Shadowing Practice: If You Could Live a Life Without Social Media... - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Let me ask you a question.
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Let me ask you a question.
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What's most likely the very first thing you're going to do when you find yourself bored?
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Is it going outside for a run?
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Is it spending time on some hobbies?
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Is it working on your goals and aspirations?
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Well, it most likely looks something along the lines like this.
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In this day and age,
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it almost feels as if social media is necessary in navigating the current years of our lives.
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Yet, it almost feels as if we're constantly screwing away,
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the most important years of our lives instead.
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So let me ask you a question.
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A question that might sound ridiculous at first.
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If you have the chance to live a life completely free and away from social media, would you?
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At the start of high school,
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I got my first ever phone, an iPhone SE.
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And I was super hyped to finally be able to play Geometry Dash and Clash of Clans whenever and wherever I wanted.
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But in high school, games like these were no longer the hottest thing out there anymore,
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as there was this new thing that everyone had started to use.
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Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, social media.
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And since everyone else was using them,
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it kind of felt like I had to use them too,
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so I installed them.
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And I can't even lie,
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those times back then were actually pretty fun.
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It was pretty fun to be able to talk to my friends whenever and wherever I wanted,
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to follow people who shared the same singular brain cell as me,
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and I honestly felt more connected than ever before.
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But while all this was happening,
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there was unfortunately a very bad side effect that began to take place.
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I don't exactly remember when,
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but I suddenly developed a habit of endlessly scrolling on my phone.
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Whenever I woke up, I would grab my phone and scroll.
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Whenever I got home, I would scroll.
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Whenever there was any sort of empty space where absolutely nothing was happening at all,
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was happening at all, I would grab my phone and scroll.
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And this type of scrolling wasn't doing anything.
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I wasn't learning, excited, or interested.
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I was just mindlessly wasting hours of my time on other people's lives.
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From the outside looking in,
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it was clearly a problem.
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But since everyone else was doing it,
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I really didn't think much of it at all,
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and thought it was completely normal.
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But this pattern of behavior spiraled into something even worse in the years that followed.
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After graduating and having a really depressing first year in university,
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I was completely lost with what the hell I was going to do with my life,
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and ended up taking a year off.
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Now imagine that suddenly, instead of having classes,
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studying, or meeting up with others,
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you had all the free time in the world.
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What would you do with it?
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Well, for me, it didn't change.
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The scrolling had gotten even worse,
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as I was constantly on my phone to distract myself from all the problems I've avidly tried to avoid,
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and started to feel sluggish,
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tired, and unmotivated to do absolutely anything.
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Obviously the scrolling itself was already bad,
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but the stuff I was scrolling,
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looking at all these people sharing their extravagant lives online.
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What does that even mentally do to someone?
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I started constantly comparing my life with others.
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Hey look, someone's partying in university.
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This person's in a perfect relationship.
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This person's traveling across the world.
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This person looks as if they have everything I've figured out.
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While I was in my bed,
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scrolling at 1 in the morning, feeling absolutely worthless.
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I knew this was a problem,
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but my identity, friendships, almost everything was deeply rooted on social media,
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and it felt impossible to leave it all behind.
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But as the days kept blurring away,
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I finally realized that I couldn't keep repeating the cycle,
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and needed to make a change.
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Looking at myself in the mood,
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I finally make the decision that, you know what?
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This isn't worth it anymore.
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I'm done.
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The first few weeks without social media were whack, I can't even lie.
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All of a sudden, I had time.
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Way too much time.
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But now I was completely bored out of my mind,
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since I no longer got that simple fix through scrolling anymore.
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But after a while, I realized that being bored is actually a good thing,
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where curiosity, imagination, thinking, and reflection can all happen.
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And with all that time now,
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I guess I finally had to deal with all those questions I've actively tried to avoid head on,
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search for meaning, and ultimately find things to do.
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And as a result, I discovered new new hobbies,
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new passions, new goals to achieve,
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reignited old hobbies, and learned a lot about myself,
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about who I am, and about what I wanted to do in the future.
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For the first time in years,
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I finally got around to doing a lot of the things I said I was going to do.
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I finally had energy and felt motivated to do things,
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and it honestly felt like I was finally participating in this game called life.
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And honestly, all of this was possible because I was no longer distracted.
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My attention span was finally fixed to where I could finally sit down and think,
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finally work on something without constantly grabbing my phone,
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finally find new things to do whenever I felt bored, I finally felt.. alive.
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Another thing I was worried about when I first deleted social media was phone,
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the fear of missing out.
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I was afraid that if I deleted social media,
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I would miss out on important things and be completely out of the loop on what was happening with my friends,
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others, and everything around the world.
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And I definitely felt that.
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But then, hours would pass,
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days would pass, weeks, months,
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and I finally realized I was missing out on what?
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Stupid trends, some celebrities, other people's lives.
