Shadowing Practice: I Made My Billionaire BF Go Bankrupt - Learn English Speaking with Video

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356 sentences

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Hi, I'm Janet.

When I was 16, I fell in love, and it was magical.

But before I continue, please like and subscribe.

His name was Carter, and he was a dream come true.

Every day I saw him, it was like the sun shined brighter.

I miss you, darling.

My heart aches when you're not around.

I saw you 10 minutes ago, but it feels like an eternity.

Babe, you're my world, my inspiration.

The air I breathe.

Without you, I'm nothing.

But with you, I feel like I could do anything.

I love you so much.

You're so sweet, you make my teeth hurt.

You're like cotton candy dipped in chocolate fudge with rainbow sprinkles.

Every time Carter held me in his arms, I melted like a popsicle on a hot day.

He made me feel like I was the only girl in the world.

With him at my side, I was unstoppable.

I was at the top of my class in school, I was captain of the debate team and class president, and Carter was my biggest cheerleader.

Every time I reached a new goal, he bought me balloons and flowers and we'd waltz down the hallway.

Ouch, my foot!

Sure, we stepped on a few toes and a few grumpy people couldn't handle our public displays of affection.

Jeez!

Gotta roam for goodness sake.

But we didn't care.

Our love was amazing.

At home, it was just me and my dad, who was the head accountant at a huge company.

He made a ton of money and worked really long hours, but he always made time for me.

We played chess, watched movies, and I even cooked his favorite meals.

Though one time his face turned green and he spent the rest of the night in the bathroom.

Life was perfect, but a year later, everything changed.

Dad started having problems with his boss, Mr. Saint.

Mr. Saint owned my dad's company, and everyone in town loved him.

He was filthy rich and donated a bunch of money to charities, but Dad hated him.

I can't stand that man.

He's a crook and a thief.

If they only knew what he does behind closed doors, he's a rotten criminal and he's bribed the police to look the other way.

No way, not Mr. Saint.

I've seen it with my own eyes.

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Carter is Mr. Saint's son.

And of course, Dad has no idea that he's my boyfriend.

Dad had to be mistaken.

Carter was an angel.

No way his father could be a criminal.

Sure, Mr. Saint was a little stuck up.

Pissed me off that he always tried to set

Carter up with his rich friend's daughters.

One time, Carter was on a date, and I jumped out of the bushes dressed like a zombie.

I pretended to bite

Carter, and then we chased his date down the block.

Another time, I gave

Carter a smelly shirt to wear.

It stinks so much that his date almost threw up at the table.

Carter and I kept our relationship a secret.

As far as our dads knew, Carter and I were just friends.

Carter once even climbed through my bedroom window.

What's that noise?

I swear I heard voices.

Oh, it was just me.

Hey, Janet, how are you doing this evening?

I'm fine, thanks for asking.

I think I'll go to bed now.

Jolly good idea.

Good night, Janet.

Good night.

One day in the 10th grade, I competed for an internship at this huge tech company.

We took a bunch of tests and had to give a big speech.

My scores were the highest, and my speech got a standing ovation.

But they gave it to some rich kid because his dad was friends with the CEO.

The whole thing is rigged.

That kid flunked the tests, and he slept through his own speech.

It isn't fair.

It doesn't make any sense.

Janet?

This is all wrong.

The animals are running the zoos.

The world has gone mad.

All hope is lost.

We're doomed.

No one can save us.

I had a bit of a breakdown.

It wasn't my best moment.

Carter felt really bad.

He tried to cheer me up, but nothing helped.

A week later, Carter ran up to me at school with an acceptance letter from the tech company with my name on it.

Your internship starts next week.

I told my dad what happened, so he pulled some strings.

I was over the moon.

Carter was the best boyfriend ever.

But when I got home from school, my dad was furious.

Mr. Saint told my dad

he had to help him steal money out of the company

to pay for Mr. Saint's new yacht in exchange for helping me get the internship.

I can't believe you never told me about your relationship with Carter.

And even worse, that you accepted a favor like this.

I'm so sorry, Dad.

I didn't know.

I'll talk to Mr. Saint.

I'll tell him I won't accept the internship.

100

It's too late.

101

I already tried that.

102

He'll keep hanging this internship over my head to force me to do more illegal things.

103

I won't do it.

104

I'm quitting tomorrow.

105

We're leaving this place for good.

106

I can't believe this is happening.

107

I'm so disappointed in you, Janet.

