Shadowing Practice: Improve Your English Speaking Fluency (Shadowing Practice 🇬🇧) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Today, again, we're going to transform your speaking and your pronunciation.
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We're going to make you sound as natural as possible, as fast as possible.
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If you've already seen my first video, you know why shadowing is so powerful.
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And if you haven't seen it yet, make sure you have a look.
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Today, again, we're going to be putting that into action.
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Welcome to part two.
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So grab your headphones, clear your voice, and get ready to speak along with me.
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Before we begin, a very quick recap on how to shadow properly.
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Step one, listen to me once and focus on the rhythm and the emotion, not just the words.
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Step two, repeat it immediately after me or even better, at the same time.
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Try to match everything try to match my speed my tone my rhythm my intonation my energy the closer
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you can get to the phrase you're shadowing the more helpful it is for you don't worry about perfection
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if you miss a word keep going shadowing is about the flow of speaking not the accuracy and finally repeat the exercise.
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Repeat it three to five times.
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Repeat it as often as you need to sound as close to the original as possible.
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I've spoken about this before, but it's so true.
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Shadowing is the best technique to help you sound more natural.
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So are you ready to speak along with me?
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We'll start with natural everyday English, the kind that British people actually use.
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Listen once, then repeat it with me listen once then shadow how's
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it going everything all right how's it going everything all right again with me how's
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it going everything all right how's it going everything all right don't worry
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if you feel like a parrot i feel like a parrot too let's be parrots together
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Remember, and I cannot stress this enough, it doesn't matter if you don't manage to match it perfectly.
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That's not the point.
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The point is to try.
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Almost forgetting about the words and the meaning behind them for a moment.
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Second sentence.
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Sorry, I didn't catch that.
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Could you say it again?
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Sorry, I didn't catch that.
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Could you say it again?
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Notice the that.
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Because you have the c after catch that could we don't pronounce
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that that could sorry I didn't catch
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that could you say it again sorry I didn't catch
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that could you say it again sorry I didn't catch
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that could you say
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it again to learn more about the art of linking sounds together make sure
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you have a look at this video where I go into more detail about
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that sorry I didn't catch
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that could you say it again did you say it with me one more time sorry I didn't catch
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that could you say it again i'm speaking at a natural pace
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because the goal is to reach a natural pace with speech however
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if it is too fast for you at first slow it down then build up watch it at half speed
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or three -quarters speed say it with me build the speed in later
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if that helps third sentence that sounds brilliant that sounds brilliant
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that sounds brilliant match my enthusiasm even if you feel silly
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that sounds brilliant
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that sounds brilliant well done great let's run over those three again imagine
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you are actually in the conversation now don't overthink it just echo or shadow the rhythm.
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How's it going?
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Everything all right?
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Sorry, I didn't catch that.
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Could you say it again?
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That sounds brilliant.
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Well done.
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Okay, for this next round, let's step it up and use some typically British phrases.
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Fancy a cuppa?
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Fancy a cuppa?
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Relaxed and friendly.
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Fancy a cuppa?
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Fancy a cuppa?
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Obviously, this means would you like a cup of tea?
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Fancy a cuppa?
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Fancy a cuppa?
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I'm absolutely knackered.
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I'm absolutely knackered.
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I'm absolutely knackered.
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Pretend you are really tired.
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You might be, but pretend you're very tired when you say this.
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This means it's slang for feeling exhausted.
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I'm absolutely knackered.
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I'm absolutely knackered knackered is very informal slightly more formal version
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I'm absolutely exhausted I'm absolutely exhausted I'm absolutely exhausted now I want you to sound a bit exasperated
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because this is a classic British weather complaint oh it's chucking it down out there it's chucking it down out there
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It's chucking it down out there.
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This means it is raining very heavily.
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It's chucking it down out there.
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It's chucking it down out there.
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Oh, look, it's chucking it down out there.
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It's chucking it down out there.
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Remember, when you shadow these, don't just copy the words, copy the attitude and the energy behind them.
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Knackered, you should sound exhausted.
