Shadowing Practice: I WROTE MY FINAL YEAR DISSERTATION IN A WEEK... and it was stressful - Learn English Speaking with Video
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So...
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I messed up.
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My final year university dissertation is due in a week and I'm currently on...
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zero words.
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So I currently have seven days to write 12 ,000 words.
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12 ,000!
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This is a disaster.
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I would love to say I didn't see this coming but like...
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I think we all did.
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It is very much not ideal.
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I am dumb.
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I'm stupid.
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I'm a fool and you know what?
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I know that so I You don't need to tell me that, I already know that.
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I guess I should explain.
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So basically I started reading for my dissertation last summer.
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I then started doing like proper research in like November kind of time, confirmed my final title in December, had a few meetings with my supervisor,
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wrote a 3 ,000 word draft which I could then show my supervisor
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and he could give me feedback on it and the feedback that he gave me was a This is just rubbish.
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As in like, he said it in a nice way, but the general vibe that I got was like, scrap what you've written so far.
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So that was like a month ago.
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I went back to the drawing board and started again from scratch.
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Even though that sounds bad, I think it was genuinely the most helpful thing to happen
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because I kind of had to re -evaluate my whole argument and I came up with something so much better.
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Did a load more extra research, was ready to start writing again, and then the world sort of just fell apart.
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The coronavirus pandemic happened.
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And so now, I'm not a university.
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I'm at home.
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It's been very disorientating and confusing.
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I find it so hard to work at home.
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Like it fully feels like the summer holidays.
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And it is absolutely not.
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So to conclude, I am a clown and it is now crunch time, like I very much need to get my head in the books and write this damn essay.
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And obviously when I'm having a breakdown the first thing I do is.. is turn on the camera, so welcome!
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Welcome to a chaotic vlog.
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Let's get this damn dissertation done.
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On tonight's program, ladies and gentlemen, we have something that's gonna make you sick.
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You know how when you start a major project like this, they, in the introductory lectures, they always say to you like, "There's always someone who leaves it to the last minute.
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Don't be that guy." And there's like articles in the tab being like, "This person wrote their dissertation the night before." always think to yourself, like, how could that possibly happen?
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How could you ever be that guy?
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I am that guy.
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That is literally me.
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I am that guy.
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I can't believe it.
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Well, No, I kind of can believe it, but like I'm still disappointed, you know?
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So anyway, here we are.
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Let's try and get some dissertation written, huh?
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I say that if we have a choice, like we literally, there is no choice here.
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Like I said, I have actually done all my planning already.
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So in fact, I've done kind of like excessive planning.
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There is so much planning here.
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If you've watched this channel, you've heard me bang on about this before, but I make these research logs.
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So I have source, quote, page numbers, publishing information, and then room to add extra notes.
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These are all then
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the colours and notes that I make on the paper once I've printed out
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because I find it easier to sort of analyse once it's all printed out
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back into the original document that's on my laptop then break it down so that each colour kind of corresponds to, well in this case they each correspond to a chapter and
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so I basically have a full plan and all of my research done for every chapter.
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It's just a case of of writing it.
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So the issue I'm having is making these ideas that I have, because trust me, I've thought about this a lot, it may not seem that way because of the terrible disorganisation that is going on here.
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But genuinely, I feel like I've got quite a strong argument to put forward.
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It's just...
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executing it.
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The struggle that I'm currently having is getting those ideas from here
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down to the paper without them becoming crap in the meantime and that is proving to be quite an issue.
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I can't I can't lie to you.
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Okay, so I've actually been kind of productive today.
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I don't even recognize myself.
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I've actually got 1750 words written today.
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Would you Adam and Eve it or Adam and Steve it or Adam and whoever you want it?
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So even after just one day of really Really working towards it.
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I actually do feel a lot better about it.
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So here's hoping that tomorrow is...
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just as productive.
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Goodnight friends.
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Just getting out of my one piece of state regulated exercise.
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My dog has somehow managed to train himself to always poop right next to the poo bin, so that's very handy.
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Me submitting my dissertation.
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Well, hello!
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It's Sunday today and the update is that it's going f*ing terribly.
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Basically, you know how yesterday I was feeling quite chuffed
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and smug and confident in the fact that I had quite a successful day?
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Well, I read everything back that I wrote yesterday and...
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I hate it.
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I absolutely...
