Shadowing Practice: Inside Lucy Hale’s Whimsical L.A. Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
231 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Hi, A .D.
2
I'm Lucy Hale and welcome to Elvis and Ethel's house.
3
Should we give them a tour?
4
Yeah, I agree.
5
Come on in.
6
I knew in the entryway I wanted a piece that was like, really stopped you in your tracks.
7
And I fell in love with this.
8
This is a piece by Austin Heyman.
9
And this model right here, her name is Lucy as well.
10
So that's kind of kismet.
11
And then this is my sheep that is unnamed yet, but maybe you guys can help me name her.
12
And it's actually like a little stool.
13
I knew when we redid the house, I was like, I need color.
14
I need color.
15
I never in a million years thought I would be the gal with a pink couch, but it feels right.
16
I feel like the whole house is very moody femme.
17
I worked with the best duo, Marie and Ashley, at Pro -Am, and I actually found them through Arc Digest.
18
I was looking at Emma Chamberlain's house, and along with every other person, I fell in love with the house,
19
and I just thought, it's something intuitively.
20
I was like, I have to work with them.
21
They are very busy, so I had to get on a little wait list for a bit.
22
I wanted this house to be a true reflection of the woman I am today
23
and the woman I've grown into and they just picked it up right like that.
24
I'm a huge homebody and I wanted it to be a place that I was excited to come home to, but it's definitely my sanctuary.
25
Funny enough, and this was not placed by you guys, I have an AD magazine in here because I have truly,
26
no lie, been manifesting this moment for a long time.
27
So this is a really big deal.
28
I'm very excited you're here.
29
When I bought this house, I was told, rumor has it, that this was Marilyn Monroe's makeup artist house.
30
So I choose to believe that.
31
And obviously big Elvis fan in this house.
32
When you grow up in Memphis, you love Elvis Presley and you love Dustin Timberlake.
33
My grandmother was obsessed with Elvis and she says she got kissed by Elvis once.
34
Which is also something I just choose to believe.
35
She also was just like such a badass and so cool.
36
Like that would happen to her.
37
Actually I have a tattoo of Elvis's name.
38
Sometimes people are like, wait, what does that say? but it's in cursive.
39
I love my dogs and you want to see something else?
40
My dog Elvis on a ring.
41
Favorite thing as well.
42
Because at night it makes me less scared when it's on.
43
We have a visitor.
44
We have Miss Ethel, Madame Ethel.
45
Typically in the morning, I will pull a tarot card for the day.
46
I don't read tarot.
47
I don't know too much, but I'm very into all of this.
48
You got to knock the energy out.
49
And the question can be, what am I going to get out of this home tour with AD?
50
I also don't know how to shuffle, so please don't zoom in on that.
51
Oh, this one.
52
You see how it's like peeking out?
53
You see that?
54
This is the nine of pentacles, which means lucky you.
55
You know your worth.
56
Can you live in gratitude for what you've accomplished and how the universe is reflecting that back to you?
57
You've earned your place in the world and this is a space to enjoy it.
58
Oh my God.
59
Nines also can imply location and your home or office space is one that will call in more abundance.
60
I mean, this is why I believe in tarot.
61
I don't cook a ton, so typically I'll order in.
62
I open up.
63
Open up my food here.
64
Sometimes I'll plate it if I'm feeling fancy.
65
Oh my gosh, this is sweet.
66
My grandmother gave me this.
67
No, this makes me cry.
68
It actually will make me tear up.
69
It says, I wish we lived closer, and there's a heart in California and a heart in Tennessee.
70
It's just so sweet.
71
You would have thought that I would have prepared for you guys.
72
Wait, hold on.
73
Oh, it's so embarrassing, but come on in.
74
This is no lie, legit what it looks like most of the time.
75
So I have old takeout.
76
My, this is so bad, but whatever, we're here.
77
Dog food.
78
My dogs get bone broth and kefir and sardines.
