Shadowing Practice: Improve Your English Each Week With These 5 Tips! - Learn English Speaking with Video

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So, as many of you know, I am a native English speaker, but I also have taken the time to learn the French language.
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What I've noticed, though, is when you learn a language, if you don't regularly practice that language, if you don't do some reading and writing and speaking throughout the week, you start to forget things.
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This doesn't happen for me in English because as a native speaker, I get to speak English all the time.
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I'm always practicing. But if I don't take the time to practice my French, I start to forget things.
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So in this English lesson, I'm going to tell you the top five things I do each week to help me remember the French that I've learned in the past, the things I do to practice it each week.
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And you can use the same five techniques to help you with your English.
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So we're going to do these in reverse order.
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I'm going to start with number five, and I'll work my way up to the best piece of advice that I can give you.
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So let's start with number five.
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Number five is reading.
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In particular, I like reading books.
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And more specifically, I like reading books in my target language that I've already read in my native language.
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If you don't know those two terms, your target language is the language you're learning, and your native language is the language that you've been speaking since you were a little kid.
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I like doing this for two reasons.
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When I read a book in my target language that I've already read in my native language, number one, I know I'm already going to enjoy the book.
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I've already read it maybe five or ten years ago.
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And number two, I already know most of the story and the names of the characters.
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So as I'm reading in my target language, my brain can kind of fill in the blanks when I'm reading passages where I maybe don't recognize all the words.
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So number five, working our way backwards.
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Number five, the fifth most important thing for me to practice my target language is definitely to read books.
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So the fourth thing that I would recommend and something that I do is to watch a lot of television shows in your target language.
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I do this a lot.
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I'm a little bit of a TV addict.
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I'm not sure why.
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Maybe it's because I watched a lot of TV with my dad when I was a kid.
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I just naturally like watching TV.
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So it's really easy for me to watch TV in my target language.
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The Internet makes this really easy, by the way, it's much easier to find TV shows in the language you're trying to learn.
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And one of the reasons I like TV shows is I like the characters.
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I like following the story of a character through one episode and an entire season and sometimes multiple seasons.
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It's really fun to get to know the people in the show, and you also then train your ear to understand that person.
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So the fourth thing that I do quite regularly is I watch a lot of television in my target language.
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Okay, here we go.
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Number three, watch a lot of YouTube videos.
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Now, I know I'm a youtuber, and you might feel like I'm just trying to get you to watch more of my YouTube videos, but that's not the point here.
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The point is I find YouTube to be an amazing tool.
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It's amazing for learning a language.
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You can find YouTube videos that actually teach you the language.
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You can find YouTube videos on subjects that you are interested in.
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You can do a lot of watching and a lot of learning, not just of your target language, but of things you wanted to know anyways.
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So for me, number three, watch a lot of YouTube videos.
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Watch YouTube videos that specifically teach you the language you are learning, but also watch YouTube videos that you're just interested in.
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Maybe you want to learn how to make a pie.
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Maybe you want to learn how to take care of puppies because your dog just had puppies.
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Find YouTube videos in your target language and watch them.
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Number two, listen to a lot of music.
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I love listening to French music, and you should love listening to English music.
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One of the coolest things about music is A) it usually makes you feel really good.
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Sometimes it has a good beat, or when you finally understand the lyrics, it has a good message, but it also is something that you don't mind doing over and over again.
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I have a great playlist in my target language that I listen to quite regularly.
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In fact, I will listen to it before I do what's number one on the list?
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Because it puts my brain into that language.
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It's really, really helpful.
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So number two, something you should be doing a lot of.
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Listen to a ton of music.
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And here we go.
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Number one, find a speaking partner.
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I cannot emphasize this enough.
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Nothing will improve your language faster or better than having a regular meeting with a speaking partner.
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I don't know if this is a scientific fact.
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Sorry, I said it like it was some sort of fact.
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For me, the number one thing, the best thing I can do to get better in my target language, to speak French better, is to meet with my French speaking partner, which I'm starting again this Wednesday.
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I'm pretty excited to talk to them again.
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If you don't have an English speaking partner, do whatever you can to find one.
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I cannot once again emphasize enough how important it is to have a speaking partner.
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It just works wonders.
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It makes you work harder during the week, as you know that meeting is approaching.
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In fact, Vanessa mentioned this in her video a week and a half ago, the video that I was in.
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I'll put a link up here. At the very end, she talks about how if you know you're going to have a conversation, you do more reading, you listen to more music, you watch more TV because you want to have things to talk about when you meet with that person.
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Anyways, thanks for watching this short English lesson.
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I hope it gave you a little bit of advice for things you can do to improve your English studying and the things you can do to maintain the English you've already learned.
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If this is your first time here, don't forget to click that red subscribe button.
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Give me a thumbs up, leave a comment below and have a good day. Bye.

Why practice speaking with this video?

In the video "Improve Your English Each Week With These 5 Tips!", the speaker emphasizes the importance of regular practice to retain language skills. Speaking in English often helps you internalize vocabulary and grammatical structures, making communication more fluid. Regularly engaging with native or fluent speakers through speaking practice not only improves pronunciation but also boosts your confidence in using the language. By incorporating the tips provided in the video into your daily routine, you can harness the full potential of learn English with YouTube materials, turning your passive learning into active communication.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the video, the speaker employs several key structures that can enhance your understanding of English language mechanics. Here are some notable examples:

  • Use of Present Continuous: The speaker often discusses current practices, using the present continuous tense, such as "I am watching TV" or "I am learning." This tense conveys ongoing actions, helpful for describing your language journey.
  • Imperative Sentences: Phrases like "watch a lot of YouTube videos" or "listen to a lot of music" function as imperatives. These direct statements offer clear instructions, which is particularly useful in IELTS speaking practice.
  • Connection with Personal Experience: The speaker shares personal anecdotes, enhancing relatability. Using structures like "I like" or "I enjoy" allows you to express your preferences, crucial for conversational English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While watching the video, you may notice certain words and phrases that can be tricky to pronounce. Here are some common pronunciation traps:

  • “Regularly” - This word often confuses learners due to its rhythm and the placement of syllables. Emphasize the second syllable: "reg-U-lar-ly."
  • “Practice” vs. “Practise” - In American English, "practice" (noun) is pronounced with a short 'a' sound, while in British English, "practise" (verb) ends with an 's.'
  • Shadowing Technique: The concept of shadow speech refers to mimicking the speaker’s tone and rhythm. This is particularly effective for enhancing your pronunciation. Utilize resources from shadowspeak to further develop your skills.

By focusing on these aspects while you learn English with YouTube, you will find that your speaking and comprehension abilities improve significantly, preparing you for real-life conversations and formal exams like the IELTS.

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.