Shadowing Practice: If You Can Understand Him, Your English Is Incredible - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you can understand this video, then your English listening skills are incredible.
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That's because I'm going to be telling you a story, but I'm going to be speaking at a very natural native pace.
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There aren't going to be any subtitles, and there is going to be a bit of background noise as well, as you can probably already tell.
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So the story I'm going to be telling you today is based on a very interesting concept called the butterfly effect.
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And I'll tell you what it is
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and I'll tell you how it may have shown up in your life as well
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and I'd like you to think about that throughout my story
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because I can promise you in one way or another this thing will have also impacted you.
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So the butterfly effect is extremely simple and it's just this idea
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that a very small seemingly insignificant thing that happened in the past can go on to have massive
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unpredictable outcomes in the future.
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Okay, an easy way to remember this is just imagine a
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butterfly on the other side of the world flapping its wings and that causes something else to happen, which causes something else to happen, causes something else to happen,
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and eventually that one butterfly causes a humongous event to happen on the other side of the world as well.
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So here's my example, right?
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This happened about 10 years ago.
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After school, so I'm 28 now, this was when I was 17
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so 11 years ago after school one day i was going
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back home with my friend he was giving me a lift
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and i randomly had a seizure in his car
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and a seizure is basically it's basically when you collapse
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and you pass out
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and you're like shaking on the floor it's not very pleasant i wouldn't really wish it on my worst enemy
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but it's surprisingly common you don't have to be epileptic to have a seizure normally
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if you have seizures you're epileptic you've probably heard of
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that epilepsy but it's not uncommon for people to be to have seizures without being epileptic
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and thankfully that was the case with me as well anyway i had a random seizure
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and they took me to hospital they did some tests they found out that it was a one-off event, but they put me on some medication Anyway,
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just as a precaution to ensure that I didn't have any more in the future
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So I didn't really think much of it at the time.
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I was like, okay, that's a bit annoying It's a bit weird, but it seems like it's not going to be something
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that influences my life going forward And I was right for quite a long time until it did influence my life.
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So we'll fast forward forward seven years when I was 24 okay
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so I didn't really know what I wanted to do with my life at
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that point and I was running this one business reselling custom Levi's jeans
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but I also had recently gone on holiday to Korea
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and I absolutely loved it right so after
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that holiday I was like you know what I think I
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would quite like to move here sorry I did I did promise some background noise but this is a bit excessive.
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I apologize.
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Anyway, I went to Korea and I was like, you know what, I want to move here.
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So what is the easiest way for someone to move to Korea?
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That is to become an English teacher.
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So that's exactly what I did.
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I started getting my English teaching qualifications and I started the process and I filled out all the details.
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I made my application and I just want to really emphasize it's
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so easy to get accepted into these public teaching programs in Korea.
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If you speak English and you don't have a criminal record, they will accept you.
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It really is that simple.
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So that's why I was so confident I was going to do that.
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And I was getting ready, I was saying goodbye to my friends and my family.
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I was nearly at the end of the process when one day I wake up to an email saying, Hi Dylan, we're afraid to say that your application has been rejected
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and you can't apply with us again for the next five years.
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Sorry about that.
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We can't give a reason at the moment as to why your application has been rejected.
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So I was so confused.
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I was like, in my mind, I was already there.
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So to just wake up one day and to be told, no, your plan's not possible anymore.
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You're not going to be doing that anymore.
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It's quite disorienting, to say the least.
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And I was just really confused as well.
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So I spoke to my account manager person, the one that was helping me with this entire process.
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And I was like, I got rejected.
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Did you see?
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She was like, yeah, yeah, I saw.
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Why did I get rejected?
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She was like, I honestly don't know.
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So I went through the application again.
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And we found out that it's because when you fill out the forms, you have to say if you are on any medication or if you have been on any medication in the past.
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So this is when I mentioned, without even thinking about it, that I was on medication to prevent any further seizures.
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But I also said I haven't had a seizure in like 10 years, so it's not a big deal.
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And it's because of that they rejected me.
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I searched online, I went on Reddit
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and I found out there are there have been other cases in the past the exact same
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Where they listed one tiny medication and because of that sorry
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Koreans and their kpop and now
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that I think about it I actually had a friend who I was learning Korean with
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and She said that she had had some mental health problems in the past like five years ago
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And they rejected her because of that as well.
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So now that I think about it, they are extremely strict
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so that is an example of the butterfly thing
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but it gets crazier than that
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because okay you could argue this one thing happening fast forward like 10 years seven years
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and that's had a huge impact on my life I can no longer move to Korea obviously
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that would have completely changed the direction of my life don't look guys sorry
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so it's actually because of that though that's the reason why I started my youtube channel
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because it was a week after I was rejected from teaching in Korea
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that out of spite I decided to start this channel and teach online.
