Shadowing Practice: Is THIS The Most Beautiful Place in the UK? ๐ฌ๐ง Learn English Vlog! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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We're in one of the most popular tourist spots in the UK, but we're not just here to look around.
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We'll be showing you the most beautiful spots, but also teaching you some English at the same time.
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So, the Cotswolds.
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Is it actually worth visiting?
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Do you know how much that costs?
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Let's find out.
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This bakery is called Bakery on the Water because we are in Borton on the Water.
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Now you might be thinking, hmm, preposition on?
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Like are we on top of the water?
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But a lot of place names in the UK, if you see on, like Stoke-on-Trent, Stratford-upon-Avon, it means like by a river,
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like it's by a river.
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Even though the preposition is on, it means next to by a river.
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someone's car alarm is going off
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so when oh it stopped as usual
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when we film these things we come on a weekday
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so it's a monday um so it's not too bad
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but i've heard that here on a sunny saturday
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or a sunny sunday is rammed so So if you are planning on coming, if you can come not on a sunny weekend,
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you'll probably get a slightly better experience because I've seen videos of it just being like hordes of people,
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hordes of people on the bridges, around the river.
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So that's my advice.
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I think that like a site like this is quintessential Britain.
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And when I think of Britain, this is one of the sights that I think of.
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Just like a place like this, an ale in your hand, or a coffee from Italy I suppose.
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You always forget how green this country is.
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Like when you go on a plane and you're about to land back in the UK, I always look and I think, whoa, so much of this country is just green so many farms
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and fields and rolling hills especially in places like Wales you get some amazing hills
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and mountains in Wales
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but they do have a sneaky habit of building a lot of houses on beautiful green spaces
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so I think it's important that we keep green spaces
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and we don't just keep building on them because look at that it's beautiful Yeah,
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I do think actually there is a lot of places here to grab a drink, grab a coffee, grab some lunch.
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Yeah, there's ample opportunities to have some food.
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Do you want to grab some lunch now?
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Oh.
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Just saying the word lunch made me hungry.
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Yeah, what time is it?
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Oh yeah, it's midday.
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Yeah, we're spoilt for choice really.
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I don't know where to go.
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What kind of things do you fancy?
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Something light?
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Yeah, I'm in the mood for something like, because I think we're going to go ham at the pub later on, aren't we?
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Oh yeah, we're going to a really nice pub later on.
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But for lunch, I'm thinking...
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Like a sandwich?
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Yeah, bakery, cafe, let's have a look.
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You know what, it's just so nice here.
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It is so nice, and we've been blessed with the weather, the weather is beautiful.
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Yeah, that's true.
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This Cornish pasty is making a lot of crumbs.
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So look at my lap.
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I am going to brush the crumbs off my lap.
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By the way, the Cotswolds is not like one place.
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The Cotswolds is a large area.
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It spans five counties, so you can't just go to the Cotswolds in one day.
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But we're showing you two of the most kind of iconic locations in the Cotswolds
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but you could plan an entire two-week trip just in the Cotswolds
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because it's a very big area but we're just showing you some highlights today.
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So a nook is like a little corner, a little space.
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So there's a phrase every nook and cranny.
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Every nook and cranny means in every space, in every tiny little corner you have looked.
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So I have looked in every nook and cranny and I cannot find my keys.
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Now, I'm bald.
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Correct.
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But the pigeons in this place are very bold.
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Oh, super bold.
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They fly straight at you and they fly very low.
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They don't fly over your head.
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Multiple times today I've had to duck. Because the pigeons go...
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No, I'm not that tall.
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We've just come across a really cute model village.
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so it's a whole village of miniatures so everything is miniature
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so there's a miniature shop miniature church everything is a lot
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smaller than it should be imagine living in this little house imagine
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if you were so small and you could just live in here oh i'd love
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that if someone said do you want to be shrunk
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and you can be little and you can live in this model village i'd have a great time.
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Wouldn't you?
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I think life would be very simple.
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It would be lovely and you could go in whatever shop you want.
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I mean that's just real life.
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Yeah but no one else is there.
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Oh.
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Are you subscribed to Smashing English?
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Right, so we're going to jump back in the car and head to Broadway.
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Not like Broadway, it's another place called Broadway.
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What did you think of Bolton on the Water?
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I'm going to give it a big, huge thumbs up Laura.
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Big thumbs up, beautiful.
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So we're going to get in the car and head to the next place.
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Why do you think this kind of aesthetic evokes something in me, Laura?
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Why do you think?
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I think it's very easy to picture the past here.
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Because not much has changed and the buildings look very historic.
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So you can very easily go, oh, I can imagine what life would have been like here.
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Whereas when you're walking around a really modern city, it looks completely different to how it would have 100 years ago.
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It connects you to the past, doesn't it?
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Yeah.
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I've said this to Laura many times today.
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I can imagine kind of Georgian England, so like kind of probably a 100 years ago now,
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people like riding their bike down here, the milkman delivering the milk.
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Lavender always reminds me of my grandmother because she had lavender growing outside her house.
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So that smell just takes me back.
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I've just been informed that this isn't lavender.
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It's not lavender, but my point still stands.
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Lavender reminds me of my grandmother.
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Hey, that's nice.
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Very refreshing.
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Light and refreshing.
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Try it.