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Hate it! So, yeah.
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Um, where do we go from here?
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The essence of what I was saying is right, but the way I was phrasing it and putting it into prose was just...
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not good.
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So basically I'm having a mare, a Western super mare.
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But what I've done is I've started a brand new document next to the one I originally had
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and I'm just retyping everything from scratch and I am actually finding that it's quite
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useful because I'm not being protective over what I've already written because it's there and it's saved.
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So I'm being a lot more experimental and just rewriting things once I already have the idea, sort of, written down in prose anyway and it's actually making a lot more sense.
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So obviously I will keep you in the loop.
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At the moment it's not going well, but you know what?
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It's a marathon, not a sprint.
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We'll get there.
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Hello, I'm wrapping up the day now because it's a Sunday, the day of rest.
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I have actually gone backwards somehow, and I've ended up with less words today than I had yesterday.
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But I thought I should quickly clarify one thing, and that is that I have basically done extensive planning before this week.
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And this is just a case of turning my bullet -pointed plan into sentences, like full sentences, and turning it into 12 ,000 words.
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So at the moment.
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I'm not doing it all from scratch.
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I'm just writing it up, but it's still hella stressful.
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Hey guys, it's me.
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Still.
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I know that in the context of this video, not a lot of time has passed, but actually It's the evening,
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it is Monday evening, basically today I just had to get something done, I had to be productive today and try
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Emphasis on try to get myself back on track because I was behind on being behind.
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So this morning I locked away my camera, my phone, anything that could possibly distract me.
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I blocked all social media on my laptop from 9 :00 until 6 :00 and I've been so Freakin productive.
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Thank the Lord.
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So far today.
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I've actually written 4 ,000 words
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which is a relief more than anything like I needed a day like this to get myself somewhere.
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I am satisfied with how much I've done today but still stressed.
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I just feel like a damn fool.
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I feel so stupid for leaving it this late and...
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It's not smart, it's not clever, it's not cool, it is stupid.
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It's a dumb thing to have done, but here we are.
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So I just had some dinner, had some time away from my laptop, and it's now 8pm.
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and I'm gonna try and do a little bit extra tonight to hopefully hopefully get to the halfway point.
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We shall see.
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Whoa!
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We're halfway there!
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Whoa!
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I'm...
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Still.. kind of scared.
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I am in bed now to rest my weary head, but I'm going to be sleeping well tonight and deservedly so because
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Today was a good day, so.. a little pat on the back for me.
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Getting some sleep is definitely the most important thing right now because I am going brain dead.
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So I will catch up with you party people in the morning!
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Day 4 in the Big Brother house.
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Jack is still having a bloody nightmare.
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So good morning.
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It's Tuesday today and today needs to be a productive day because yesterday was actually quite successful.
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So if I can somehow replicate that today, Thank you, Jesus.
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In an ideal dream world, today I will write another 4 ,000 words.
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Whether that happens or not, that's a bit beyond me.
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But you know what, we're trying and that's fine.
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No, actually we need a bit more than that.
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I am kind of in need of a miracle.
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at this stage, but I'm holding out hope.
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I've managed like 1 ,500 words, so not the worst, but not the best either.
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It's kind of funny actually because
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when I f - actually nothing about this is funny but
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when I first started researching for my dissertation I was like wow imagine if this got published, like how cool would that be?
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Now I'm like Imagine if I finish this in time.
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How cool would that be?
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You know, as time goes on, priorities just change and expectations get Lower.
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Okay, so I have actually made it to 8 ,250 words, which If you saw that coming, you are the only one.
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I am surprised, but this is pretty good progress.
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My brain hurts, but it is like half past ten, so I'm going to put some music on,
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go through the thesis that I've written so far and reference.
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So I'm going to go through and add in all of my footnotes.
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and in -text citations, which sounds riveting because it doesn't really require too much brain power.
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And that is pretty much all I'm capable of doing right now.
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Normally I would leave doing my referencing and bibliography to the last minute, but it kind of was the last minute.
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Like, this whole thing is last minute.
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So I had to do it a bit in advance so
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that I wasn't doing it at 3 p .m on deadline day.
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I've got a little friend who's come to join me.
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Yeah, I felt that.
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I then carried on working until like 3 :00 a .m.
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I was just getting all my referencing done, which is so confusing and complex.
