Shadowing Practice: If I Had to Take the TOEFL Tomorrow (FAST Study Plan) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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If I had to take the TOEFL test tomorrow, the first thing I would do is only watch this video, nothing else.
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No quick tips, no vocabulary, nothing like that.
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Only this video because you can't waste any time.
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We're going to make sure that you spend the next four hours.
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This is going to be a four -hour study plan on
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the most important things you should do before you take the test tomorrow.
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So we can't waste any time with any unnecessary information.
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The first thing we're going to talk about is your four -hour study schedule, your four -hour study plan.
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This can work if you're going to take the test tomorrow or two days or three days, whatever it is.
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The second thing we're going to do is I'm going to show you some free
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and paid sites you can use depending on, you know, your budget and what you want to do.
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And the last thing, I will give you two things that you should know about each section, just the most important kind of tips for each section of the test.
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So let's get into it right now and let's start with your first step.
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It's going to be to take a TOEFL practice test.
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And this is going to be actually 50 % of your time.
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Two hours is going to be just taking a practice test.
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It is so important for you to take a practice test because it gets you used to the structure.
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It gets you used to the question types, it gets you used to how it's going to feel to sit there for two hours and actually take a test.
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It's pretty uncomfortable, so you want to get used to it.
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Also, you want to make sure that you follow the rules.
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Make sure you follow the the timing for the reading.
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Make sure you give the right, you spend the right amount of time.
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Make sure when you're listening, you only listen to the audio once.
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When you speak, have some device ready to record your voice so you can check those recordings later.
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That's going to be really important.
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When you're writing, make sure you have spellcheck off because on test day you won't have spellcheck.
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The good news is that you can take a free practice test on YouTube
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that follows all these conditions at the TST Prep YouTube channel.
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I'll put a link in the description to that.
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You can also have a paid test as well through the ETS website.
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It's like $50.
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One thing about this test that's helpful is that it will grade your speaking and writing,
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whereas the YouTube video, you'll have to find some other ways to grade your speaking and writing, which I'll show you in a minute.
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But for now, you should take a practice test.
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That is crucial.
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And not only should you take a practice test, but follow the same time.
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Don't give yourself more time.
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Don't, you know, listen to an audio passage multiple times follow the exact test structure.
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That's why it's good to do the YouTube video, because everything is laid out exactly how it'll feel on test day.
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I imagine the ETS website will be the same as well, so make sure you take that test.
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And that's two hours, so that's half your time right there.
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Take a practice test.
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Stop wasting time with tips and tricks.
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Take a practice test.
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After that, your next step is to check your answers.
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Now, this is gonna take about 30 minutes.
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It'll be a bit faster if you do the ETS test because they'll grade your speaking and writing for you.
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Our test on the YouTube channel has an answer key in the description as well, so you can check your answers there.
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And then also, if you are checking your own speaking, you have two options.
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You can upload your recordings to ELSA Speech Analyzer for free,
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or you can pay for a grade on each of them either at my speaking score
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or you can meet with a teacher at tstprep .com for a speaking evaluation.
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It's up to you how you want to do that, but one of those options would probably be best for you.
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And then for writing, you can use Grammarly.
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It'll give you a score of a hundred point scale.
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It won't give you a very good idea of a TOEFL test score, but it will let you know your strengths and weaknesses for your writing,
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and I'll put a link in the description to that as well
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and that's going to take about 30 minutes to check your answers.
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Now, that's really, really important.
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We're just checking, that's it, we're just checking what's going on right now.
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The third step is to take a break.
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So, you've been doing the TOEFL stuff for two and a half hours now, you took a practice test, you check your answers and your speaking and writing,
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you might have went to another website to check your speaking and writing, or you found a teacher to give you a grade.
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Now, just take 15 minutes, relax, have a cup of coffee, think about your next step because this next step is really important.
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This is the most important next step.
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So I want you to be refreshed and energized for this next crucial step.
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So for the next hour and 15 minutes, check your test and see what areas were confusing.
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Which question types didn't you understand in the reading?
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Which listening passage was most difficult?
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Which speaking question were you really confused about?
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You wanna ask these questions and look for answers online.
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Now, I will warn you that you probably don't wanna ask ChatGPT or any AI software right now,
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just because when it comes to the specifics of the test, the answers it gives is not great, at least in my experience.
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If anybody has a different opinion, you could write in the comments,
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that's fine, but I've found that the test is a bit confused about good advice on specific details about the TOEFL.
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General things are okay, but when you start getting more specific, the more important things about your strengths and your weaknesses and your questions.
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I would recommend the TOEFL emergency course.
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We have the premium course, which is perfect, that has study plans for anybody with less than a month to prepare.
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I know most of you are in a hurry, but if you have a bit more time, we have study plans for two days, one week, two weeks, and one month.
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And this shows you pretty much everything you need for each section, answers all the questions, and kind of clears up any confusing parts that you have.
