her head on the curb, and fell unconscious.
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Sam bit the man on his butt and the man ran away screaming.
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A couple of neighbors called the ambulance.
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When we got to the hospital, they rushed Mom into emergency surgery.
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The police told me that they'd caught the man trying to leave town.
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He and my dad hatched a plan to kidnap me and hold me for ransom.
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My dad even had an anonymous note on his computer
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that he was going to send to Mom demanding two million dollars for my return.
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The police arrested them both and threw them in jail.
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I felt horrible.
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I couldn't stop crying.
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Then I turned to see Josh and he gave me the biggest hug.
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This is all my fault.
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Mom tried to tell me the truth about dad, but I didn't believe her.
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You can't blame yourself, Sasha.
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We all make mistakes.
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I'm sure your mother knows that you love her.
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What matters is you're here for her now.
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Then the most unexpected thing happened.
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Apparently, news of my mom's accident had spread and dozens of people showed up in the waiting room.
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They told me stories about how mom mentored them and changed their lives.
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Your mother is the smartest woman I know.
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She invested in my business when no one else would.
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She taught us to be ourselves.
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Now, we've got the most popular album in the country.
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I was amazed at how much of an impact Mom had on so many people.
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I told you your mom was special.
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Then the doctor came out and gave us the best news.
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The surgery was a success.
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Mom was released from the hospital a week later.
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When she came home, I was so happy.
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I hugged her as tight as I could.
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Heavens to Betsy what's gotten into you.
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I'm just happy you're okay.
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I'm sorry about everything I said.
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I love you so much.
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I'm not ashamed of you, and I'm proud that you're my mother.
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I know you love me in your own way.
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Well, that just steals my pickle.
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I'm as happy as a clam at high tide.
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What does that mean?
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He's not the sharpest tool in the shed.
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The porch light's on, but no one's home.
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Huh?
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We're just kidding.
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You're the smartest kid I know.
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I pulled Josh close, and just as I was about to kiss him, Sam jumped between us and licked my face.
Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with this video is a fun and effective way to improve your English speaking practice. The story shared by Sasha not only offers a glimpse into her unique relationship with her mom but also provides a rich context for learners to practice their conversational skills. By shadowing the speaker, you can mimic natural speech patterns, gain confidence, and improve your fluency. The emotional narrative allows you to connect with the content on a personal level, making the learning process more enjoyable and memorable.
This video showcases relatable themes, from family dynamics to humorous anecdotes, which are excellent for practicing everyday conversation. Using the shadowing technique, you can repeat Sasha’s phrases and expressions to enhance your pronunciation and comprehension, making it easier to employ similar structures in your own conversations.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
As you watch Sasha's story, pay attention to the following key structures used throughout the video:
- Past Continuous Tense: “Mom was my best friend” and “we were always so close.” This tense is useful for describing ongoing actions or states in the past.
- Conditional Sentences: “If you like the video, please subscribe.” Understanding conditionals can help you express hypothetical situations and their outcomes in conversation.
- Similes and Expressions: Phrases like “hotter than a goat's butt in a pepper patch” are colorful and memorable, enriching your vocabulary and providing great opportunities for cultural insight.
- Direct speech: “Excuse me, what?” This is a useful structure for quoting dialogue and adding emphasis in casual conversations.
By practicing these grammatical structures through shadow speech, you will enhance your ability to communicate effectively and expressively.
Common Pronunciation Traps
In this video, there are several tricky words and expressions that English learners may find challenging:
- “Butter my backside and call me a biscuit”: This colorful expression can be difficult due to its rhythm and intonation. Be sure to practice it slowly and gradually build up to a natural pace.
- “Tick on a dog”: Note the vowel sounds in this phrase. Practicing glottal stops can help you pronounce similar expressions more clearly.
- Southern Accents: Sasha’s mom speaks with a distinct southern accent. Understanding regional pronunciations will benefit you when interacting with a variety of speakers.
Utilizing the shadow speak method while practicing these lines will enable you to refine your pronunciation and sound more like a native speaker.
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.