Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY ✈️ Going Home 🏡 B1 - B2 | Level 4 - 5 | English Listening Practice - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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Thank you for stopping by.
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This story is written for intermediate English learners.
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Ready?
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Let's get started.
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B1, B2 English Story.
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Going home.
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James had been living abroad for four years.
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He was lucky enough to get a scholarship to study at a university in New Zealand.
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He loved his time living in Auckland.
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He had made some lifelong friends and had visited some stunning places,
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including Australia, Fiji and all the beautiful islands of New Zealand.
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While he was a student, he also worked.
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During the summer months, he worked on farms and in the winter,
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he worked behind bars and occasionally in offices.
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At the end of his studies, James contemplated applying for a visa to stay in New Zealand.
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He weighed up the pros and cons and finally decided that he would fly back to the UK.
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James had always been very close to his grandparents.
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When he was young, his dad had worked away a lot and his mum was very ill.
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so his grandparents spent a lot of time with him.
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They often took him on holiday and almost every day after school he would go to their house.
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James missed his family very much when he was in New Zealand.
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His mum wasn't able to visit him due to her health conditions and even if she could,
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the flights were too expensive.
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James had only been home once in the four years he had been away.
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He had almost forgotten what England was like.
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His accent had started to change, so he sounded more like a New Zealander every day.
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James knew in his heart it was the right thing to go back home.
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His grandparents were getting older and he wanted to be able to spend as much time with them as he could.
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He knew that if he wanted to, he could always go back to New Zealand.
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It wasn't going anywhere.
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He would miss the laid-back vibe of New Zealand,
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the stunning beaches and amazing surf but he had become increasingly homesick and it was making him introverted.
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The best thing about working in New Zealand was
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that James had managed to save a decent amount of money so he wouldn't be going back home poor.
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He planned to spend three months relaxing and catching up with his family
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and friends before he started to hunt for a job.
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James searched online for the cheapest flight he could find.
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He decided he would stop off for two nights in Singapore to break up the long, intense journey.
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He started to pack up his things and he met up with friends to say goodbye.
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He also visited his favourite surf spots and beaches before it was time to depart.
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The day came for James to make the long journey back home.
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Luckily, all went to plan.
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The flight wasn't delayed and he had a spare seat next to him so he could stretch out his long legs.
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He enjoyed his two days in Singapore.
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He visited raffles and went for long hot walks around the marina.
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On his flight back to the UK, he started to worry that he was going to miss New Zealand a lot,
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but the thought of seeing his family again pushed all his concerns to one side.
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Once he arrived at the airport, he made his way to the tube station,
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got a train into central London and then he caught a train home.
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James hadn't told his family that he was coming home.
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His mum had an inkling but he wanted it to be a surprise.
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James arrived at his parents' house, knowing that his grandparents would be over for dinner.
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He rang the doorbell and was greeted by screams and laughter.
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Everyone was jumping around and hugging.
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James was lucky.
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His mum had cooked his favourite dinner of chicken with vegetables, potatoes and gravy.
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He hadn't eaten it for so long.
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James spent hours showing his family his photographs and videos and telling them all about his adventures.
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It was so good to see them again.
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He knew he had made the right decision.
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After dinner, James and his dad emptied his old bedroom ready for him to move into for a while.
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It felt strange being back in his old room, but he felt comforted.
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He planned out the next week and it was looking busy.
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He wanted to go shopping and catch up with his extended family and friends.
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James climbed into bed exhausted but contented knowing he was on the first day of the next chapter of his life.
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Let's go through some of the vocabulary from this story.
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Abroad, abroad.
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Abroad is to be in or to go to a foreign country.
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A new chapter.
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A new chapter.
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We say this when we are going to start something new or to have a fresh start.
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Decision.
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Decision.
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A decision is a choice that you make about something.
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Depart. To depart.
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Part is to go away or to leave, especially on a journey.
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Exhausted.
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Exhausted.
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To be exhausted is to be very tired.
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Greet.
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To greet someone is to welcome someone with particular words or a particular action.
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For example, shaking someone's hand when you greet them.
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Realise.
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To realise is to understand a situation, sometimes suddenly.
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Suitable If something is suitable, it is acceptable or right for someone or something.
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Decent If something is decent, it is acceptable, satisfactory or reasonable.
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Stunning Stunning If something or someone is stunning,
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then they are extremely beautiful Content To be content
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To be content is to be pleased with your situation and not looking or hoping for change or improvement Introverted Introverted
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If you are introverted, you might be shy, quiet and you prefer to spend time alone rather than being with other people
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or in groups We hope you enjoyed this lovely English story Thank you for stopping by
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Get productive
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and check out our Language Learning Productivity Packs on Etsy You can find the link in the description box below
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Use code YouTube10 for 10% off And don't forget to like, subscribe and share.
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See you soon.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice your English listening and speaking skills through an intermediate-level story titled "Going Home." This narrative follows James, who returns to the UK after living abroad for four years. As you engage with the story, you will enhance your ability to understand spoken English, improve your English pronunciation, and learn to express feelings and experiences related to family and homecoming. This lesson is ideal for learners at the B1 to B2 level looking for English speaking practice and those preparing for IELTS speaking exams.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Scholarship: A financial award given to a student to support their education.
- Homesick: Feeling sad because one is away from home.
- Laid-back: Relaxed, easy-going, and casual.
- Contemplate: To think about something carefully, often before making a decision.
- Introspective: Reflecting on oneself; often worrying and overthinking.
- Visa: An official document allowing a person to enter or stay in a country.
- Catch up: To reconnect with friends or family after a period apart.
- Stunning: Extremely impressive or beautiful.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize this video for improving your English speaking skills, consider the following tips:
- Shadowing: Listen to a segment of the story and try to repeat it immediately after the narrator. This technique, known as shadowspeak, will help you improve your English pronunciation and fluency.
- Record Yourself: Use a recording device while shadowing. Playback your voice and compare it to the original audio. Note any areas where your pronunciation differs.
- Pause and Practice: Don’t hesitate to pause the video after key phrases or sentences. Repeat them out loud several times to enhance your muscle memory and comfort with the language.
- Focus on Tone and Emotion: Pay attention to the narrator’s tone when telling the story. Try to imitate not just the words, but also the emotional aspects of the delivery. This will help you connect better with your audience during English speaking practice.
- Engage with the Content: After listening, discuss the story with a language partner or write about how you relate to James’s experiences. This will deepen your understanding and enhance your conversational skills.
By incorporating these methods into your practice routine, you'll be better equipped to express your thoughts and feelings clearly and confidently in English, making strides towards mastering the language while learning English with YouTube.
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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