Shadowing Practice: Is technology making life better or worse? - Intermediate ESL Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Technology.
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Patricia, is it changing people for the better or for the worse?
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I think it's doing both.
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It depends on the person.
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I think technology is an amazing tool and resource,
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but I also think that people can become easily addicted to things.
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I agree.
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Yeah, like their phones or social media.
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So, I mean, it's like anything in life.
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It has its advantages and disadvantages.
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What do you think is one of the biggest advantages it has for us right now?
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I think information.
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You know, we can access information so easily now.
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We can look up, you know, anything we can dream of doing,
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we can Google it and find either a tutorial or a book.
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You know, there's just endless information about every topic.
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And then, you know, if you can't find what you're looking for, you can write about what you're looking for yourself online and help other people.
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So, you know, that is huge right now.
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Okay.
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What about a negative for technology?
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Something you think it's doing to, you know, impact us negatively?
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I mean, it definitely impacts our relationships, especially if they are more inclined to be introverted.
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They're not forced to go outside their comfort zone so much.
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They can stay home and send messages or just stay home
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and play video games and not really engage in socializing with an actual.
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human being.
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And I don't think, I think while it is nice to be able to exchange messages easily,
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I also, you know, think that that is not,
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like that doesn't take the place of actually talking to a human face-to-face.
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I think our society still needs that in-person connection.
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And I think, you know, some people aren't getting that anymore because they're so involved with their online presence or...
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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Now, I think a big part of that is the technological advances surrounding things like social media, how do you feel about children being exposed to social media or things like that?
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I definitely think it should be limited for them.
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Parents really need to be a role model for their children and,
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you know, put boundaries in place for themselves as well.
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I think that's the best way you know to be a
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good role model for for children by limiting their own their own screen time
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and and what they're doing on social media so
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that you know children can learn what is what is healthy
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i think it's all about balance there needs to be a healthy healthy balance
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and you know if parents find
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that their children are spending too much time in front of a screen or on social media, or, you know, they're being bullied,
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I think they need to be involved and they need to set boundaries for their kids where those things are concerned.
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Okay.
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Last question for you.
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What do you think is the most important and beneficial technological advance?
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Sorry, beneficial technological advancement that we've seen?
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It doesn't have to be today.
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You can go all the way back to whenever.
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Probably, I mean, technological advancement in medicine is probably the most,
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the thing that has seriously affected our society and our world the most.
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you know being able to mass produce vaccines you know comes to mind or
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you know robots who can perform surgery things like
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that I think have actually really made a big difference in
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in people's everyday lives around the globe nice all right well
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that's all the questions I have for you thanks again for coming
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 58 sentences and 598 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:29. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- technological /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/ (adjective) — Of, relating to, or involving technology, especially modern scientific technology.
- boundary /ˈbaʊndɹi/ (noun) — The dividing line or location between two areas.
- beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ (adjective) — Helpful or good to something or someone.
- advancement /ædˈvæns.mənt/ (noun) — The act of advancing; promotion to a higher place or dignity
- topic /ˈtɑpɪk/ (noun) — A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
- everyday /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ (adjective) — Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions.
- comfort /ˈkʌm.fət/ (noun) — Contentment, ease.
- resource /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ (noun) — Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel.
- engage /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied.
- globe /ɡloʊb/ (noun) — The eyeball.
- robot /ˈɹoʊ.bɑt/ (noun) — An intelligent mechanical being designed to look like a human or other creature, and usually made from metal.
- depend /dɪˈpɛnd/ (verb) — To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition
- endless /ˈɛndlɪs/ (adjective) — Having no end.
- vaccine /vækˈsin/ (noun) — A substance given to stimulate a body's production of antibodies and provide immunity against a disease without causing the disease itself in the treatment…
- expose /ɪkˈspoʊz/ (verb) — To reveal; to uncover; to make visible; to bring to light.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look for (verb) — To seek.
- look up /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To have better prospects.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, doesn't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, socialize /ˈsoʊʃəlaɪz/
- Long words — get the stress right: technological /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/, beneficial /ˌbɛn.ɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, disadvantage /ˌdɪsədˈvæntɪd͡ʒ/, introverted /ˈɪn.tɹəˌvɜːɹ.təd/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like technological, boundary, beneficial.
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 | be introverted · being exposed · being bullied |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've seen · have actually really made |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the biggest · the best · the most important |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're looking · aren't getting · they're doing |
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.