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We used the MHRA system, which was just boggling my brain.
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Okay, it is 3 :00 a .m.
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Even the dog has left me, so...
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It's not good, it's bad.
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Oh my God.
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Just the worst.
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Hello and happy April Fool's Day.
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It is April and I'm a fool so there we go.
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I have probably said this every day in this video so far, but today really needs to be a productive day.
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There's a chance, albeit slim, that I could finish my final chapter today.
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I've got 3 ,500 words left.
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So if I could write a 3 ,000 word chapter then I just have my conclusion to write tomorrow, which would be...
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That would be a real development.
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So let's get going.
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My final chapter is on a single man, which is actually the book that inspired me to write my dissertation on this topic in the first place.
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So Hopefully this should be quite a good one to kind of end on.
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Okay, so just as a little Thursday night update wait Is it Thursday today?
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No. Oh my god, it's Wednesday Jesus I just scared the shit out of myself.
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Anyway, basically the update is that I've been working all day
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But I kind of was in a position where I needed to sort of re -evaluate a few things
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and go back to the drawing board and Start planning again.
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I haven't started again from scratch.
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Don't worry I was writing my third and final chapter
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which obviously needs to kind of start to wrap things up and I need to use the things I haven't yet, but it just needed a bit of extra planning
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so I actually think today has been beneficial even though I haven't necessarily got that many words on paper.
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The deadline is Friday.
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3pm so we are cutting it a little bit fine, but you know what that's fine because I love me some danger. Do I?
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No, no I actually don't.
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That is not true at all.
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I hate danger, let's cut it out.
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Yeah, so signing out for Wednesday.
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because it's Wednesday today and I will see you tomorrow.
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Hello, today is Thursday.
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Does anyone actually care at this point
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or are you sick of me complaining about something
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which is literally my fault because I am sick of hearing myself talk about my dissertation.
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I'm done with it, I'm over it, but I have some exciting news.
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We have actually reached 12 ,000 words.
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Yeah, I am as shocked as you are, but we've done it.
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Whether those 12 ,000 words are 12 ,000 good words is another story, but you know what?
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I'm happy with the story that we've got.
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In fact, that's not just another story, that's another whole library, and...
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I don't have my library card today, no thank you.
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I'm social distancing from that library, no thank you.
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In fact, I guess you could say that writing your thesis during quarantine is social dis.
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Didn't sing. Am I right?
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That's funny.
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Tell me that's not funny.
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I'm literally procrastinating from something that I quite desperately need to do.
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So I've printed off a physical version of my disc, basically because when I edited my book, which by the way, I have a book coming out.
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So bizarre to even say that out loud.
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When I was editing that, I was sent a physical copy and I had to make annotations
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and notes on that and then send it back to my publishers.
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and if you go over it with a pen or a pencil, over every single word, I feel like you take them in, in a lot more detail.
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And hopefully that will draw attention to the mistakes that I've made, I guess.
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And I think this could be pretty vital because earlier when I had a read through it, the first time I read through the whole thing,
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I realised that throughout the whole disc I had been referring to two characters whose names are Jim and George,
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as Fred and George, as in the Weasley twins from Harry Potter.
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So I feel like you would definitely lose marks for referencing
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characters in Harry Potter rather than the characters in the actual book you're meant to know inside out.
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I don't know what happened, I don't know what went wrong, but it's fixed now.
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and made those changes and then I went over it with a different colour
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and a different colour and a different colour until basically I had identified everything
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that was wrong with it and the essay was definitely better for it.
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Then when you can see me wearing the black hoodie that was Friday morning so this is a new day now, this was deadline day and I was just a bundle of stress in the morning
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so I didn't really film very much aside from these time lapses.
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So here you can see me just making my final final edits to my draft and improving it.
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Hopefully, we'll see, I guess.
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Okay, so I have painstakingly been through every single reference I made sure that it's perfect, which is good because many of them weren't but now they are
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so it's fine Now I am going to go through my essay for what should be the final time.
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I mean, it's an hour and a half until the deadline, so like, it is the final time.
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In fact, realistically, this is probably the last time I will ever read this essay because, once we are done here.
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I'm never looking at this ever again. So...
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yeah, that's kind of wild.
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I'm gonna get on with reading it.
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Yikes, I definitely should not still be making edits, but I am, oh my god.
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Okay, here we go.
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I am logging on.
