Shadowing Practice: I Tried A 100 Hour Dopamine Detox - Learn English Speaking with Video
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117 sentences
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1
I hate to admit it, but I'm addicted to my phone.
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Because lately, my screen time has risen to absolutely ridiculous numbers.
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I mean, look at this.
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But that's not even the worst part.
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At this rate, I'm on track to spend 39 years of my life staring at a screen.
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And I don't want that.
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So, for the next 100 hours, I'm completely removing all screens and entertainment from my life.
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No phone, no social media, no music, nothing.
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I honestly have no idea how this is gonna go, but hopefully I survive.
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Okay, maybe I didn't need to make it sound that extreme.
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This is where I'm going to be putting all my screens.
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And my computer, which can't fit in there.
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Now that those are away, the only thing left to do is start the challenge.
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And our start time is 9.16 a.m.
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Normally in the mornings, I'll just come down and sit on the couch and scroll my phone for like two hours.
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But now, I'm sitting here on the couch with nothing.
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This is one of the main things I'm gonna miss.
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Not this, but watching YouTube while eating.
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I do that literally every single meal.
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I'm so freaking bored it's not even funny.
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As you can tell I was very very very bored.
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And eventually I randomly started punching the air
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and I almost became Mike Tyson up I genuinely have not been this bored in...
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...freaking.. years, bro.
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But I was done sitting around and doing nothing.
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So I'm gonna have to find something to do.
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And instantly my mind goes to watch YouTube, watch TV, scroll TikTok.
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Anything that involves a screen, that's what my mind goes to.
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This is what it's come to.
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I'm reading a book.
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A book.
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Guys, I'm not even joking.
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I only read three pages.
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We don't talk about it.
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Dude, I don't know if I'm gonna be able to complete this challenge, honestly.
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My coke chap.
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I think I might be cooked.
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I'm cooked.
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I decided to try some other activities including kendama which didn't end well And mini golf first try right here
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Frick, but that also didn't end well Ouch I didn't realize this till now,
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but I've like stuck my hand in my pocket to reach for my phone
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so many times today
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And it's just not there I just am stuck with my own boredom I was
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so bored that I ended up falling asleep,
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but next it's gym time Bro,
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I feel like today has been just infinite hours long.
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This is the longest a day I've felt probably in as long as I can remember.
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I then went fishing and warning big catch incoming Just kidding.
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I caught the absolute smallest fish in existence Also, what in the world is this bug?
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It literally looks like it's from another planet Then eventually I caught another slightly bigger fish
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and I may have overreacted when it touched my hand Sorry, but now I'm gonna hop in the shower
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and then I'm gonna head to bed And hopefully tomorrow goes a little bit better than today
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Right after I woke up, I had to go run errands with my parents, and I found this thing in my dad's car, and it was exactly how I was feeling.
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I feel pretty good without my phone, not gonna lie.
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I haven't really reached for as much, but I am still kinda bored.
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I don't think that's ever gonna go away, but now I think I'm gonna go ride my bike.
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It is so freakin' hot out here.
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I am like sweating like crazy right now.
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After I got out of the shower, I decided to try reading again.
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And this time I was actually able to sit down and focus only on reading.
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I was able to read for a lot longer than yesterday.
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And I'm starting to enjoy more boring activities a little more.
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I went to the gym to get a nice workout in but I was brutally interrupted by an intense thunderstorm
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And when I decided to head home the storm wasn't done
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But anyways I hopped in my car and headed to go get dinner I'm gonna head home to eat all this.
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I luckily made it back alive.
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But anyways, I got 30 grilled nuggets here, and I'm about a munch.
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What I've noticed with eating without my phone is I eat my meals a lot quicker.
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I'm sitting here in front of a blank TV that's not even turned on.
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That's because the only thing I want to do right now is just chill and turn on some YouTube.
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I'm gonna go try and figure out something to do.
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After literally doing nothing, I decided to go to bed early.
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So I just woke up and I think now I'm gonna go for a run.
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And I think I'm kinda getting used to it, cause I'm not just bored all the time and I'm finding stuff to like, fill my time.
