Shadowing Practice: I Lost a Friend - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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I lost a friend, like keys in a sofa Like a wallet in the backseat,
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like ice in the summer heat I lost a friend,
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like sleep on a red eye Like money on a bad bed
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Like time worrying about every bad thing that hasn't happened yet I know I'll be alright,
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but I'm not tonight I'll be lying away, counting all the mistakes I've made,
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replaying fights I know I'll be alright, but I'm not tonight I lost a friend,
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I lost a friend, I lost my mind Nobody believes me, saying nobody don't need me
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Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad And I'll be fine without him,
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but all I do is write about him How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?
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Never had I'm on the mend, like I'm wearing a neck brace
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Like I'm sleeping at my own place
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Like I'm pulling all the stitches out of my own face I'm on the mend Like I'm icing a new spring
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Like I'm walking on a new cane
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Like it's been a couple days since I slipped and said something sorta like your name I know I'll be alright
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But I'm not tonight I'll be lying away, counting all the mistakes I've made We playing fights,
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I know I'll be alright But I'm not tonight I'm on the mend, but I lost a friend,
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I lost my mind And nobody believes me, say I know that he don't need me
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Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty instead
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And I'll be fine without him But all I do is write about him
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How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?
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I'd apologize If I thought it might make a difference Or make you listen I'd apologize
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If it was black and white But life is different Just try to listen to me now
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I know I'll be alright But I'm not tonight I lost a friend,
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I lost a friend, I lost my mind And nobody believes me Say I know that he don't need me
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Cause he made a little too much money to be twenty and sad
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And I'll be fine without him But all I do is write about him
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How the hell did I lose a friend I never had?
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Never had Thank you.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "I Lost a Friend" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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 →