Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY 🌊 Living by the Sea☕ 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 Living by the Sea Tina lived in a small but perfectly formed house near the sea.
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She had a difficult but fulfilling job as a therapist,
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where she listened to others and helped them feel better.
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But Tina wanted to do more,
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so every Saturday she worked at a little cafe by the beach.
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Tina's cosy house was filled with memories of her parents,
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who had sadly passed away in a car accident when she was a teenager.
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Even though she lived alone,
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she was never lonely, because her brother and friends were always close by.
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She liked to start her day with a cup of tea,
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looking out of her window at the sea.
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She thanked her lucky stars that she had such a lovely home.
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She had two jobs and worked hard to be able to afford it.
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As a child, she never thought she'd be able to live in a house that had a sea view.
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After she had her tea,
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she had a shower and ate her breakfast while she looked through her diary for the day.
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She liked to make sure she was prepared and knew which clients she would see.
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As a therapist, Tina spent most of her week helping people.
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Some people came to her because they felt sad,
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while others needed someone to talk to when things were tough.
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Tina was like a friendly guide,
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helping them find their way through difficult feelings.
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She had a little office with comfortable chairs where her clients could share their thoughts and worries in confidence.
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On Saturdays, Tina's routine was different.
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She would put on a bright apron and head to the Seaside Cafe.
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The café had a wooden floor that creaked when you walked
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and the air was filled with the yummy smell of tea and cakes.
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Tina enjoyed talking to the regulars and meeting new people.
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She took orders, served tea and coffee and made sure everyone felt welcome with a friendly smile.
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Sometimes when the cafe wasn't too busy,
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Tina would take a moment to sit by the window.
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She loved watching the waves roll in and out.
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The sound of seagulls flying by made her feel content.
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The cafe was like a little hub of happiness by the sea.
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She liked to work there,
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not only to earn extra money,
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but to release some of the tension of the week and to meet new people.
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She also loved to make drinks and sandwiches for people.
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She found it relaxing.
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In the evenings, Tina liked to go for a walk along the beach.
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The sand felt soft beneath her feet and the sound of the waves was calming.
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She often strolled with her brother who was a fisherman.
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They shared stories of their childhood as they walked.
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Her brother's wife was expecting a baby and Tina was excited to have a new addition in the family.
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Tina's friends were an important part of her life.
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On some weekends, they gathered at her house for dinner and games.
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They talked about their weeks,
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shared jokes and enjoyed delicious meals.
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Tina loved creating a warm and inviting space for her friends.
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On special occasions and when the weather was nice enough,
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Tina and her friends would enjoy picnics at the beach.
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They'd bring blankets, sandwiches and games.
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The pebbled beach became a playground of laughter and joy.
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Tina loved these moments and being surrounded by the people she cared about.
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Even though Tina missed her parents every day,
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the sea and her friends brought comfort and joy to her heart.
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Each day was like a new chapter in her seaside story,
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filled with simple joys, lasting friendships and the never-ending magic of the sea.
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In her little house by the water,
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Tina found happiness in helping others and building a life filled with love and connection.
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Now, let's go through some of the vocabulary you have just read in this story.
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We'll start with the advanced English vocabulary.
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Fulfilling.
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Fulfilling means bringing deep satisfaction and For example,
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volunteering at the hospital was fulfilling.
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Therapist.
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Tina is a therapist.
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A therapist is a professional who helps others with emotional challenges.
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The therapist created a safe space for clients to talk about their feelings.
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Creaked.
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Creak.
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If something creaks, then it makes a sharp, high-pitched sound.
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The old wooden door creaked as it swung open.
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Seagull.
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Seagulls are a big bird that are found near the seaside or the coast.
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They are very noisy.
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Children laughed as seagulls soared above the beach searching for food.
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You have to be careful of seagulls because sometimes they will steal your chips.
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Now let's go through the intermediate English vocabulary you have read in this story.
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Care.
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So care can be a noun or it can be a verb to care.
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And it is the act of helping and being kind to others.
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A nurse's job is to care for people.
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Afford.
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To afford.
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To afford is to have enough money for something.
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For example, they saved so they could afford a family holiday.
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Childhood.
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Childhood is the early part of your life when things are usually playful and innocent.
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Her childhood memories were full of laughter and playing.
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Connection.