79
Then my snack drawer.
80
Oh, have you guys heard about these?
81
The world's most sour candy.
82
I'm not gonna do it right now because it will make you sick
83
but I do have those if anyone's looking for them.
84
I need to introduce you to someone really important to me.
85
She's very special.
86
She's the guardian of the house and her name is Doris.
87
Sweet Doris was created by an incredible artist named Agnes Bailan.
88
I don't know why I just trust Doris.
89
I know that she's the all -seeing eye of the house.
90
I named her Doris because that was my great grandmother's name and I feel really connected to her.
91
Oh, these are the books I'm actually reading right now.
92
Yes, I believe in animal spirit guides.
93
So sometimes if I see an animal in my yard, I'll like quickly look at what it means.
94
But here's my junk drawer.
95
Oh, this is actually a taser. Because you never know. And some mace.
96
I sit here the most.
97
I love this piece of art.
98
She's naked riding a horse, getting like snacks fed to her.
99
Whoever she is, she's got it figured out.
100
Oh my god, the pelvis is on the bed.
101
Okay, he's behind the pillow.
102
Hi buddy, I'm so sorry to disturb you.
103
Can we come in?
104
This is the room I definitely spend the most time in.
105
It feels like a warm hug.
106
There's something about like maybe the higher ceilings and just being able to see outside.
107
It just really relaxes my nervous system.
108
You can see the other mascot of the house other than Doris.
109
We have many lamb chops.
110
I usually sleep with these by my bed, but I have this guy.
111
It's like a citrine troll.
112
But these are, I call them my travel crystals because I take them everywhere.
113
Oh, this chair is furry.
114
I feel important in this chair.
115
It feels like I've got important decisions to make.
116
You want to come join me?
117
No?
118
Here's my cutie little bathroom with a lot of color.
119
Before this bathroom was all completely white and it just feels so warm in here.
120
All my skincare just piled in there.
121
Oh, this is my favorite red light mask.
122
I love it.
123
Oh, it's dead because I use it. So many shampoos.
124
I absolutely love it out here because it's really private, but it's so hot in LA right now.
125
Yeah, it feels really nice.
126
I think we should all jump in after this.
127
There was a time in my life where I would kind of cold plunge it in the morning.
128
And by a time in my life, I mean, I did it like three days in a row.
129
There are a lot of critters out here, a lot of butterflies, A lot of birds.
130
Can you hear them?
131
It's not a pretty bird, but oh, Elvis is taking a shit.
132
Oh, they both did.
133
So my dogs are potty trained.
134
This hallway is very special.
135
It's my gallery wall with family members.
136
This is my sister and I when we were kids, but I'm just dying.
137
How did I know how to pose like that at three years old?
138
It's a little scary, actually.
139
Here is the real Doris, my great -grandmother.
140
I don't know who this is, but I found this photo in family photos, and I was obsessed with whoever this diva is.
141
We love you, whoever you are.
142
This is my grandmother.
143
Remember I told you my grandma was obsessed with Memphis?
144
This is them in like a fake Memphis jail.
145
This is my sweet dad.
146
This is my mom.
147
Got mostly everyone covered in the hallway.
148
It's very special to me and now we're going into a very cool room.
149
My media room.
150
This has a special place here.
151
I found this lamp in upstate
152
New York at an antique warehouse.
153
Oh, this is very cool.
154
This is the last Elvis thing, I promise.
155
But my grandmother, who claims to have been kissed by him, this is an actual Elvis Presley autograph.
156
And this is the telegram from the mayor of Memphis the day after Elvis died
157
when they were holding a silent tribute to him.
158
And my grandmother saved everything because this is the entertainment room I thought it would be cool to include.
159
Oh, this is cool.
160
So rumor has it that this was a part of Marilyn Monroe's estate.
161
It's not confirmed, but in my head, this belonged to Marilyn Monroe.
162
And more lamb chops, half eaten lamb chops.
