Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY 👩Mother's Day👩 B1 - B2 | Level 5 - Level 6 | British English Accent - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
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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 Mother's Day Leslie is 82.
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She has three children, five grandchildren and one great grandchild.
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She has seen and been through a lot.
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She grew up in the Midlands.
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Her mother was a cleaner before she became a full-time stay-at-home mum.
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And her dad worked in a local factory.
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They had a typical working-class life.
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She had two brothers and a sister.
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Now Leslie only has her sister.
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Her brothers passed away a few years ago.
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She is close to her sister and tries to see her as often as she can.
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Leslie loves her family and has made many sacrifices for them over the years.
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When she was young, she trained to be a nurse
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and worked in the healthcare sector for most of her life She is incredibly patient and caring When her parents were ill,
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she stopped working to care for them Now she spends three days per week looking after her grandchildren
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Although it is very tiring for her, she enjoys it.
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She wants to help her children where she can and she loves that she has a great relationship with her grandchildren.
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Her three children all work incredibly hard.
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Leslie's eldest daughter is a marketing executive for a large private healthcare provider Her son is an artisan baker
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and her youngest daughter has followed in her footsteps and works as a children's nurse She is very proud of them
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Leslie has been married twice.
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Sadly, her first husband died in a tragic car accident when her children were small.
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She was then single for 10 years before she met her second husband.
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He was welcomed to her family with open arms.
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In her spare time, Leslie likes to play golf and go for long walks in the countryside.
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When she was younger, she was an avid runner,
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but she has since had two knee replacements so she can't run anymore.
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She tries to keep as active as she can.
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She also owns an allotment with her husband.
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They grow their own vegetables.
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Their grandchildren love to go to the allotment and help.
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She likes them to spend as much time outside as possible.
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She doesn't like it when they are playing on their phones or watching too much television.
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Leslie and her husband also own a caravan.
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She tries to go most weekends.
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For her, there is nothing better than breathing in the fresh sea air.
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In the summer, she lets her children go to the caravan so they can have cheap holidays.
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It was a great investment for all the family.
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Leslie is the hub of her family.
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She is very much loved.
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She is an open-minded, straight-talking woman and her grandchildren often go to her for support
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and advice as they know she will give them an honest answer.
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Even though Leslie is in her early 80s,
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she regularly thinks of her mother.
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If she isn't sure what to do or is anxious or worried,
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she will think of her mother and what she would do in her situation.
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Leslie misses her mother.
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She was an amazing woman.
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She came from nothing and raised a wonderful family on little money.
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She died of old age,
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surrounded by her loved ones.
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Leslie lives her life trying to make her proud.
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She hopes she has passed on the same amount of love to her children and grandchildren.
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Leslie's children are very thankful to their mother for giving up
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so much of her retirement time to help them raise their children.
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They don't know what they'd do without her.
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To thank her this Mother's Day,
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they have arranged to take her for a slap-up meal followed by an overnight stay in a five-star exclusive hotel and spa.
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They want her to be pampered and looked after.
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She will go to the hotel with her eldest granddaughter.
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She has taken the following day off work and loves to spend time with her grandmother.
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Leslie has never stayed in such a fancy hotel.
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She has never eaten in a five-star restaurant and she has never had a pedicure or a facial or a massage.
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She never really spends money on herself and prefers to treat those around her.
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She always hinted at being taken to a spa
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or for a posh afternoon tea in a luxury hotel Now she was going to get it
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and she had no idea She just thought her family were taking her out for a meal
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which they usually do on Mother's Day
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Leslie was happy with that She never expects rewards for her help She does it
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because it makes her happy Her children have arranged to have some flowers delivered to the restaurant
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and there she'll open a card that details the itinerary for the following 48 hours After the meal,
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they'll drive her to a luxury hotel 30 miles away.
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She'll have a massage and then access to her own pool.
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Then she'll enjoy a healthy evening meal and an early night.