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Like these pieces of information were totally irrelevant and literally did not change or affect my life in any single way.
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So when facing FOMO, I guess it's important to remember
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that every second we spend on social media is also another second we miss out on actual, real life.
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Another thing that also worried me was all those people I would lose contact with.
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But after deleting social media,
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it turns out that out of all those 500 or something followers,
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the truth was that most of them weren't really my friends
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and didn't even know I deleted social media in the first place.
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Liking and commenting on someone's post or story doesn't make you friends.
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Your real friends will always have your back
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and find a way to maintain that connection with you regardless of if you had social media or not.
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And even though I might not be as updated anymore,
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those bonds I share with my friends whenever I see them,
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honestly feel more stronger and more genuine than ever.
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After all, true connection is informed through a strain, but through reality.
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But by far the biggest benefit I've felt from deleting social media has been my mental health.
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My life now sometimes genuinely feels like a character straight out of a gibbon.
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just by simply enjoying all the little things in it.
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From simply taking walks outside,
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to eating breakfast by the balcony,
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to late conversations with friends,
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like, every small thing just feels so real and enjoyable.
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And instead of constantly sharing every single thing that happens in my life,
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I can finally now just live in the present
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and just enjoy the moment giving this feeling of peace and tranquility like never before.
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I also as a whole just feel genuinely happier now without it.
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And part of that could be because I was no longer constantly exposed to other people's lives.
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Now I wasn't comparing myself with others anymore.
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And honestly now that when I think of it,
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I realized how most of what's on social media is legitimately fake.
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Like I remember there was this one time where my friends posted something,
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seemingly having the time of their lives that day,
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but then messaged me how sick,
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dead, and bored they were the entire day.
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Like, what you see on social media ain't reality, bruh.
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With all this nonsense gone,
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my mind finally feels way more at ease now.
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Those anxious feelings I have are no longer there.
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And instead of focusing on others,
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I could finally use that energy to finally focus on my own life
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while accepting and being grateful for what I already have instead of comparing and wishing that I had something else.
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After all, comparison is the thief of joy.
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Even though social media definitely has its upside,
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the way we use it most likely just isn't healthy.
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It used to be this fun thing to connect with others,
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but now it seems like it has taken away our time,
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motivation, interests, mental health, and the social essence of how real human connection is formed.
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It has honestly gotten to a point where it seems like nowadays everyone is glued to their phones.
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Kids on their phones instead of playing outside.
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Couples on their phones instead of talking about life.
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Friends on their phones instead of having a a good time,
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and unfortunately it's happening everywhere.
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Deleting social media has reminded me that there's a lot of life to be lived outside your phone.
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That simple things like living in the present,
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pursuing your passions, making memories,
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those are the things that truly matter in life.
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So if I was to ask you a question,
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a question that might have sounded ridiculous at first,
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If you had the chance to live a life completely free and away from social media, would you?
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Well, for me, the answer is yes.
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Context & Background
In a world where social media is omnipresent, the speaker in the video explores the consequences of living a life dominated by these platforms. He reflects on his journey from childhood excitement over technology to recognizing the negative impact of excessive social media use. As he navigates through feelings of boredom and disconnection, he poses a thought-provoking question: What if you could live without social media? This exploration serves as a backdrop for English learners not only to understand the topic but also to engage with real-world challenges through language practice.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "What's most likely the very first thing you're going to do when you find yourself bored?" - This phrase can help you discuss habits and preferences.
- "I suddenly developed a habit of endlessly scrolling on my phone." - Use this to describe new behaviors or routines.
- "I was just mindlessly wasting hours of my time." - This can be applied when talking about time management.
- "Imagine that suddenly, instead of having classes, you had all the free time in the world." - A useful phrase for discussing hypothetical situations.
- "It felt like I had to use them too." - Great for expressing social pressures or influences.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To tackle the content of this video and improve your English speaking skills, particularly focusing on shadow speech, follow this structured approach:
- Watch the Video: Begin by watching the video once without subtitles. Focus on understanding the overarching message and vibe of the speaker's delivery.
- Listen Actively: Play the video again, this time pay attention to the phrases discussed above. Jot down any sentences that resonate with you or that you find particularly challenging.
- Shadow Speak: Now, play short segments of the video and pause. Repeat each sentence aloud. This technique, known as shadow speaking, helps improve your English pronunciation and fluency. Aim to mimic the intonation and rhythm of the speaker!
- Practice with Context: After shadowing, try to create your sentences using the vocabulary and expressions learned. This encourages practical learning and helps you build your confidence in handling daily conversations.
- Record Yourself: Finally, record your shadowing sessions. Listening back will enable you to identify areas for improvement and track your progress, which is a valuable part of the IELTS speaking practice journey.
This detailed practice will not only help you improve your language skills but also encourage reflection on your habits and time management in today's digital age. Embrace this dual focus as you learn English with YouTube content!
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.
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