Shadowing Practice: I'm ever so pleased to make your acquaintance - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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I've got a lot of new followers recently,
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I've got a lot of new followers recently,
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so I thought I should properly introduce myself.
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I am a mathematician and a professor at Cambridge,
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brag, and I'm also a bit of an accidental broadcaster because about 10 years ago,
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I did this hilarious TED talk on the maths of love that ended up being one of the most watched that year.
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And I just got married.
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I was like really excited and it was all about how you can apply mathematical techniques to optimize your dating life.
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Anyway, I'm now divorced, so you probably shouldn't take anything I say too seriously.
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The maths was good though, the maths was good.
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But since then, since that sort of went crazy,
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I have started making science films.
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So my personal favourite, if you want to check through the back catalogue,
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is a film called Making Sense of Cancer,
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which won a very big award called Agrierson.
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TV people gave me an actual trophy for explaining statistics to them, which was nice.
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There's also there's The Future with Hannah Fry,
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which is on YouTube that got nominated for two Emmys.
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It's very good.
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And now, because I have terrible time management skills,
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I have three different projects that I've been working on that are out all at once.
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The first one is a video podcast series with the insiders at Google DeepMind about artificial intelligence
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that I've been making since 2018, okay?
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Not like one of these things where suddenly everyone and his dog is an expert on AI.
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It's legit good.
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Two, there's a TV show.
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I don't know if you remember those.
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It's called Secret Genius and it's with the BBC.
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British people, it's going to be easier for you to watch this than others.
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And that is all about the hidden stories behind everyday inventions
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and the kind of crazy people who came up with them as ideas.
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And then three,
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I also have a really long running radio show slash podcast called Curious Cases with the amazing comedian Dara O'Brien
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that you can find on BBC Sounds and Spotify and so on.
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Or you could just stay here because I will continue to make stupid videos about hard drives and fake diamonds because,
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you know, apparently academic tenure wasn't enough job security for me.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will explore effective strategies to enhance your English speaking skills through the concept of shadowing, inspired by a unique TED talk given by a mathematician and professor. The speaker discusses various projects that involve communication, storytelling, and mathematics, blending humor and insights into the practice of speaking confidently and fluently. By engaging with the content, you will build your vocabulary and improve your ability to express complex ideas succinctly, enriching your overall language skills.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Brag - to talk about something you have done or accomplished in a way that shows too much pride.
  • Accidental broadcaster - someone who unexpectedly becomes involved in broadcasting or media.
  • Optimize - to make the best or most effective use of a situation, opportunity, or resource.
  • Time management skills - the ability to use one's time effectively or productively.
  • Legit good - expressing that something is truly good or has genuine quality.
  • Hidden stories - untold narratives that reveal interesting historical or background information.
  • Curious cases - intriguing or unusual situations that spark interest and inquiry.
  • Academic tenure - a permanent position at a university, guaranteeing job security.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning experience using the shadowing technique with this video, focus on the following tips:

  • Listen to the pronunciation and intonation of the speaker. The pace may vary, so take your time to understand it fully before repeating.
  • Start by playing the video at a slower speed if necessary to grasp the nuances of expression, especially with complex phrases like "optimize your dating life."
  • Pause frequently after sentences or key phrases to shadow speak. Mimic the speaker's tone and rhythm to enhance your fluency.
  • Utilize a shadowing app to record your voice. This allows you to compare your pronunciation and cadence with that of the speaker.
  • Engage with selected key vocabulary by forming your own sentences. This reinforces new words and phrases in context.
  • For IELTS speaking practice, focus on incorporating new vocabulary smoothly into your responses. Aim for clarity and confidence as you build your speaking proficiency.

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.

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