Shadowing Practice: Is the internet good or bad? | 6 Minute English. - Learn English Speaking with Video
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This is a download from BBC Learning English.
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To find out more, visit our website.
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Hello, welcome to 6 Minute English.
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I'm Rob.
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And I'm Neil.
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Now Neil, can you remember the first time you ever used the World Wide Web, or as we often call it, the internet?
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And what you used it for?
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Oh, that's a good question.
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I do remember.
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and, well, nothing really changes, does it?
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Because I looked up pictures of cats.
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Cats.
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Very useful.
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Anyway, do you think the internet has generally been positive or negative for the world?
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Wow.
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Now that is a big question.
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A huge question.
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I don't know if I can answer that.
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Well, one person who perhaps can answer it is the man who invented it, British computer scientist Tim Berners -Lee.
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We'll find out what he thinks has become of his child shortly.
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But before that, a question for you all.
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When did Berners -Lee first suggest the idea for what would become the World Wide Web?
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Was it a.
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1985, b.
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1989 or c.
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1991?
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Tricky, but I think it's earlier than people think, so I'm going to go for 1985.
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Well, that was a long time ago, but we'll reveal the answer a little later in the programme.
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I think it's true to say that the internet has been one of, if not the most important, technological developments, perhaps, of all time.
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Would you agree, Neil?
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Well, it's hard to imagine living without it.
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Not impossible, but not nearly as convenient.
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These days, we take the internet for granted.
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We share our lives on social media and not just with friends and family.
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And that isn't always a positive thing, according to the father of the internet, Tim Berners -Lee.
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In a recent BBC Tech Tent programme, he talked about his concerns with the internet and particularly the companies that control its information,
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companies which he calls internet giants.
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What does he say he thought these companies had to do?
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Initially, I felt the main thing that an internet giant had to do was just to be neutral, just be a platform.
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And humanity, once connected by technology, will do wonderful things.
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And clearly it doesn't work like that.
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If you connect humanity via Wikipedia, then they do produce, in general, wonderful things.
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If you connect people by a social network where they have anonymity, then it can bring out the very nastiest of people.
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So, what did he say he thought these internet giants had to do?
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He said that he thought initially that they just had to be neutral.
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Initially means at first, in the beginning, and it also suggests that later he changed his mind.
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Anyway, he said that he thought they just had to be neutral.
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Neutral here means that they didn't need to do anything.
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They didn't need to control the internet or information.
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He thought it would be a tool to connect people and ideas and information and it would be wonderful.
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But it's not all good, is it?
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No. He does say that giving people access to sources of information is generally a good thing, but that when it comes to social networks,
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social media, people have anonymity.
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Anonymity.
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Yes.
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It means that on the internet, people can hide their true identity or personality.
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Some people write things that they would never say to someone in person because they think there will be no consequences.
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Berners -Lee says anonymity can bring out the nastiest side of people, people saying horrible and terrible things to each other.
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Berners -Lee does have some suggestions for how this could be changed and it's based on the idea of likes and shares, which he calls kudos.
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What's his suggestion?
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The different social networks, the different platforms are in different situations.
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In some cases, they have acknowledged that there's an issue.
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I think they realise that the issue could perhaps be hugely ameliorated by tweaking the way the thing works,
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by changing the way retweets or propagate it, or changing the way people get kudos – give them all kudos for being constructive, for example.
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So how does he think companies could address the problem?
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Well, he says that some of the social networks have agreed
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that there is a problem and they know what could improve it.
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He didn't use the word improve though, did he?
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No, he actually used the rather formal verb ameliorate, which means to improve or make something better.
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So how does he suggest the problem could be ameliorated?
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By tweaking the way in which people give or receive kudos.
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Tweaking means making a small change to the way something works.
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Much of what happens on the internet is driven by our desire to get likes and shares.
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This is the kudos that Berners -Lee talks about.
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He feels that tweaking this could lead to a better experience.
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For example, getting more kudos for constructive or positive actions.
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Interesting.
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But I wonder who would decide if something is constructive?
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Well, that's another big question.
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For another day, I guess.
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For now, though, let's have the answer to our small question.
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In what year did Berners -Lee present the idea for what would become the World Wide Web?
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The options were a.
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1985, b.
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1989 or c.
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1991. It was, in fact, 1989.
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Now, before we go, let's have a quick recap of today's vocabulary.
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Initially means at first, in the beginning.
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And then we had neutral.
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In this case, it meant not controlling or not taking any action to control.
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Then there was the noun anonymity, which is the state of having a hidden identity or personality.
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Next, to ameliorate a situation is to make it better.
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To tweak something is to make a small change to the way something works.
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And then we have, of course, kudos.
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Kudos is praise and appreciation for something you've done.
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Well, kudos to you, Rob, for today's programme.
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Thank you very much.
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Well, thank you, Neil, and thank you everyone for listening.
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That's all we have time for today but you can find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and of course our website bbclearningenglish .com.
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Bye for now.
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Thanks for joining us and goodbye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Is the internet good or bad?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: internet, kudos, Berners, Lee, anonymity. This video has 100 sentences and 1034 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:11. The speaker talks at a natural 167 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 15 of its 100 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| neutral adjective | /ˈnuː.tɹəl/ | Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| constructive adjective | /kənˈstɹʌktɪv/ | Relating to or causing construction. |
| humanity noun | /hjuˈmænɪti/ | Humankind; human beings as a group. |
| suggestion noun | /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/ | Something suggested (with subsequent adposition being for) |
| nasty adjective | /ˈnæs.ti/ | Dirty, filthy. |
| shortly adverb | /ˈʃɔɹtli/ | In a short or brief time or manner; quickly. |
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| horrible adjective | /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ | Causing horror; terrible; shocking. |
| reveal verb | /ɹɪˈviːl/ | To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden. |
| praise verb | /pɹeɪz/ | To give praise to; to commend, glorify, or worship. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| realise verb | Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize. | |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| acknowledge verb | /əkˈnɑ.lɪd͡ʒ/ | To admit the knowledge of; to recognize as a fact or truth; to declare one's belief in. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bring out verb | To elicit, evoke, or emphasize (a particular quality). | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I don't know if I can answer that.
- He didn't use the word improve though, did he?
- Kudos is praise and appreciation for something you've done.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has become · has been · have acknowledged |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | could be changed · could be ameliorated · is driven |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who perhaps · ameliorate, which means · anonymity, which is |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most important · the nastiest |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/, shortly /ˈʃɔɹtli/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: humanity /hjuˈmænɪti/, appreciation /əˌpɹiː.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, technological /ˌtɛk.nəˈlɑ.dʒɪ.kəl/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, anonymity /ænəˈnɪmɪti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like neutral, connect, constructive.
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.