Shadowing Practice: I Tried Swapping My Screen Time For Reading - Learn English Speaking with Video

I have a goal to read 50 books this year, and unfortunately, I am very behind.

I just don't feel like I have time to read.

So over the next couple of days, I'll just be swapping my screen time for reading.

Let's see how many books I can finish.

Reading started in the car on the way to my friend's house for a holiday weekend, and then I woke up early the next morning

because I wanted to stay in my routine and get some of the things done that are important to me.

But I also wanted some extra time to read before doing some other fun activities during the day.

I've not been keeping track of the time I've spent reading, which I'm going to start doing from here on out.

I've read about 28 pages.

I love this book so much.

Literally, I mark it up like no one's business because every single line, every other line is something that I can actually apply into my life.

I think it's like my fourth time reading Atomic Habits, but I've never read it, read the physical book before.

Actually, maybe I did one time, but usually I listen to it and listening to it is great,

but actually being able to read and underline and outline and note the things that I want to come back to, I think will be really helpful.

This is the time that I've clocked this afternoon for reading this book is crazy

if you're into books you've definitely heard of it the house

made by freedom mcfadden it was going viral a couple of years ago

and i i've had it on my tbr for years at this point

and so i'm really excited to be reading it it's an insane story

so far i'm just like on the edge of my seat to figure out how it ends

and like what's gonna happen i'm like 43 of the way

through it i'm on page 150 honestly my goal for tomorrow is to finish this book

and then make some more progress on Atomic Habits

because at the very least I want to finish those but I also hopefully want to read another book too.

We'll see.

I'm kind of a slow reader

but hey instead of grabbing for my phone I've been grabbing for my Kindle to read

or the physical Atomic Habits book to read so that has felt good.

I'll keep you posted though.

This book is insane.

Yeah it's crazy.

I'm so interested to see what happens.

This book is insane.

I have like about five chapters until I'm done with Atomic Habits, but I have, I think, 30 minutes left in The Housemaid, and it's insane i was going to bed last night

and i wanted to keep listening to it

because i turned on my audiobook but i was getting a little not scared

but like just like i didn't want to be thinking about it as i went to sleep

but my friend came in the room because we're sharing the room

and it like scared me i was like still thinking about what was going on in the book

so i'm really excited to see how it ends it's gonna be crazy

but right now i'm gonna keep reading atomic habits

and hopefully i'll finish both of these books today that's my goal i may have said

that yesterday but today i think I'm actually going to do it, and then we'll start a new one and see how much we can get done before this long weekend.

This is crazy!

That book was really good.

Earlier today I finished The Housemaid and it was wild.

It was gripping and there were some twists and just had a really satisfying ending.

I wasn't able to finish Atomic Habits.

I've got three chapters left which is about 30 pages

so I'm going to finish this tomorrow and then I also have a book

that I'm like 40 -ish percent of the way through called None of This is True

which is another thriller that I think I'll make some progress in tomorrow

and then we'll see any of the other books that I have

which are like self -help books I might dive into

and see if I can't make some progress on those two

but we're just gonna see how many I can finish

and I'll be on like a four -hour car ride tomorrow

so I've got lots of time to read and finish some books so I'm excited.

I've definitely been reaching for books more than my phone even

though in different situations I catch myself like reading even

if there's like conversations going on

or whatever I still feel like I'm more present than I would

if I was spending that time on my phone and I'm investing in

learning something or a gripping story versus just mindlessly numbing the world around me and that feels good.

I love stories

so it's been fun to take the time to do something I enjoy versus just working all day long

and so not only have I gotten to spend time with friends

and have some time to relax but I've also gotten to do a hobby

that I enjoy while also making some progress on this video and in my work as well.

So it's been a good balance I think over the last weekend

and I'm excited to finish the books that I can in the next day

and we'll see where we're at and how many books I was able to complete.

I just finished None of This is True and

basic rundown on this book it's about these two women who are birthday twins

that they were born on the same day they meet on

their birthday at a restaurant they keep running into each other one of the women has a podcast

and then the other woman wants to go on her podcast

and basically the other lady is like telling the story of her life and it's crazy and and everything's crazy.

That's the basic rundown.

This book has been on my TBR or currently reading for like two years.

I'm pretty sure I bought it in like 2023 and read part of it and then

stopped and then tried to read it at the beginning of this year

and then like stopped because it felt like

and then I was like for this challenge I'm like I'm just gonna finish it.

I'm gonna finish it because I own it on Kindle

and then I was able to get it on audiobook so I was able to read and listen to it.