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For chucking it down, you should sound fed up,
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irritated exasperated it's chucking it down let's do all three again with the emotion first one you're feeling bright
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and optimistic you're asking if someone wants a cup of tea then we're moving on to tired
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and then we're finishing with fed up
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and annoyed fancy a cuppa I'm absolutely knackered it's chucking
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it down out there the final round will be a little bit harder
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because we are going to focus on a full paragraph.
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I'll say it again.
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We're going to focus on a full paragraph because that is where shadowing really trains fluency.
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Listen once, then join in.
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You know, I was going to take the bus, but it started pouring.
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So I grabbed a taxi instead.
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Honestly, British weather never fails to surprise me.
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Do you hear the flow, the connected speech and the natural pauses?
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We'll say it once slower, then full native speed.
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You know, I was gonna take the bus, but it started pouring, so I grabbed a taxi instead.
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Honestly, British weather never fails to surprise me.
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Are you ready to go full native speed?
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Let's shadow it together.
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One, two, three.
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You know, I was gonna take the bus, but it started pouring, so I grabbed a taxi instead.
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Honestly, British weather never fails to surprise me.
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You know, I was going to take the bus, but it started pouring, so I grabbed a taxi instead.
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Honestly, British weather never fails to surprise me.
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How close did you get?
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If you can still hear that gap, try again.
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Try and match my speed as much as you can.
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Go over and over it again if you need to.
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You want to speak with me, not after me.
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However, if you can only speak after me at first, that's fine.
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You will get there.
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I believe in you.
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Now, your homework, and this is where the real progress happens.
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Record yourself saying all of the lines from today without me.
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It's only about a minute of talking, so you can do it now if you want, and play your version next to mine.
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Where did you sound natural?
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Where did you sound more flat?
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Where did you sound most similar to my version where are the areas in
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which you need to improve because
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that my friend is your personal roadmap to fluency do this once a day for a week
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and i promise you will hear the difference the recording at the end of the week
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when you're speaking will be very different to the first recording
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you're doing now five minutes of shadowing practice every day will do more for your pronunciation than hours and hours of theory.
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I promise I'm not just saying that.
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I do it with my Italian speaking and I promise it makes a huge difference.
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Believe me, please.
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If you complete this exercise this week, comment shadow challenge complete and tell me which line was the hardest for you.
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And if you'd like a part three, let me know.
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If you haven't seen part one, make sure you have a look at that as well.
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I hope that was helpful.
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I really hope you enjoyed that.
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Don't forget to grab your free PDF.
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Feel free to buy me a coffee if you would like to give back and help the channel grow.
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However, no pressure, just your being here and watching is fabulous enough.
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And I will see you in the next one.
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Go and practice now.
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Practice your shadowing.
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Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Improve Your English Speaking Fluency”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sound, chucking, catch, absolutely, knackered. This video has 142 sentences and 1386 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:09. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| chuck verb | /t͡ʃʌk/ | To playfully give a light touch, stroke, tap, etc., to someone, especially under the chin. |
| fancy noun | /ˈfæn.si/ | The imagination. |
| exhaust verb | /ɪɡˈzɔst/ | To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely. |
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| pour verb | /poɹ/ | To cause (liquid, or liquid-like substance) to flow in a stream, either out of a container or into it. |
| rhythm noun | /ˈɹɪð.əm/ | The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| pace noun | /peɪs/ | A step taken with the foot. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| paragraph noun | /ˈpæɹəɡɹæf/ | A passage in text that starts on a new line, the first line sometimes being indented, and usually marks a change of topic. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| tone noun | /ˈtəʊn/ | A specific pitch. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. |
| give back verb | To return, restore (a thing to its original owner or location etc.). |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. |
| run over verb | To exceed the allotted time. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Could you say it again?
- Are you ready to go full native speed?
- How close did you get?
- Where did you sound natural?
- Where did you sound more flat?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, enthusiasm /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, accuracy /ˈæk.jɚ.ə.si/, enthusiasm /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/, optimistic /ˌɒptɪˈmɪstɪk/, exasperate /ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/
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 shadow, chuck, fancy.
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.