108

I thought I taught you better than this.

109

Dad didn't speak to me for the rest of the night, and I felt horrible.

110

I wanted to crawl into a hole.

111

Maybe not a real one.

112

I'm terrified of spiders.

113

But the next day, my world turned upside down.

114

When Dad went back to work to resign from the company, he was arrested and charged with fraud, theft, and embezzlement.

115

The newspaper said he stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from Mr. Sain's company.

116

At the trial, the lawyer had a ton of evidence against him.

117

Guilty.

118

The judge sentenced my dad to 20 years in jail.

119

I didn't do it, honey.

120

Mr. Saint framed me.

121

We have to do something.

122

We can tell the judge or go to the press.

123

It'll only make things worse.

124

Mr. Saint has too many connections.

125

Promise me you won't tell anyone.

126

He'll ruin your life just like...

127

You ruined mine.

128

My blood boiled at the thought of Mr. Saint getting away with it, but I promised my dad I wouldn't say anything.

129

Soon, we lost our house, and I had to go live with my grandmother in a tiny apartment across town.

130

After the trial, Carter came over to visit.

131

I'm so sorry about your dad.

132

He seemed like such a nice guy.

133

I can't believe he was a crook.

134

I was done.

135

I wanted to slap

136

Carter across the face for saying that about my dad.

137

My dad's not a crook.

138

It's your dad that's...

139

I want you to know that I don't care about your dad's crimes,

140

Even if he did try to steal from my dad's company, I forgive him.

141

But most of all, I still love you and I want us to be together.

142

I was about to explode.

143

But before I could say a word, Carter put his finger to my lips.

144

Don't speak.

145

I know this is all a lie, but we'll get through this together.

146

I promise.

147

Our love will triumph over it all.

148

Then he kissed me on my forehead and left.

149

That night, Carter and his dad took their new yacht to some tropical island and he sent me a photo.

150

Seeing Mr. Saint and Carter's stupid smiling faces on that dumb yacht made me so angry I could scream.

151

I called Carter to dump him, but my calls wouldn't go through.

152

Money was tight at my grandma's house,

153

so I decided to get a summer job so I could stay at the private school for my senior year.

154

I applied everywhere, but no one would hire me.

155

They'd say they didn't have openings, but I'd hear them whispering about me behind my back.

156

You can't hire her.

157

Her father's a criminal.

158

He's a thief and a liar.

159

She's probably just like him.

160

I wanted to punch them in the face, but I kept walking.

161

Everywhere I went, people gossiped about my dad.

162

After a while, I learned to ignore them.

163

Eventually, I found a job at an old electronics store near the edge of town.

164

My first day there, I met a boy named Vincent.

165

Vincent was kind of weird at first.

166

I'd catch him staring at me across the aisles.

167

Every time I'd say hi, he'd walk away.

168

And one time, I was walking home from work, and I caught

169

Vincent taking pictures of me with his phone.

170

What's your problem?

171

I had a feeling it was you.

172

Your dad's that crook that worked for Mr. Saint.

173

Vincent showed me a news article on his phone with a horrible picture of me and my dad from the trial.

174

What's the name of the jail he's in?

175

The jail is called Janet Punches Weirdos.

176

Hmm, never heard of it.

177

Weird.

178

Janet Punches...

179

I'd had enough.

180

I punched Vincent and shoved him to the ground.

181

My dad is not a crook.

182

He's innocent.

183

That jerk, Mr. Saint, framed him.

184

It was the first time I said it out loud.

185

Vincent was shocked.

186

Then he said something totally unexpected.

187

Join the club.

188

Vincent told me that Mr. Saint framed his dad for a crime a few years ago.

189

My dad was a reporter.

190

He was investigating Mr. Saint.

191

He spent months working undercover as Mr. Saint's butler.

192

He almost had enough evidence to take him down, but before he could finish his story,

193

Mr. Saint found out and planted stolen money in my dad's office.

194

My dad tried to fight it, but Mr. Saint paid off the judge.

195

Vincent's dad made

196

Vincent promise not to say anything too.

197

I can't keep quiet any longer.

198

Neither can I, but what can we do?

199

We both promised our dads we wouldn't say anything.

200

We can finish your dad's story and publish it anonymously.

201

No one would ever know it was us.

202

Yes, I just got an idea.

203

We can finish my dad's story and publish it anonymously.

204

Yes, I just said that.