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Connection is the relationship or link between people, ideas or things.
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They had a strong connection.
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Creating or to create is to make something new.
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The artist spent hours in her studio creating beautiful paintings.
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Delicious.
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If something is delicious, it has a very pleasing taste.
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The homemade cakes were delicious.
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Addition.
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Addition is the act of adding something to something else.
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For example, the chef made a last-minute addition of fresh herbs to enhance the flavour of the dish,
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so he added the herbs to the dish.
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Beneath means in a lower position or under something The treasure was hidden beneath the old tree in the woods
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Client
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A client is a person or organisation that uses the services
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or advice of someone else or a professional So the lawyer worked for her client
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Confidence Confidence is feeling sure about your abilities.
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With newfound confidence, she stepped onto the stage to deliver,
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so to speak, her speech.
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Gathered or to gather means coming together in one place.
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The family gathered around the table for a meal.
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Tension means strain or stress from challenging or difficult situations.
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The meeting created a lot of tension.
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Tough means strong and able to withstand difficult conditions.
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She was tough and never gave up.
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Expecting or to expect means to look forward to the arrival of something.
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The couple were expecting their first child.
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Joke A joke is something that is said or done to make people laugh.
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The comedian's joke made the audience laugh.
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Lonely If you are lonely,
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you might feel sad or isolated.
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The old man often felt lonely.
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A special occasion.
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A special occasion is a unique event or a celebration.
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For example, birthdays, weddings, holidays,
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Christmas are all special occasions.
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Perfectly means to do something without any faults or flaws.
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The chef was pleased when the dish turned out perfectly.
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Routine.
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Routine is a sequence of regular actions or a fixed programme.
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So going to the gym became part of her daily routine.
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To smile.
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To smile is to show happiness with a friendly expression on your face.
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The toddler made everyone smile.
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Or she smiled at the toddler.
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Surrounded or to surround means to be encircled or enclosed.
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In the garden, she was surrounded by beautiful flowers.
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Or Tina is surrounded by her amazing friends.
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We hope you enjoyed this lovely English story and the vocabulary explanations.
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Thank you for stopping by and don't forget to like, subscribe and share.
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You can find the link in the description box below.
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See you soon!
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Why practice speaking with this video?
Engaging with the "Living by the Sea" story offers an excellent opportunity for intermediate English learners to enhance their speaking skills. This narrative is tailored for those at the B1-B2 level, making it ideal for practicing IELTS speaking practice or improving fluency. The context of everyday life, with relatable characters and scenarios, encourages you to use realistic dialogue and expressions, which helps bridge the gap between textbook learning and conversational English.
By practicing with this video, you can adopt the shadow speak technique. This method allows you to listen closely to how the speaker forms sentences and delivers them naturally. You can mimic their speech patterns, intonation, and rhythm, providing a practical way to integrate new vocabulary and enhance your overall communication skills.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The story contains several notable structures and expressions that demonstrate everyday English usage. Here are a few examples:
- Present simple tense: “Tina lived in a small but perfectly formed house.” This tense helps convey habitual actions and general truths. Practice this structure to describe your own daily routines.
- Past simple tense: “Her parents...had sadly passed away.” The past simple is useful for discussing events that happened in the past, allowing you to share your experiences.
- Modal verbs: “She liked to start her day...” The use of modal verbs like "liked" helps express preferences. Try using modals to personalize your speaking practice by sharing habits or desires.
- Comparative structures: “Tina's cosy house was filled with memories...” This comparison enhances descriptions and is crucial in expressing similarities and differences in conversations.
Incorporating these structures during your speaking practice can aid you in achieving a more natural fluency and expressiveness in English.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice with the video, there are some pronunciation challenges to be aware of:
- Cozy: Make sure to place the correct emphasis on the first syllable. It sounds like "koz-ee". Mispronouncing this can shift the meaning entirely in conversation.
- Therapist: This word can be tricky; it’s pronounced as "ther-uh-pist." Breaking it down into syllables can help with correct pronunciation.
- Seaside: Keep in mind the blending of sounds here—it's pronounced like "see-side," which can be easily muddled.
Using the shadowing technique, repeat the sentences after the speaker to conquer these pronunciation hurdles. As you improve your pronunciation, your confidence in speaking will grow, paving the way for more successful conversations.
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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