I pushed through.

There are a couple more times where I'm like, do I even want to keep reading this?

Just some of the stuff was like disturbing, but it was a well -written book.

I don't feel like the ending really gave what I was looking for, especially after finishing The Housemaid two days ago.

That ending was really satisfying.

Two of the three books that I read were on my Kindle, and so two of these are just pretend because it feels weird to talk about something that isn't physical.

But the first book I started reading was Atomic Habits, and this book I've read multiple times.

It is so so valuable.

The lessons that I learn in here are part of the reason

that I have the habits that I do now

and I just learn so much every time I read it and I will keep reading this book throughout my life.

I'm definitely going to make some videos both short form

and long form YouTube videos about the things that I'm learning in here and how I'm applying them to my life.

100

Like I said I've read this before.

101

I've rated it five stars before but again I'm giving this a five star rating

102

so Atomic Habits gets five stars from me and then the next book

103

that i read was the housemaid i really enjoy a good thriller mystery

104

and this is my favorite one ever i don't know

105

if you could tell by my reaction how just enthralled i was in the story

106

and if you're looking for a good thriller book

107

that has a satisfying ending i know i've said

108

that all throughout this video but it definitely does then you should read the housemaid

109

so i'm definitely giving the housemaid five stars as well easily the best thriller book i've read in years

110

so highly recommend that one

111

and then the last book i read was none of this

112

is true a lot of it i listened to on audiobook

113

i'm gonna rate this book 3 .5 stars it was a good story

114

but not necessarily for me for the reasons

115

that i've already discussed those are the books i completed

116

and now i am only nine books behind schedule instead of 11

117

which is still kind of a lot but also progress is progress

118

if i pick up the pace on reading i'll be able

119

to hit my goal of 50 books by the end of this year

120

and honestly I think this was just a good exercise in using my time wisely

121

and prioritizing things that bring me a lot of fulfillment and joy and excitement.

122

Reading and listening to books is something that I really enjoy and haven't made a lot of time for lately.

123

And so just by swapping out one habit with a different thing, so instead of sitting down and looking at my phone when I'm sitting on the couch, sitting down and picking up a book,

124

it's just replacing that habit with something else.

125

And if I keep doing that, I'll be able to make good progress on other books

126

and then hopefully be able to finish this year having read 50 books

127

and i'll keep you posted on that

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because i'll probably at the end of this year do another

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reading video comment down below some of your favorite fall book recommendations

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because i definitely need some book recommendations for this fall

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and also some of your favorite book youtubers i love these videos

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and so i wanted to give it a go i love watching hayley fam's videos

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and lexi what's her i don't know her handle

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but lexi nova maybe i don't know but i love both of their videos

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and i think they're so fun if you also love books

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and stories comment down below your favorite book youtubers

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and we can all geek out about our favorite stories in the comments

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but i love you guys thank you so much for watching and i will see you in my next video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 138 sentences and 1795 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:52. The speaker talks fast, about 182 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

habit /ˈhæb.ɪt/ (noun) — An action performed on a regular basis.
atomic /əˈtɑː.mɪk/ (adjective) — Of or relating to atoms; composed of atoms; monatomic.
insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ (adjective) — Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
thriller /ˈθɹɪ.lə/ (noun) — Something that thrills.
satisfy /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/ (verb) — To be enough (for)
versus /ˈvɝsəs/ — Against; in opposition to.
rat /ɹæt/ (noun) — Any of the numerous members of several rodent families that usually have short limbs, a pointy snout, a long, hairless tail, and a body length greater than…
podcast /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ (noun) — A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
grip /ˈɡɹɪp/ (noun) — A hold or way of holding, particularly with the hand.
recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ (noun) — An act of recommending.
scare /skɛɚ/ (verb) — To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
swap /ˈswɑp/ (verb) — To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else).
necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ (adverb) — Inevitably; of necessity.
lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
mystery /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ (noun) — Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
look for (verb) — To seek.
pick up (verb) — To lift; to grasp and raise.
sit down (verb) — To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
figure out (verb) — To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
look at (verb) — To observe or watch.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 83 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: thriller /ˈθɹɪ.lə/, enthrall /ɪnˈθɹɔːl/
Long words — get the stress right: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, audiobook /ˈɔdi.oʊbʊk/, prioritize /pɹaɪˈɒɹ.ə.taɪz/

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 habit, atomic, insane.

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on	I've not been keeping · I've been grabbing · I've definitely been reaching
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if I keep doing that, I'll be
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've spent · I've read · I've never read
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	left which is · women who are

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 →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?