Shadowing Practice: IELTS Speaking Part 2 | Describing My Best Friend (Example Answer) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Hi! Today I would like to talk about one of my closest friends, Ana.
2
We've known each other for two decades now.
3
We met in elementary school when our teacher put us together for a science project, and we hit it off immediately.
4
It turned out that we were neighbors and only lived two doors down from each other, so we hung out all the time and have really gotten to know each others' families over the years.
5
Her parents are like a second family to me!
6
Ana is someone I really look up to.
7
She is kind and intelligent, but what I admire most is her ambition, tenacity and work ethic.
8
When she sets her mind to something, there's no stopping her!
9
For example, last year she became interested in learning Italian.
10
Within six months she was having natural, fluid conversations with our Italian neighbours, learned to make her own pasta, and booked a month-long trip to Rome!
11
Despite her dedication and focus, Ana is also quite outgoing and charismatic.
12
She has this knack for making people laugh and lightening up any situation.
13
However, she can be a bit blunt at times, which some people might find off-putting.
14
I have to admit, there have been a number of times we've butted heads.
15
For instance, she's vegan and I… well, I'm a full-on BBQ enthusiast!
16
Despite some of our differences, we have never had a falling out, and I always appreciate her honesty and straightforwardness.
17
Ana has many qualities I love, but what I admire most about her is her reliability as a friend.
18
Whenever I have self-doubts or need a shoulder to cry on, she's always there for me, no questions asked.
19
We've been through thick and thin together, and our bond has only grown stronger with time.
20
I think it's important to have at least one truly close friend we can always count on, and for me, that person is Ana.
21
Her ambition, reliability, and sense of humour make her an exceptional person, and I feel fortunate to have her in my life.
📺 Same Channel
A21
Do or Make? | Take an English Vocabulary Quiz!
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B15
Superlative Adjectives in English Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B115
Present Perfect and Past Simple | English Conversation About Life Experiences
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
SO and SUCH! | English Vocabulary in Conversation
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
A26
Present Continuous in English Conversation | What Are You Doing?
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B142
Comparative Adjectives in English Conversation | Comparing Vacations
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A22
Easy English Conversation | Small Talk for Beginners
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B16
Football (Soccer) Vocabulary in English | Past Simple
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B120
Past Simple in Conversation | What Did You Do Yesterday?
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B14
Grocery Shopping Vocabulary at the Supermarket | Learn English in Conversation
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A217
Talking about daily routines in English (present simple)
Daily Conversation
A212
English Conversation at a Café (Coffee Shop) | Useful Phrases
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
Future Plans in English Conversation | Will, Going to, Present Continuous, Present Simple
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
✨ Recommend Video
B23
103 sentences
IELTS SPEAKING PART 2 + 3 Band 8 Samples: Describe a time when you felt proud of a family member
IELTS PrepInterview EnglishHigh School Students
B2341 sentences
Is It Better to Have One Best Friend or Many Friends? | Intermediate English Podcast
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B2216
4 sentences
IELTS Speaking part 1 answer: Band 7.0+
IELTS PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B22
53 sentences
IELTS speaking _ Describe a person from a different cultural background whom you enjoy spending time
IELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B24
81 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2 & 3 | Describe Your Hometown | Sample Answer + Vocabulary | Learnivo #ielts
IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
B25
12 sentences
ielts- speaking- part 3 -friendship
IELTS PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B212
41 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2 | Describe A Famous Person
IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
B28
28 sentences
IELTS Practice with a Friend: Should University Be Free?
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
183 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2: Band 9 TEMPLATES - #2. PEOPLE
British AccentIELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
C1219
24 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
60 sentences
Describe a friend of yours who is good at singing or music _ IELTS Speaking Part 2 (Sep_Apr2026)
IELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B16
29 sentences
Describe Your Best Friend | IELTS Speaking Cue Card | Fluent Talk
IELTS PrepTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 21 sentences and 349 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:45. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| admire verb | /ədˈmaɪɹ/ | To regard with wonder and delight. |
| reliability noun | The quality of being reliable, dependable, or trustworthy. | |
| ambition noun | /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/ | Eager or inordinate desire for some object that confers distinction, as preferment, honor, superiority, political power, or fame; desire to distinguish one's… |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| thick adjective | /θɪk/ | Relatively great in extent from one surface to the opposite in its smallest solid dimension. |
| elementary adjective | /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/ | Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something. |
| intelligent adjective | /ɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒənt/ | Of high or especially quick cognitive capacity, bright. |
| butt noun | /bʌt/ | Body; self. |
| fluid noun | /ˈflu.ɪd/ | Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma. |
| lightning noun | /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/ | A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth. |
| exceptional adjective | /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/ | Forming an exception; not ordinary; uncommon; rare. |
| honesty noun | /ˈɑ.nɪ.sti/ | The act, quality, or condition of being honest. |
| fortunate adjective | /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt/ | Auspicious. |
| dedication noun | /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ | The act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated. |
| vegan noun | /ˈviːɡən/ | A person who does not eat, drink or otherwise consume any animal products |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fall out verb | To come out of something by falling. |
| look up to verb | To show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model. |
| turn out verb | To end up; to result. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, thick /θɪk/, ethic /ˈɛθ.ɪk/, enthusiast /ɪnˈθuːziˌæst/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: ambition /æmˈbɪʃ.ən/, exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/, dedication /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, intelligent /ɪnˈtɛlɪd͡ʒənt/, exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/, dedication /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, charismatic /ˌkɛɹəzˈmætək/
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 admire, reliability, ambition.
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.