163
I'm not kidding.
164
Like we go through a couple of months.
165
I would say I eat most of my meals here, probably on the floor more so because I'm prone to spilling.
166
The things I watch can't have too many animals in it.
167
I had to stop watching Yellowstone back in the day because Elvis wouldn't let me.
168
Like, he was very distraught over the horses and cows.
169
And it's so funny, like, certain animals don't trigger him, but all dogs forget about it.
170
So they do kind of dictate what I watch.
171
Oh, this is fun, the table.
172
So this table turns on and off, and I think that's really cool.
173
I just had family in town.
174
My nieces actually, I haven't told my designers yet, but they spilled their chocolate milk.
175
And they didn't tell me, and then I saw it, and they were too scared to tell me because they knew we were having this shoot.
176
But it came out, and it's fine.
177
What's furniture for if you don't use it or live in it or spill chocolate milk on it?
178
This is the perfect hour minute moment for the stained glass that's coming across this piece.
179
I have very vivid memories when I was growing up of my grandparents' house.
180
They had this front door that had stained glass on it and it's sort of to honor them.
181
Whoa, it's bright. Be careful.
182
Holy cow.
183
I wanted a big girl office.
184
I just thought that it was time at 37 that I have an office in my house.
185
I feel like important decisions need to be made on this desk.
186
It's like a very sturdy desk.
187
Although, you know, what's funny is because I'm quite short,
188
it hits me so I feel like a small child sitting here sometimes these are birthday cards from
189
my I call them mom and dad
190
but they're my best friends they're married Kurt
191
and Claire I keep all of my it says
192
it's from it makes this feels oh my gosh this is from Elvis
193
and Ethel someone wrote a card from them i keep it all
194
because it makes me happy so these are old like tech devices
195
that i don't know what to do with this was a coat i wore on a show called katie keen
196
which is a tv show i did like maybe five years ago
197
this was from a show i did called ragdoll
198
and this is the most recent movie i did called princess
199
i need to have everything memorized it's like a big fear of mine of not being prepared.
200
Can you imagine, I often think of like maybe knock on wood, Kate Winslet, love her.
201
Can you imagine going to work with Kate Winslet and not being prepared?
202
You gotta be on your game.
203
So I'm working towards that.
204
Oh, this is funny.
205
I just went to this PLL or like a Comic -Con and I got to meet fans of Pretty Little Liars.
206
And this is an Aria doll just so sweet of people just like wrote little letters.
207
You know what this is my important it literally says important documents.
208
You know those memes of people who are like why you can't sleep at night
209
because at 3 a .m you're like where's my birth certificate?
210
Well guess what I know where mine is.
211
This room is my meditation library room.
212
I was a kid that grew up in the 90s
213
and remember McDonald's used to like give all the little toys that's
214
when my obsession with little things started this is the perfect room to hold all of those things
215
and then this is just you know where I find my calm
216
it's quite nice probably need to spend more time in here to be honest just need a few minutes
217
that's good enough okay here are pretty little liars books I don't have all of them, but I have a lot of them.
218
I actually read the books before I booked the show.
219
I was a big fan of them, so it was a pretty big deal.
220
I have my little sound bowl.
221
You hear it?
222
Do you feel better?
223
Okay, me too.
224
This was a birthday gift from my friend Val, and it's this woman, Elle King, in 2023.
225
Basically, she goes into meditation, and she feels into the soul of the person she's painting for.
226
And according to this woman, this is a painting of my soul.
227
And I just think that's really beautiful.
228
All right, AD, that was so fun.
229
Thank you so much for coming by.
230
I've gotta go actually chop up some sardines for the homeowners now, so I'll see you next time.