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Normally I don't go for runs too often because I don't like to run, but I had nothing else to do.
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I have to do the worst chore in existence right now.
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Weeding.
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I feel like I'm kind of running out of things to do.
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I think first I'm gonna clean my room because it's an absolute mess, and then second write just as many video ideas as I possibly can,
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and then third I'm probably gonna read again.
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I think now I'm gonna go eat dinner, and then I'll probably go swimming.
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I've been getting way more used to just living without my phone or any screens, and I'm kind I'm starting to like it, not gonna lie.
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Okay, I'm gonna stop yapping now, and I'm gonna hit the snooze.
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I wasn't sure what to do when I got up, but I ended up doing some reading.
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And I ended up reading 68 pages in a little over an hour.
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But if you were to tell me I would sit and read for over an hour on day one, I never would have believed you.
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Honestly.
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And I just realized this too, but on day one, I reached for my phone like so many times.
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And today so far I haven't reached for it at all
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But i'm not sure what i'm gonna do with the rest of my day.
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I'm sorry.
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I lied to you I was very sure what I was gonna do next and it was the gym.
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After the gym I decided to go for a nice peaceful stroll.
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Just feels like the days are longer, time goes slower, and everything just calmer.
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Which is kind of nice.
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It's a turtle.
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But once I got home, I was bored again.
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And this lasted for quite a while until I was met with a challenge.
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So my dad told me to assemble these lawn chairs we just got.
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So I guess I'm gonna assemble these since I have nothing else to do.
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One hour later, guys, I finished.
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Honestly, today was pretty good.
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Nothing special even really happened, but I enjoyed today a lot more than any other day this challenge.
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So, I think I may just chill here for a bit longer because it's pretty nice and peaceful.
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Good morning everyone.
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It is the last day.
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I don't know if I'm excited or sad for this challenge to be over.
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Well, this is gonna be my last meal of the challenge.
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I guess I better enjoy it.
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On day one, I was sitting in this exact spot, just losing my mind because of how bored I was.
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And at that point, I didn't even know if I was gonna complete this challenge.
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But here we are.
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And I guess I'm just going to wait until the clock gets closer to 1.16.
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Because that will be exactly 100 hours.
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Mom was right.
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It really is that dang phone.
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We won't say goodbye
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 117 sentences and 1333 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:41. The speaker talks at a steady 114 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- bore /boɹ/ (verb) — To inspire boredom in somebody.
- meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
- chill /tʃɪl/ (verb) — To lower the temperature of something; to cool.
- couch /ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/ (noun) — An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
- anyways /ˈɛn.iˌweɪz/ (adverb) — Anyway, anyhow, in any case.
- scroll /skɹoʊl/ (noun) — A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
- assemble /əˈsɛm.bəl/ (verb) — To put together.
- pocket /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ (noun) — A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
- ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ (adjective) — Deserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd.
- mini /ˈmɪn.i/ (adjective) — Miniature, tiny, small.
- clock /klɑk/ (noun) — A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
- lately /ˈleɪt.li/ (adverb) — Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
- hop /hɒp/ (noun) — A plant of species Humulus lupulus, native to northern Europe, female flowers of which are used to flavour many types of beer during brewing.
- intense /ɪnˈtɛns/ (adjective) — Of a characteristic: extreme or very high or strong in degree; severe; also, excessive, towering.
- asleep /əˈsliːp/ (adjective) — In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- reach for (verb) — To try to get (something) by extending one's arm or moving one's hand.
- end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
- go for (verb) — To try for, to attempt to reach.
- read for (verb) — To study for a degree or an examination.
- turn on (verb) — To set a flow of fluid or gas running by rotating a tap or valve.
- wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.
- bore in (verb) — For a prop to turn in on an opposing prop, in a forbidden move.
- come down (verb) — To descend, fall down, collapse.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 87 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, overreact /ˌoʊ.vəɹ.ɹiˈækt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bore, meal, chill.
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 risen · have not been · has been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was done · might be cooked · wasn't done |
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.