Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Band 9 | Outstanding Real Speaking Performance | The candidate was fluent & natural - Learn English Speaking with Video
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153 sentences
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So let's begin the speaking test.
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My first question is, what do you do in your free time?
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Nowadays, recently, I have not been getting a lot of free time due to my exams.
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But when I do have free time, I like to pick up my camera and I like to take pictures of my surroundings.
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Birds, flowers, anything that I see within my sight.
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I like to capture it and I try to improve on it as much as I can.
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Do you prefer indoor or outdoor activities?
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I think it depends on what I want to do for that day and what I'm in the mood for.
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But usually I am in the mood for more outdoor activities.
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I like exploring new areas, new places, and I like to dedicate that time to garnering new experiences with my friends.
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Okay.
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Is it important for young people to have hobbies?
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Yes, I think it is crucial for young people to have hobbies
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because it develops a person and their skills and their surroundings as well.
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For example, when you want to learn a new skill, not only do you get insight into a whole new plethora of things,
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but you can also meet new people and learn about their experiences and grow towards that thing that you're passionate about.
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Okay.
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Let's talk about healthy lifestyle.
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Do you try to live a healthy lifestyle?
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I try my best to live a healthy lifestyle.
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I try to wake up within 8 a .m., have a good hearty breakfast, consisting of all the major food groups.
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And I like to go on walks to make sure I get my daily exercise in.
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And I think I like to encompass my day with things that I think surround a healthy lifestyle.
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Has your lifestyle changed over the years?
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Yes, it has definitely changed over the years
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when i was young i lived a very very very active lifestyle
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i had my entire week scheduled out
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i took lots of classes music singing um art karate i had enrolled myself in many different activities
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because at that time i had the energy and i had
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that time within myself to engage myself in different activities
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but then as i grew older i became more focused on my studies
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and my friends and i slowed myself down a little
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and now i think i'm living a more balanced lifestyle
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and it comprises of both a lot of activities
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and time for myself okay why do some people find
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it difficult to live healthy i think a lot of the people at times do not have motivation
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or they tend to start something and they get lazy
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or they do not put enough effort into it
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and eventually drop the thing
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that they're passionate about down usually for an example people start exercising they walk daily they have
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that motivation that fire them themselves to walk and exercise
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and then slowly they get lazy they think oh should i do this today should i do this today at all
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I can put time into something else instead of this.
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And they let go of exercising.
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And these things that can benefit themselves to live a more healthy life.
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And they usually drop it down.
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Let's talk about parks.
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Do you often visit parks?
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Nowadays, I do visit parks a lot because I have gotten some free time to myself.
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And I like to slow down and I want to take care of myself more.
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So I visit the park a lot and I have began walking.
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Okay.
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What activities do people usually do in parks?
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From what I have seen, people go on walks, people hang out with their friends, people walk their pets at the park.
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And I think it is just a place where you can slow yourself down
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and allow yourself to be free with nature and surround yourself with the beauty of it.
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And it is something that I think is essential to calm your nerves down.
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Okay.
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Were parks important to you when you were a child?
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Yes, definitely.
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Parks were important when I was a child.
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When I think about parks and my childhood, I think of all the Fridays that I've spent with my dad,
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waking up at 6 a .m to go to a park, exercising, running till I run out of breath,
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and then going somewhere to eat a hearty breakfast.
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That is what I think about when I think of parks in my childhood, and I think that has shaped the person that I am.
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Should cities build more parks?
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I think cities should definitely build more parks because we are losing our greenery,
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the beauty of our earth to urbanization, to building more buildings and building more cities.
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And I think introducing parks allows children.
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to experience greenery, to experience forests,
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to experience trees and the overall nature that helps develop someone holistically, helps develop a child holistically.
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Okay, thank you.
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This is the end of part one.
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Let's move on to part two.
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In this part, you have to describe a social media post that you found interesting or memorable.
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You can take notes if you wish.
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You have one minute to prepare.
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There's a paper and a pen.
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Thank you.
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Would you like to start now?
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Yes.
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Please.
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um
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when i think of this topic i think across the time
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i came across this instagram post where i saw
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this woman trying to learn a computer even though she had no idea whatsoever of what a computer was
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and how to use it she taught herself she forced herself to learn how to use a computer
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because she realized she was the only native speaker of her language
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and she wanted to preserve that language and prevent it from dying out
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so she learned how to use a computer
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and for the last seven years of her life she used the time to construct a dictionary
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and i think she even published a book of songs illustration literature regarding
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that language to preserve it to preserve it so
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that it does not die out so that it does not face extinction
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and i think that is something very beautiful
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because nowadays especially in countries like bangladesh we are very objective oriented people
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and we tend to pursue the things that benefit us the most in life for example
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we pursue english and other things that we need other languages
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that we need during work for work for education so
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that we can live and pursue our dreams abroad
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and oftentimes we tend to forget our own language
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and we might face the same scenario in our near future
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and I think it is essential for us to preserve our
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language like she did thank you this is the end of part two may have the pen
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and paper of course thank you let's move on to part three okay why has social media become
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so popular among young people?
