Shadowing Practice: INTERMEDIATE ENGLISH STORY π§ Slow Living π± B2 | Level 4 | BRITISH ENGLISH ACCENT WITH SUBTITLES - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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Hello and welcome to Lovely English Stories.
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This story is written for intermediate English learners.
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You can download the PDF transcript of this story as an all-access Patreon on our new Patreon page.
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B2 English Story Slow Living Everyone talks about life as though it should be lived in one direct line,
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a certain path, something which culminates in an end goal.
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For example, we're told we should go to school,
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then college, then university, then meet someone and marry them,
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buy a nice house, then have two kids,
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buy a bigger house, get a promotion, and so on.
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But what if I want to experience a multitude of different things?
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What if I don't want what society says I should have?
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What if I want to go against the grain?
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What then?
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I have spent many hours pondering these topics.
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I often feel like I am alone in my thoughts.
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but when I speak to my colleagues or even random people I meet,
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a lot of them profess to feeling the same.
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We are all under an inordinate amount of pressure.
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Sometimes society puts this pressure on us,
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sometimes our family and friends,
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and other times we do it to ourselves.
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I get irritated when I visit friends and get the usual
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when are you going to have kids and when are you going to settle down questions.
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But who's to say those things would actually make me happy?
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I'd rather live in a modest house by the sea,
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grow my own vegetable patch,
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work a job I love and appreciate and surf every day.
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I want to volunteer and help others.
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I want to see the world and experience diverse cultures.
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Is that so wrong?
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To me it's crucial that I feel fulfilled,
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not that I'm trying to keep up with everyone's expectations.
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I recently discovered something called slow living.
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I wish I had found it years ago.
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It's wonderfully relatable.
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It's all about taking a step back and filtering out the things you don't really need in your life.
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Think minimalism crossed with always being chilled.
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As soon as I read about slow living,
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I decided to explore the concept further.
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I watched YouTube videos and did a stock take of all my belongings.
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Did I really need all these things to have a happy life?
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Slow living is exactly that.
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It's about slowing down and appreciating the finer things in life.
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It's not all about the fastest car,
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the biggest house, the best paying job.
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It's about being comfortable in your own home and,
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more importantly, your own skin.
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Slow living isn't about if you've got married or had children yet.
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It's about enjoying the here and now.
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By practising slow living, I am starting to appreciate the finer things in life.
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The sound of the motorway humming in the distance,
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the birds twittering away in the trees,
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the click of the kettle as it finishes boiling the water.
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I feel more aware and grounded than ever before.
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I've also given a lot of my possessions away to charity.
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By having fewer things, I don't have to make as many decisions and therefore I am not as stressed.
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I now have a capsule wardrobe consisting of a handful of t-shirts and jumpers,
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trousers and jeans and some shorts and skirts.
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I mix and match everything.
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No one needs to have loads of clothes.
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Sometimes I think we get carried away with trends and become a little greedy.
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I've also simplified my house.
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I sold some things but mostly donated to charity.
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It's a nice feeling to know that someone else could get pleasure out of something I no longer need.
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I also make a conscious effort to live slower in general.
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I try to walk as much as possible.
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I light candles in the evening.
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I try to do yoga a few times a week and I'm also giving meditation a go.
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I find it difficult at times because my mind is always racing,
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but it's definitely adjusting and getting better.
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By taking these steps to cut out all the clutter,
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I've noticed that I feel much more content.
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It's slow living, so I must remind myself that sometimes it can be a slow process to get there too.
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It's not so easy to just throw things away and start a whole new routine.
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It takes time to adjust and get used to a new way of life.
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I've realised the most powerful thing I have ever done is learning to say no to people.
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I always felt like I had to say yes to every invitation.
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Now I realise it doesn't have to be that way.
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My weekends are no longer crammed full of events.
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I now have time to relax,
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stretch, read my books, have a leisurely breakfast and water my plants.
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I'm not rushing from one side of the city to another to please all my friends.
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I just mentioned plants.
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I must admit I have probably replaced a lot of my old ornaments with plants,
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but they bring me so much joy and they really light up the place.
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I honestly believe they're good for the soul.
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When I look around at people rushing to get the next job,
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next car, next tube, next baby,
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next whatever it is, I want to tell them to slow down and enjoy the here and now.
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Everything else can wait.
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You don't need to always be the best.
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You don't always need to be the first one to do things.
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And don't let society pressure you into things you might not yet be ready for.
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Remember, it's your life, your choices.
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Slow down and enjoy it.
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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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Don't forget to like, subscribe and share.
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And remember, you can download the PDF transcript of this story as an all-access member of our new Patreon community.
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simply visit www.patreon.com forward slash lovely English stories.
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See you soon.
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Context & Background
This intermediate English story explores the concept of slow living, a philosophy that advocates for appreciating the simple things in life instead of succumbing to societal pressures. The speaker reflects on their journey of questioning conventional life goals, such as marriage and home ownership, and emphasizes the importance of personal fulfillment over societal expectations. This dialogue resonates with many learners who may feel overwhelmed by the fast-paced nature of modern life.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- βWhoβs to say that would actually make me happy?β - This phrase invites discussion about personal happiness and societal norms.
- βI wish I had found it years ago.β - A useful expression for reflecting on past experiences and discoveries.
- βItβs about enjoying the here and now.β - An essential mindset for mindfulness and presence in daily life.
- βTaking a step back and filtering out the things you don't really need.β - This phrase encourages critical thinking about oneβs possessions and lifestyle choices.
- βI want to experience diverse cultures.β - A valuable statement for expressing your intentions and desires related to travel and learning.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use shadowing techniques when practicing this story, follow these steps:
- Choose Your Shadowing App: Find a reliable shadowing app or site that allows you to listen to the audio while reading the transcript simultaneously.
- Listen Carefully: Play the first couple of sentences of the story. Focus on the speaker's British accent and pronunciation patterns.
- Repeat after the Speaker: Pause the audio after each sentence and try to mimic the speaker as closely as possible. Pay attention to intonation and rhythm to improve your English pronunciation.
- Practice with Key Phrases: Concentrate on the top 5 phrases listed above. Repeat them multiple times until you feel comfortable using them in conversation.
- Record Yourself: Use a voice recording tool to capture your shadowing practice. Listen to the playback to identify areas for improvement.
By utilizing the shadowing technique effectively, not only can you improve your English speaking practice, but you can also incorporate meaningful content into your learning journey, enriching your language skills with relevant concepts such as slow living and personal fulfillment.
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 β like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1β2 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 β making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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