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I wouldn't have done that if they had rejected me.
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I would have been living here and there would be no British education.
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I wouldn't be making this video right now.
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Who knows what my life would have been like then if I had followed that route.
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But it was because of that one random seizure I had in my friend's car 11 years ago.
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That's what caused me to get rejected to Korea.
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That's what caused me to start my channel.
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And that's what caused me to have this completely different life.
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And if I have, if you're new here, probably not.
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But in the past, if any of my videos have influenced you in any way whatsoever, that's because of that one seizure I had 11 years ago.
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I'm sweating because it's like 32 degrees today.
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It's very humid.
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Anyway.
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So that's just an example of how something seemingly so small
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and insignificant can have such a huge impact not only on my life But on other people's lives as well So yeah,
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I'd like you to think of your that's the story guys
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I'd like you to think of your own example of the butterfly effect and think about how
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This has influenced your life and it can be something small
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And it might not be done yet because I promise you
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that something small can turn into something bigger and bigger and bigger bigger.
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So just think about that and if you have an interesting story please comment down below.
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Anyway that was the test.
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That was hard because I was speaking at a very natural pace.
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I was rambling a bit.
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I wasn't very succinct with my words so it was a very native realistic conversation there.
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There was a lot of background noise as well.
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So if you were able to understand that, good job.
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Your English is incredible.
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Now I have a couple things to note.
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Obviously that will be testing your listening skills but I know
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that a lot of you you're okay with listening but it's the speaking that you struggle with. So if
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that is you then I'd like to invite you to join
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my private online community here you will get seven live calls every single week with me
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and with the natural accent specialist as well so
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that will give you plenty of opportunities to practice your speaking
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skills with other learners okay no AI nonsense real people
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and also so the link to
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that in the top comment definitely join it's really fun
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and also i did post a similar video a couple of days ago
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which will be appearing here
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so thank you again guys for watching i hope you enjoyed make sure to like subscribe comment down below
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and i'll see you very soon with another video right cheers adios
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “If You Can Understand Him, Your English Is Incredible”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: seizure, rejected, Korea, butterfly. This video has 130 sentences and 1610 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:52. The speaker talks fast, about 205 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| seizure noun | /ˈsi.ʒɚ/ | The act of taking possession, as by force or right of law. |
| butterfly noun | /ˈbʌ.tə(ɹ).flaɪ/ | A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring. |
| medication noun | /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ | A medicine, or all the medicines regularly taken by a patient. |
| epileptic adjective | /ˌɛpɪˈlɛptɪk/ | Of or relating to epilepsy. |
| insignificant adjective | /ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/ | Not significant; not important, inconsequential, or having no noticeable effect. |
| seemingly adverb | /ˈsiːmɪŋli/ | As it appears; apparently. |
| disorient verb | /dɪsˈɔːɹi.ənt/ | To cause to lose orientation or direction. |
| epilepsy noun | /ˈɛpɪˌlɛpsi/ | A medical condition in which the sufferer experiences seizures (or convulsions) and blackouts. |
| humongous adjective | /ˌhjuːˈmʌŋɡəs/ | Of an extremely large size. |
| learner noun | /ˈlɜɹnəɹ/ | One who is learning; one receiving instruction. |
| precaution noun | /pɹiːˈkɔ.ʃən/ | Previous caution or care; caution previously employed to prevent misfortune or to secure good. |
| ramble verb | /ˈɹæmbəl/ | To move about aimlessly, or on a winding course. |
| resell verb | /ɹiːˈsɛl/ | To sell again. |
| subtitle noun | /ˈsʌbtaɪtəl/ | A heading below or after a title. |
| humid adjective | /ˈhjuːmɪd/ | Containing perceptible moisture (usually describing air or atmosphere); damp; moist; somewhat wet or watery. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| fill out verb | /fɪl ˈaʊt/ | To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| going forward adverb | In the immediate future and beyond. | |
| pass out verb | To faint; to become unconscious. | |
| 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:
- You're not going to be doing that anymore.
- Why did I get rejected?
- She was like, I honestly don't know.
- I wouldn't be making this video right now.
- That's what caused me to start my channel.
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 probably heard · has been rejected · have been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is based · has been rejected · be told |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 35 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: seizure /ˈsi.ʒɚ/, medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, precaution /pɹiːˈkɔ.ʃən/, qualification /ˌkwɑlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, epileptic /ˌɛpɪˈlɛptɪk/, insignificant /ˌɪnsɪɡˈnɪfɪkənt/, disorient /dɪsˈɔːɹi.ənt/, epilepsy /ˈɛpɪˌlɛpsi/
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 seizure, butterfly, medication.
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.