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This will save you a bunch of time because instead of, you know, googling or looking on YouTube for answers,
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you can just go to the course and you can go to the video that's directly connected to your question.
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So that'll save you some time, but it does cost some money.
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I'll put a link in the description to an offer just for the YouTube audience, but that is the last step in this study plan.
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But we do have to talk about some things that you need to know for each section of the test.
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So, so far we've done the four -step study plan.
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You take a test, check your answers, take a break, and then review.
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You could use a course to help you find answers to the questions you have about the test.
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Also, I've given you some websites to use, ETS's official website, TST Prep, My Speaking Score, and Grammarly.
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And now, this is what you need to know for each section.
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First, the reading section.
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For the reading section, you want to scan the passage and then answer the questions as you read.
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You might be surprised by how little time it is to actually read and answer the questions.
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18 minutes is going to fly by.
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So you want to make sure that you scan the passage quickly
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and read and answer the questions at the same time to make sure you have enough time to finish.
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Also, you'll notice that the last question, for there's two reading passages, the last question in each passage is question 10, which is a summary question.
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This takes more time to answer, so make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to answer the summary question at the end,
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because that asks about the whole passage so it's harder to answer.
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For the listening, you want to take notes to make sure that your mind doesn't wander.
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One thing that you're probably surprised about in the listening is that it's long, it's like five minutes, and it's hard to listen to anything for five minutes.
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I'm shocked you're hearing me speaking right now for five minutes, for more than five minutes.
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So, you want to make sure that you take notes to help you stay focused and on task.
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And also, write down mostly verbs and nouns and consonants.
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You don't have to write a, and the, of, to, those are what we call function words, and you don't need to write those down for the listening.
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Speaking, I would memorize your introduction to each speaking question, just a template for each introduction, because it's hard to speak on command.
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They're going to say three, two, one, speak, and you're probably, like, it's hard to start.
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It takes you a second or two to start.
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So, know exactly how you're going to start for each question type, and that'll help you just kind of start on a good note on the right foot.
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And then also posture, attitude, positive thinking, all these things are they affect your score.
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When you're shy, you're hunched, you're like this, you don't know what you're saying, this is going to hurt your speaking score.
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These things matter, back straight, chest out, confidence.
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You know, it's little things that really do make a big impact on your speaking.
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And the last thing is for writing.
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Make sure you leave enough time to edit.
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I think I mentioned this before, but there's no spell check, so make sure you check for typos.
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And then also, you want to try to write longer sentences.
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So, if all of your sentences are really simple, like I like cats, cats are fluffy, I have a cat named Bob,
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whatever, you know, that's not a very interesting sentence, and also it's not going to help your score.
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You want to try to write longer sentences, use conjunctions like and or but.
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If you feel confident use a conditional like
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if then sentence that's really going to help improve your score for grammar
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and show that you have an advanced level of English.
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If you want more practice and more
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or more tips for free we have free practice tests and free practice questions at tstprep .com.
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I'll put a link in the description to make a free account.
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But that's it.
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Thank you guys for watching.
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I hope you found that helpful.
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And now it's a fast study plan.
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So time to get to it and take a practice test.
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I'll put a link somewhere here.
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Good luck and good luck on your test tomorrow.
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I'll see you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “If I Had to Take the TOEFL Tomorrow”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: test, answer, speaking, practice, writing. This video has 134 sentences and 1906 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:11. The speaker talks fast, about 187 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 91% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| spellcheck noun | The act of spellchecking. | |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| scan verb | /skæn/ | To examine sequentially, carefully, or critically; to scrutinize; to behold closely. |
| weakness noun | /ˈwik.nɪs/ | The condition of being weak. |
| consonant noun | /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/ | A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant… |
| energize verb | /ˈɛnəd͡ʒaɪz/ | To invigorate; to make energetic. |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| conditional noun | /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/ | A conditional sentence; a statement that depends on a condition being true or false. |
| noun noun | /naʊn/ | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea… |
| refresh verb | /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/ | To renew or revitalize. |
| posture noun | /ˈpɑst͡ʃɚ/ | The way a person holds and positions their body. |
| wander verb | /ˈwɑndɚ/ | To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood. |
| template noun | /ˈtɛm.plɪt/ | A physical object whose shape is used as a guide to make other objects. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| clear up verb | /klɪəˈɹʌp/ | To clarify, to correct a misconception. |
| lay out verb | /ˌleɪ ˈaʊt/ | To expend or contribute money to an expense or purchase. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Only this video because you can't waste any time.
- I'll put a link in the description to that.
- Which question types didn't you understand in the reading?
- Which speaking question were you really confused about?
- I'll put a link somewhere here.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to the |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've found · we've done · I've given |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is laid · be refreshed |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 53 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conditional /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/, conjunction /kənˈd͡ʒʌŋk.ʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: conditional /kənˈdɪʃ.ə.nəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, unnecessary /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.i/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/
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 spellcheck, confuse, scan.
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.