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My hand is shaking.
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This really feels like a big deal.
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I really hope I can find where we're supposed to submit it, because like now would not be a great time.
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for that not to be available.
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Submission point.
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Imagine if it said here, like, the word count was 10 ,000 words instead of 12 ,000 or something stupid.
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I need to not jinx that. And...
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Upload!
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Oh my god, I just submitted my dissertation!
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That is so crazy.
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Well...
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Now what?
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Wow, five minutes before the deadline as well.
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That might be the earliest I've ever submitted an essay.
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I fully just went back to the first ever thing we were sent about the word account just to make absolutely sure.
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but it's there.
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12 ,000.
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Phew.
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I mean, I honestly don't know why I was expecting to happen, because like, if it wasn't 12 ,000 words and it actually was 10 ,000, then...
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I'd just be screwed, but I would know I was screwed which would be worse than not knowing temporarily.
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Guys, this is honestly just so lame.
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I should be at the pub right now.
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I genuinely celebrated that finishing my diss by getting some brain crackers and watching Escape to the Country.
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It's just sad.
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What a sad little life Jane.
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But yeah, you know, just quarantine things.
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So I am going to wrap up this video here.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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Sorry that you had to go through this with me.
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And by the way, I wouldn't recommend, like if you are watching this video and thinking "I'll do my dissertation last minute like you did" don't.
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Genuinely, this has been one of the worst weeks ever.
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I am always, invariably, a last -minute kind of guy, but this is This is taking the piss.
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The thing is, I have done three years of uni now
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and I know how my brain works and I do need that adrenaline of a deadline.
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But the circumstances of like Everything quite dramatically changing in the last month has kind of made that a bit more confusing.
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But yeah, this was not a good time
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But I hope you enjoyed it if you're a sadist
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and you did give it a thumbs up and subscribe for more for me I make loads of videos.
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In fact now I've got time to make videos, so Hopefully they'll be a bit more optimistic than this one was.
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For now, my dissertation is done.
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I've been Jack Edwards Thank you so much for watching and I will see you next time.
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Bye bye!
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In case I don't see ya, good afternoon, good evening, and good night.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “I WROTE MY FINAL YEAR DISSERTATION IN A WEEK... and it was stressful”. This video has 285 sentences and 3222 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:13. The speaker talks fast, about 187 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dissertation noun | /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/ | A formal exposition of a subject, especially a research paper that students write in order to complete the requirements for a doctoral degree in the US and a… |
| deadline noun | /ˈdɛdˌlaɪn/ | A time limit in the form of a date on or before which something must be completed. |
| productive adjective | /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/ | Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. |
| essay noun | /ˈɛs.eɪ/ | A written composition of moderate length, exploring a particular issue or subject. |
| genuinely adverb | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/ | In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly. |
| scratch verb | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. |
| submit verb | /səbˈmɪt/ | To yield or give way to another. |
| edit verb | /ˈɛdɪt/ | To change a text, or a document. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| laptop noun | /ˈlæp.tɑp/ | A laptop computer. |
| correspond verb | /ˌkoɹəˈspɑnd/ | To be equivalent or similar in character, quantity, quality, origin, structure, function etc. |
| quarantine noun | /ˈkwɔɹ.ən.tin/ | A period of 40 days, particularly |
| prose noun | /ˈpɹoʊz/ | Language, particularly written language, not intended as poetry. |
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. | |
| print out verb | To print (a computer document). | |
| read through verb | To thoroughly read something to check or proofread it. | |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm a fool and you know what?
- How could you ever be that guy?
- Let's try and get some dissertation written, huh?
- I can't I can't lie to you.
- At the moment it's not going well, but you know what?
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 | you've written · It's been · have actually done |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who leaves · done, which is · system, which was |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was sent · were sent · be screwed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 98 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thesis /ˈθisɪs/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dissertation /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/, annotation /ˌæn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/, disorganization /dɪˌsoɹɡəˌnaɪˈzeɪʃən/, citation /ˌsaɪˈteɪʃən/, rubbish /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: dissertation /ˌdɪsəˈteɪʃən/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, supervisor /ˈsupɚˌvaɪzɚ/, annotation /ˌæn.əˈteɪ.ʃən/, coronavirus /kəˈɹoʊnəˌvaɪɹəs/
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 dissertation, deadline, productive.
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.