Shadowing Practice: IELTS English Podcast - Speaking Topic: Comedy - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hi everyone, I'm your IELTS tutor Jack and welcome back to another episode of the IELTS Plus English podcast.
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Today's topic is comedy, a topic that I really like.
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I love telling jokes, I love hearing jokes and I love the genre of comedy.
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Now don't forget if you want to have today's handout,
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the podcast handout don't forget it is free and it is on www.jax-english.com
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if you go there you'll see a kind of free content section
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so it's easy to find and
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if you are in korea don't forget to check out Naver
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Cafe my Naver Cafe Yongguk Yongo Jack's English let's get on with today's episode
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so comedy part one warm up do you like comedy I love comedy.
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I think comedy is a wonderful genre.
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I particularly like comedy dramas and movies.
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There's a variety of types of comedy I like.
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I like parody, satire and particularly I like stand up comedy, which is very common in England.
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already three or four key words from today's podcast handout
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so check that out and see what those mean
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and we'll do another part one what kind of comedy is popular in your country i come from england
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so i would say irony is a really popular kind of comedy particular
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particularly sarcasm which is kind of the dark side of irony i don't like sarcasm personally
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but it's fairly popular in our comedy um also stand-up comedy
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is really popular this is where a comic a comedian stands on stage
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and delivers jokes or stories and just has a microphone no props no
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nothing else up there and I personally really like
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that style okay one more are you good at telling jokes uh not good at telling jokes
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but i do like to tell stories
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which can be funny you know they can be indirectly funny um
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but i i just i suppose i don't have the memory for jokes i don't remember the jokes
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so uh i avoid telling jokes okay a very honest one
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today let's move on to part two uh put two minutes on the clock
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and let's see we have the question describe a movie
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or tv program
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that made you laugh okay nothing comes to my mind um
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perhaps we'll we'll go with the simple one comes to my mind first so two minutes on the clock starts now
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I'd like to tell you about Friends I first watched Friends maybe 20
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or 25 years ago a long time ago when I was young
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and even though I was young I really enjoyed the style of humour I remember watching the episode
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and I remember just really liking the characters particularly I liked Ross I think I kind of connected to Ross the most.
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I could understand his situation and personality more.
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I also loved Joey and Phoebe.
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These were some of the characters that really stood out to me from the start.
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Let me tell you a little more about Friends.
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Now, Friends is a comedy drama.
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so it's called a sitcom situational comedy and it's got a lot of irony uh maybe a little sarcasm
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definitely a lot of slapstick
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and that's a very i would say a bit more of an american style humor
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which generally i don't like but in friends i really enjoyed i it it has six characters
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I'm not going to name them because it would take me too long but they live in New York
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and the drama centres on them in their apartments and their daily lives
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and particularly I remember they spend a lot of time in a coffee shop
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and it's just constant jokes and funny stories
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and Chandler he's the kind of sarcastic one so that's what I really remember for me personally I loved it
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And funnily enough, still now I can happily watch episodes
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and really enjoy going back to the start and watching all 10 series.
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Oh, that was very quick.
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Okay.
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Again, nothing came to my mind immediately.
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But although Friends is not my favorite drama, there are so many movies and dramas that I prefer.
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It's just such an easy one to talk about.
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And I would say that for most of my students, friends is a really easy one to talk about.
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So that's why I chose it.
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I followed my structure very strictly, though I didn't get to the future section.
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OK, let's do a couple of part threes and then we'll wrap up.
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This is where it gets a little tricky.
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What is the difference between comedy on TV and comedy in books?
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well it's a it's a difficult question
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but i would say the biggest difference is
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that on tv you can use a lot of slapstick comedy
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slapstick comedy is very visual comedy where people get hurt you
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know they slip over uh pushing each other something falls on them it's very physical comedy
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and as i said very visual
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so the medium of tv is the perfect medium for showing
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that type of comedy i would say comedy in books
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because it's done through words it has to be more subtle you of course you can do things like irony
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or satire but it it has to be constructed through words so it's very very different.
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Not a bad answer I'm quite happy with that.
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Let's go to the last part three is humor easy to translate from one language to another I would say
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that it's not easy to translate mostly
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because humor is as much about culture as it is about
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just the humor itself humor comes from people being able to connect to it.
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When you look at the humour in England,
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it very often connects to the story of people living in England and the difficulties we face.
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And the same can be said for Korea, which is where I live now.
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So also there are different styles of humour depending on the country.
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Koreans like slapstick I would say whereas England we prefer quite simple stand-up comedy
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so on the whole no humor is not easy to translate from one language to another.
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Okay notice
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that you know with these complicated answers I always try to conclude in order to tie my answer together
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and to conclude an answer you can use something like i
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did on the whole that's a good pattern in conclusion overall
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those are some typical patterns i use to wrap an answer up
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and that is everything i have time for
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so i hope you enjoyed this episode on comedy
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if you did don't forget to like this video like the podcast whatever you're listening
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or watching on please like comment subscribe do all of these things
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and come and check out www.jaxxenglish.com in order to find the free materials
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and various other free content so i hope you have a wonderful week this week
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and i will be back very soon with the next topic crime and punishment okay see you soon bye bye
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Why Practice Speaking with This Comedy-Focused Video?
Practicing English speaking with this video is a fun way to boost your skills—especially if you’re prepping for IELTS! The topic of comedy is relatable, and the natural dialogue mirrors real-life conversations, making it perfect for english speaking practice and IELTS speaking practice. You’ll learn how to discuss preferences, describe experiences, and use humor in English, all while picking up casual phrases that sound native. Plus, shadowing (repeating lines aloud as you watch) helps improve fluency and confidence—try it with the host’s relaxed tone!
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is packed with useful structures. Here are 3 to focus on:
- Describing preferences: “I particularly like comedy dramas and movies.” Using “particularly” adds specificity—great for IELTS answers. Try: “I particularly enjoy stand-up because it feels interactive.”
- Talking about past experiences: “I first watched Friends maybe 20 or 25 years ago.” The simple past tense here works for sharing when you started something. Practice: “I first heard this joke at a party last year.”
- Explaining genres: “Friends is a sitcom—situational comedy.” Defining terms with “—” (a dash) is a natural way to clarify. Use it: “I love rom-coms—romantic comedies—because they’re lighthearted.”
Common Pronunciation Traps
Pay attention to these tricky words to improve english pronunciation:
- Parody (puh-ROH-dee) vs. “parrot”—don’t mix up the stress! The host says it clearly, so shadow his rhythm.
- Sarcasm (SAHR-kaz-um) has a sharp “ar” sound—avoid softening it to “sahr-kah-zum.”
- Slapstick (SLAP-stik) is two short syllables—don’t drag the “stick” part. Listen for the host’s quick delivery.
Learning English with YouTube videos like this one makes practice engaging. Keep shadowing, and you’ll notice your speaking flow and pronunciation get better in no time—you’ve got this!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | comedy, which is · sarcasm which is · Korea, which is |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be constructed · can be said |
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.