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God, this coffee's strong, you know.
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I think we...
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I think we've finished these drinks, obviously.
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Yeah, that'd be good.
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Have a bit more of an explore.
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And then go see the tower.
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It's a proper vintage sweet shop here with really old fashioned sweets.
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These are proper old school sweets so you would go
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and you say oh can I have 10p worth of bonbons and they would measure it out on the scales.
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Give you what you want.
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Do you like foam shrimp?
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No I don't like foam shrimps.
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I don't like foam shrimps.
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I like them.
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And the foam bananas.
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Don't like them either.
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Unfortunately.
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I'm sure these are nice few drops.
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Aniseed balls?
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Anyone?
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Here's a verb for you Laura.
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Slate.
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If you slate something it means that you really criticize something.
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The movie critic slated Brad Pitt's latest film.
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So obviously the iconic red telephone boxes are not just in London and telephone boxes don't really serve a purpose anymore.
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We don't need telephone boxes.
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So some telephone boxes have had a new lease of life.
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They found a new purpose.
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So some are book exchanges where you can go in and leave a book and then take a book, which is really nice.
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But a lot of them have actually become defibrillators.
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So if someone has a heart attack and their heart stops, you can go to one of those and use it as a defibrillator, which I think is a great use for them
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because obviously in a situation like that time is of the essence
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so if they can replace every phone box with a defibrillator hopefully one will always be close at hand
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if you need it.
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What's that?
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Peasants.
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I already feel a little bit sick on this, I'll be honest.
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Yeah, you do get motion sickness.
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Just from this?
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Like a light rock.
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No?
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Not for me, this.
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Okay.
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I don't like repetitive movement.
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Like the same thing.
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Back, forth, back, no.
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So we're now at Broadway Tower, which is the tallest castle in the Cotswolds. And it's quite expensive.
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I went to buy the tickets and I was expecting ยฃ5.
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It's ยฃ14 each to get in, which seems steep.
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But who knows, maybe it's going to be amazing in there.
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Maybe it's worth every penny, but it seems steep.
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Yeah, it seems a lot, but I suppose it's like a tourist spot.
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And if we were abroad, if we were somewhere else, we would pay a lot to go into places of interest.
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So, fine, fine.
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She looks a bit like you though.
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Yeah.
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I do think my face, I don't have an iPhone face.
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Do you know what I mean?
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I don't know what that means at all.
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Like my face doesn't look like it's seen an iPhone.
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I look more like I survived the Black Death, you know what I mean?
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Survive?
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You'd feel very important if you spent your time here, wouldn't you?
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Incorrectly so, yeah.
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Like, this whole tower is just for me to think and read and chill.
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Probably have an affair.
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None of my students ever know how to say this word.
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picturesque, picturesque.
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I know it looks like picturesque, but it's picturesque.
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So this is very picturesque.
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I mean, look at that.
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I'm getting really hungry, Laura.
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Do you fancy going to the pub?
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One of my students actually has recommended a pub in this local area.
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So I think we should go there and have some food and a drink, what do you reckon?
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Awesome.
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It just looks straight out of a painting doesn't it?
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Like I just I love it.
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I don't know if you can hear it but it's a proper crackling fire.
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What a lovely day we've had.
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Have you had a lovely day?
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It's been a really, really, really nice day.
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A day I genuinely think I'll remember for a long time.
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Oh, that's nice, isn't it?
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It's been such a nice day.
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Thank you for joining us on this day.
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If you would like to see more, make sure you subscribe.
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that was mentioned in this video and some quizzes to help them really stick.
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So click the join button to become a member.
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We've also got some great courses available on our website, smashingenglish.com.
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Thank you so much for watching and we'll see you next time.
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Ta-da!
About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will explore the scenic beauty of the Cotswolds, one of the most charming regions in the UK. As you watch the video, you will not only discover breathtaking landscapes and local culture but also engage in IELTS speaking practice by shadowing authentic English conversations. This immersive approach will help you improve English pronunciation while learning useful vocabulary related to travel, leisure, and everyday interactions. Pay attention to the context of the conversations to enhance your understanding and fluency.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Quintessential - the most perfect example of something.
- Rammed - very crowded or filled with people.
- Ample - more than enough; plentiful.
- Green spaces - areas of grass, trees, or other vegetation in urban settings.
- By a river - indicates a location next to a river, often used in place names (e.g., "Borton on the Water").
- Want to grab something - an informal way to say you want to eat or have a drink.
- Blessed with weather - fortunate to have good weather.
Practice Tips
When engaging with this content, consider applying the shadowing technique to enhance your English speaking skills. As you listen to the video, try to repeat phrases immediately after the speaker. This will help you grasp the rhythm, intonation, and pronunciation of natural speech. Since the conversations in this vlog are relatively slow and clear, it makes for an ideal shadowing site. After mastering the phrases, challenge yourself by summarizing the scenes described in your own words, which will build both your vocabulary and confidence.
Focus particularly on the connectors and colloquial phrases used throughout the dialogue. For instance, pay attention to how the speakers transition between thoughts and incorporate local vernacular. By consistently practicing your shadowing skills with this engaging content, youโll not only familiarize yourself with the English language but also prepare effectively for situations you might encounter during your travels.
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 โ like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1โ2 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 โ making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.