205

It was my idea.

206

Nuh -uh, it was my idea.

207

I literally just said it three seconds ago.

208

No, it's my idea.

209

You're making me angry, Janet.

210

Fine, fine, I'm sorry.

211

It's okay, it's not like I'm angry.

212

God, such a weirdo.

213

That night, Vincent invited me to his house.

214

Vincent found his dad's old laptop in the attic, but when he tried to pull up his dad's story,

215

he learned that the computer had been wiped clean.

216

Oh no, it's not here.

217

All the evidence is gone.

218

It's all over.

219

There's nothing we can do.

220

I can go undercover as Carter's girlfriend.

221

I could snoop around his house and find the evidence.

222

You'd do that?

223

Yeah.

224

Vincent stood tall like a soldier and saluted me.

225

What are you doing?

226

It's just, you're my hero.

227

You're so brave and selfless.

228

I heard that

229

Carter is the worst.

230

He's a spoiled jerk.

231

His voice sounds like nails on a chalkboard, and his brain's the size of a peanut.

232

It's gonna be torture to pretend to be his girlfriend.

233

I didn't tell

234

Vincent about me and Carter.

235

Carter returned to town a week later, and I invited myself to his house.

236

Every time I looked at Carter's face, I thought about Mr. Saint and what he did to my dad.

237

Carter tried to kiss me, and I almost gagged.

238

Are you okay?

239

I must be coming down with something.

240

Do you mind getting me some tea and maybe some soup?

241

When Carter left the room, I snuck into his dad's study and snooped around.

242

I took pictures of a bunch of secret papers and files and planted a recording device.

243

Just as I was about to leave, I ran into Carter and Mr. Saint.

244

What is she doing here?

245

Oh, Mr. Saint, I'm so glad I found you.

246

You saved my life.

247

You're such a good man for exposing my dad and all the horrible things he did.

248

How can I ever repay you?

249

I know, I'll clean your study.

250

I snatched a napkin from Carter and started cleaning.

251

I knocked over an expensive vase, spilled water on the floor, and tossed a bunch of important papers in the trash.

252

She's so grateful, Dad.

253

Isn't she the best?

254

I spent weeks at Carter's house, sending him on crazy errands so I could snoop around.

255

Then, I'd rush over to Vincent's to show him what I'd found.

256

We spent hours combing through the evidence.

257

It was strange spending so much time with Vincent.

258

He and Carter were so different.

259

Vincent wasn't rich, but he was really smart, and his determination was contagious.

260

Vincent and I wrote a bunch of articles.. that we posted online under a fake name, and before we knew it,

261

the stories went viral, and the police showed up at Mr. Saint's door.

262

We did it.

263

I can't believe it.

264

He's finally going down.

265

Vincent pulled me into his arms, and my heart skipped a beat.

266

What are you doing?

267

I'm not sure.

268

Then Vincent kissed me, and it was magical, but I was so confused.

269

Vincent wasn't even my type.

270

Suddenly, my cell phone rang, and I pulled away.

271

It was Carter, and he wanted to see me.

272

I should go to, uh, get more evidence.

273

Good idea.

274

I raced out of there to Carter's house.

275

I found him sitting on the porch looking really sad.

276

I'm scared, Janet.

277

They just arrested my dad.

278

He might go to jail and we'll lose everything.

279

All our money, our houses, and our maids.

280

I don't know what I'll do.

281

I don't know how to be poor.

282

I don't even know how to use the toaster.

283

What if I need toast, Janet?

284

How can I eat a sandwich without any toast?

285

Carter cried in my arms and suddenly I felt really guilty.

286

Memories of our love came rushing back to me.

287

I hated seeing him like this.

288

We went to his room to watch MSA videos to cheer him up.

289

Carter drifted off to sleep.

290

Then, I saw Mr. Saint in his study paying off the judge.

291

Drop the charges, and there's more where that came from.

292

I raced over to Vincent's, but when I got there, a bunch of strange men were searching his house.

293

Then out of nowhere, someone pulls me into the bushes.

294

They're after me.

295

Mr. Saint found out I posted the articles from my computer.

296

They're destroying all our evidence.

297

Tell me you found something.

298

I told Vincent about Mr. Saint and the judge.

299

I know that prune -faced man.

300

He's the judge that put my father away.

301

Mine too!

302

We have to publish another article.

303

This is the proof we need to get our dads out of prison.

304

It's too dangerous.