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I think because of the adolescence now, we have grown up during the COVID pandemic time.
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We have been used to social media
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and other online platforms to engage with our friends rather than speaking and talking in real life.
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Social media has provided us with a platform to engage with our friends without stepping out of our doors.
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And people are choosing convenience over going out.
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So I think that is why we might be more prone to using social media.
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Do you think young people spend too much time online?
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I think nowadays, yes.
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People do spend time online a lot, especially people who are young, because I think it is more convenient for them.
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They do not need to go outside to meet their friends.
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They can just video call them.
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And oftentimes you will see young people more engrossed in scrolling reels
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or playing games rather than going outside
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or you know engage in more outdoor activities
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because their preference has become more towards indoor activities and comfort rather than going outdoors and experiencing that part of life.
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Should parents limit their children's use of social media?
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I think that depends on the parent and the child
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but I think some restrictions in general should be placed on the children.
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For example a lot of children nowadays scroll past like three, four hours before their bedtime.
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Maybe they can limit it down, reduce it so that they can sleep properly without the interruption of their devices and the technology they use.
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And regulations can be put by the parents on the children to ensure
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that the child is using their devices and technology more responsibly.
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What responsibilities do social media companies have towards young users?
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I think social media companies have a very big responsibility towards young users
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and children because the content that the children absorb pushes them forward towards the growth and development that they have.
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I think a lot of the social media companies already do have actions
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that they take for children so that they grow up safely.
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For For example, YouTube might have options.
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to limit videos that show violence and other forms of morally incorrect behavior.
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And I think a lot of companies impose these restrictions on children accounts, which is something that they do to take responsibility.
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And I think more safety features should be implemented in the near future
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so that the growth and development of children can occur properly.
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In what ways has social media affected young people's attitudes towards success and lifestyle?
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I think social media has played both a good
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and a bad role regarding how children and young people access content regarding success and lifestyle.
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In my perspective, I have seen both the good and the bad.
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I've seen people post content and influence children to pursue their goals in life
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and ambition and I have seen creators push their viewers forward to approach a more ambitious lifestyle
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and fulfill their needs and goals.
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While on the other hand, I have seen a lot of creators tell their viewers to slow down
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and relax and pursue things that are within their scope of life.
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And I think these are both good and bad things
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because I think ambition is important but at the same time I think it is needed for people to slow down. So yes.
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Thank you.
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This is the end of the speaking test.
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Thank you very much for joining us.
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Thanks a lot.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “IELTS Speaking Band 9”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: park, lifestyle, activities. This video has 153 sentences and 1758 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:39. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lifestyle noun | /ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl/ | A style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group. |
| pursue verb | /pɚˈsu/ | To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase. |
| nowadays adverb | /ˈnaʊ.ə.deɪz/ | At the present time; in the current era. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| outdoor adjective | /aʊtˈdɔː/ | Situated in, designed to be used in, or carried on in the open air. |
| preserve verb | /pɹəˈzɝv/ | To protect; to keep from harm or injury. |
| mood noun | /muːd/ | A mental or emotional state, composure. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| creator noun | /kɹiːˈeɪ̯təː/ | Something or someone which creates or makes something. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| indoor adjective | /ˈɪndoɹ/ | Situated in, or designed to be used in, or carried on within, the interior of a building. |
| passionate adjective | /ˈpæʃənɪt/ | Fired with intense feeling. |
| hobby noun | /ˈhɑ.bi/ | An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| slow down verb | To decelerate. | |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| die out verb | To become extinct. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you prefer indoor or outdoor activities?
- Do you try to live a healthy lifestyle?
- Has your lifestyle changed over the years?
- Do you often visit parks?
- Would you like to start now?
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 definitely changed · have gotten · have seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | should be placed · can be put · should be implemented |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who are · accounts, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, plethora /ˈplɛθəɹə/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, passionate /ˈpæʃənɪt/, ambition /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/, restriction /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, regulation /ˌɹɛɡjʊˈleɪʃən/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, whatsoever /ˌ(h)wʌtsoʊˈɛvɚ/, illustration /ˌɪləsˈtɹeɪ̯ʃən/
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 lifestyle, pursue, nowadays.
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.