231
Bye.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B21
Inside Troian Bellisario & Patrick J. Adams’s Eclectic L.A. Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C1Inside An Experimental Off-Grid Modern Cabin | Unique Spaces | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C11
Architect Breaks Down 5 of the Most Common New York Apartments | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
How This Famous Architect Changed America | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Inside Amanda Seyfried’s Peaceful New York Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B23
Inside a Small 465-Sq-Ft Malibu Beach House With a Loft Bedroom | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Inside Lenny Kravitz’s Regal Paris Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
Inside Dakota Johnson's Serene Hollywood Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B26
Inside The Home Frank Lloyd Wright Designed For His Son | Unique Spaces | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
How This Famous Architect Revolutionized The Way Architects Design | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C14
Every Way Emma Chamberlain Has Updated Her Home | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
Inside Jensen and Danneel Ackles' Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Inside Jeff Goldblum & Emilie Goldblum's Playful Guest House | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
Inside Lana Condor’s Dream California Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
University StudentsWorking Adults
C14
Inside a Woodland Home Built Over Water to Become One With Nature | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B22
Inside Nina Dobrev's 1920's Spanish-Style Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B210
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Home at Christmas | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B226
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Cozy Mountain Home | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B216
Inside Kendall Jenner’s Cozy L.A. Hideaway | Open Door | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1How 'Dune' Replicated Real-Life Ancient Architecture | Architectural Digest
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B128 sentences
Inside Rebecca Constable’s Victorian London Terrace House
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
100 sentences
Shadowing English | LANA DEL REY: Things You Didn't Know About Her (lesson #81)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B147 sentences
celebrating our pocket-sized pop-up launch! | rhode skin
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
16 sentences
Lucas Museum of Narrative Art - Opening Night - Mellody Hobson Speech
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
47 sentences
Emily in Paris (18) - Emily's Birthday
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
673 sentences
Elizabeth Gilbert on Grief, Gratitude and the Talismans We Keep Close
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
1054 sentences
Kylie’s Hidden Secrets, Kim's Botox Fail, Kardashian Glam & More! | House of Kards | KUWTK | E!
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
39 sentences
The Simple Life with Adriana Lima
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
902 sentences
Tea with Hayley Williams: AP Artist of the Year
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
173 sentences
Rachel Sennott on ‘I Love LA’ and the Ghosts of Chateau Marmont | W Magazine
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Inside Lucy Hale’s Whimsical L.A. Home”. This video has 231 sentences and 2314 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:56. The speaker talks at a natural 166 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| grandmother noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/ | A mother of someone's parent. |
| chop verb | /t͡ʃɑp/ | To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions. |
| whoever | /huˈɛvɚ/ | Who ever: an emphatic form of who. |
| lamb noun | /ˈlæm/ | A young sheep; especially, one younger than nine months. |
| spill verb | /spɪl/ | To drop something so that it spreads out or makes a mess; to accidentally pour. |
| desk noun | /dɛsk/ | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a… |
| knock verb | /nɑk/ | To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| liar noun | /ˈlaɪ.ɚ/ | Someone who tells a lie; especially, a person who frequently lies. |
| meditation noun | /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/ | A devotional exercise of, or leading to, contemplation. |
| gosh | /ɡɑːʃ/ | A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm. |
| snack noun | /snæk/ | A light meal. |
| drawer noun | /dɹɔɹ/ | An open-topped box that can be slid in and out of the cabinet that contains it, used for storing clothing or other articles. |
| rumor noun | /ˈɹumɚ/ | A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth. |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). | |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| tear up verb | /ˈtɛəɹ ˈʌp/ | To tear into pieces. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Should we give them a tour?
- I'm very excited you're here.
- I love my dogs and you want to see something else?
- You see how it's like peeking out?
- You want to come join me?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is unnamed · was not placed · was told |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've grown · you've accomplished · You've earned |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | pentacles, which means · people who are |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was looking · were holding · were having |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 47 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, broth /bɹɔθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, sheep /ˈʃiːp/, reflection /ɹɪˈflɛkʃən/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: certificate /səˈtɪf.ɪ.kɪt/, sanctuary /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/
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 grandmother, chop, whoever.
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.