305

Danger is my middle name.

306

Your middle name is Simon.

307

Yes, that's my second middle name.

308

But the third one is Danger.

309

And the fourth one is Triangle.

310

And, ah, forget it.

311

Just text me the video and I'll finish this.

312

I have to protect you.

313

You're a delicate flower.

314

I'm stronger than you are.

315

You know what I mean.

316

I texted Vincent the video.

317

Then he kissed me and ran off.

318

My heart raced as he disappeared into the darkness.

319

But when I got home, something unexpected happened.

320

I walked into my room and saw

321

Carter standing there with a huge smile on his face.

322

It's over.

323

What's over?

324

My dad caught the guy that's been writing all those lies about him.

325

He'll go to jail just like his lying father.

326

Carter turned on the TV.

327

Vincent's face popped up on the screen.

328

He'd been arrested.

329

My heart sank.

330

Then Carter got down on one knee.

331

Will you marry me, Janet?

332

You're my rock and my sunshine.

333

I couldn't have gotten through this without you.

334

Our love saved me.

335

I didn't know what to say.

336

At one time, I dreamed of marrying

337

Carter, but the thought of Vincent rotting in jail made me sick to my stomach.

338

I ran out of there and straight to the police station.

339

I showed them my secret recordings and all the other evidence I'd saved on my phone.

340

The police released

341

Vincent, but when they went to go arrest Mr. Saint, he was gone.

342

He'd left town without a trace.

343

A couple weeks later, my dad and Vincent's dad were finally back home.

344

It broke Carter's heart to learn the truth about his dad.

345

I tried to reach out to him, but he refused to take my calls.

346

I heard he and his mother moved away to a farm where

347

Carter learned to make bread.

348

As for Vincent and I, we fell in love.

349

We studied journalism in college, and after we graduated, we became investigative journalists.

350

We make a great team.

351

You're an excellent sidekick.

352

I'm not a sidekick.

353

You're the sidekick.

354

You're standing by my side, and when we first met, you kicked me.

355

Actually, I shoved you and punched you in the face.

356

Details, details.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “I Made My Billionaire BF Go Bankrupt”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Carter, dad, Vincent, Saint. This video has 356 sentences and 2889 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:22. The speaker talks fast, about 216 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
internship noun	/ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp/	A job taken by a student in order to learn a profession or trade.
steal verb	/stiːl/	To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
horrible adjective	/ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/	Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
punch noun	/pʌnt͡ʃ/	A hit or strike with one's fist.
publish verb	/ˈpʌblɪʃ/	To issue (something, such as printed work) for distribution and/or sale.
yacht noun	/jɑt/	A slick and light ship for making pleasure trips or racing on water, having sails but often motor-powered. At times used as a residence offshore on a dock.
rush verb	/ɹʌʃ/	To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
hire verb	/ˈhaɪɹ/	To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.
marry verb	/ˈmæɹi/	To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife.
pretend verb	/pɹəˈtɛnd/	To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.
ruin noun	/ˈɹuː.ɪn/	The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
unexpected adjective	/ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/	Not expected, anticipated or foreseen.
magical adjective	/ˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪ.kəl/	Of, relating to, or by means of magic.
toast noun	/toʊst/	Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning).
thief noun	/ˈθiːf/	One who carries out a theft.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
find out verb		To discover, as by asking or investigating.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
pay off verb		To bribe, especially to deter oversight.
come down with verb		To develop symptoms or signs of (an illness).
get away with verb		To get away, or escape, taking (something) with one.
get down on verb		To come to be down (hostile to) regarding something.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
go down verb		To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

My heart aches when you're not around.
Babe, you're my world, my inspiration.
Neither can I, but what can we do?
How can I ever repay you?
How can I eat a sandwich without any toast?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be mistaken · is rigged · is lost
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've seen · has gone
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	my biggest · the highest · my best
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	started having · keep hanging · kept walking

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 93 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: thief /ˈθiːf/, breathe /bɹiːð/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, theft /θɛft/, filthy /ˈfɪlθi/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: internship /ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp/, publish /ˈpʌblɪʃ/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, shove /ʃʌv/, shock /ʃɔk/
Long words — get the stress right: unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, undercover /ˌʌndə(ɹ)ˈkʌvə(ɹ)/, disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, investigate /ɪnˈvɛs.tə.ɡeɪt/

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 internship, steal, horrible.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: I Made My Billionaire BF Go Bankrupt - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?