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The following morning, they'll wake up early,
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have a manicure and pedicure,
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followed by a facial massage and a healthy three-course dinner.
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Afterwards, her eldest granddaughter will drive her to the coast where they can have fish
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and chips on the pier and watch the sunset over her favourite beach
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Let's go through some of the vocabulary from this story Exclusive Exclusive If something is exclusive,
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it is limited to a certain number or person or group,
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or it is expensive.
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Replacement When someone or something is a replacement,
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they take the place or do the job of something or someone else.
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Retirement Retirement is when you stop working because you have reached a certain age,
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usually in your 60s.
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Slap up, slap up.
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A slap up meal is a meal which is large, fancy and enjoyable.
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Tragic, tragic.
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If something is tragic, it is very sad and often involves death or suffering.
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To follow in someone's footsteps means to do the same as someone else,
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usually a family member.
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Itinerary.
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Itinerary.
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An itinerary is a detailed plan of a holiday,
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a day or a journey.
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Sacrifice, sacrifice.
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If you sacrifice, then you give up something in order to help other people.
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Anxious, anxious.
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If you're anxious, you feel worried or nervous.
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Eldest Eldest If you are the oldest, then you're the eldest.
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Fancy Fancy When something is fancy,
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it is expensive or luxurious.
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Open-minded Open-minded If someone is open-minded,
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they are open to consider other people's ideas or opinions.
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Proud.
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Proud.
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If you're proud, you feel satisfied because you or people connected with you have done well.
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Raise.
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To raise.
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To raise something is to take care of it until it is fully grown.
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It could be a child or a pet or a plant.
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Relationship A relationship is the way in which two or more things are connected.
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Reward Reward A reward is something given or received in exchange for good work.
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Surround To surround If someone is surrounded by something,
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that thing is all around them.
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Typical Typical To be typical is to have the same characteristics or to be like people or things of the same type.
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We hope you enjoyed this lovely English story.
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Thank you for stopping by.
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About This Lesson
This lesson features an engaging intermediate-level story titled "Mother's Day." It is designed for English learners at B1 and B2 levels, providing a rich narrative to practice listening and speaking skills. Throughout the story, learners will encounter various aspects of family life, relationships, and personal challenges through the character of Leslie, an 82-year-old woman who is deeply connected to her family. By following this lesson, you will enhance your understanding of everyday vocabulary, improve your English pronunciation, and practice your speaking skills through effective shadowing techniques.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- working-class life - a lifestyle typically associated with manual labor and limited financial resources.
- artisan baker - a person who specializes in making bread and baked goods by hand, often using traditional methods.
- allotment - a piece of land rented by an individual for growing vegetables and plants.
- patient and caring - qualities that describe someone who is understanding and considerate, especially toward others in need.
- fresh sea air - clean and invigorating air found near the ocean, often associated with relaxation and health.
- hub of the family - a central figure in the family who keeps everything connected and functioning smoothly.
- cheap holidays - affordable vacation options that allow families to bond without breaking the bank.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this lesson and improve your English speaking practice, consider using the shadowing technique. While listening to the story, try to shadow speech by speaking along with the narrator. Focus on the rhythm, intonation, and pronunciation of each sentence. Since the story is delivered at a moderate pace, it’s suitable for practicing your shadow speaking at an intermediate level. Here are some tips to enhance your practice:
- Play the video several times, pausing after each sentence to repeat what you've heard. This will help you enhance clarity and fluency.
- Record yourself as you practice. Listening to your recordings can provide valuable insights into areas where you can improve your pronunciation.
- Pay attention to the emotional tone of the story. Try to convey that emotion in your shadowing to make your speaking more engaging.
- Set aside dedicated times for practice each week and incorporate this lesson into your routine for consistent progress.
With regular practice, you'll notice significant improvements in your English pronunciation and overall speaking skills, leading to greater confidence in 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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