Shadowing Practice: It's Happening Right Outside My NYC Window - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
I can move your vehicle to one of the side streets, thank you.
2
Broadway is like the main thoroughfare down the island of Manhattan.
3
Look, ah...
4
Manhattan, and then running through the whole island is this main street, which is Broadway.
5
This is a great book, by the way.
6
My office sits like one story above, bro.
7
There's always something going on.
8
What's going on outside?
9
I don't know.
10
You asked for the pictures.
11
I'll go ask.
12
I'll let you know.
13
What's going on out here?
14
I'm doing a demonstration later.
15
It's May Day, so we're just clearing the block for all the people that walk through later on.
16
But not like a fun parade, like a...
17
I don't know, it's fun.
18
Alright.
19
Thank you.
20
Alright, that's my office if you need anything.
21
Thank you very much.
22
You got it.
23
When I was, he said it's a demonstration and I was like, like a parade, like a fun parade, and he was like, no, I don't think it's going to be fun.
24
So it's probably just a protest.
25
Facts, we got a situation outside.
26
Could you hear the police?
27
I did.
28
There is no parking on Broadway today.
29
You must park your car on the side street.
30
I thought it was you on the loudspeaker.
31
No, but I've been on work phone calls, and every two minutes, no one can hear what I'm saying.
32
It's so loud.
33
What are you doing?
34
Why are you stepping on my couch with your shoes?
35
I just wanted to get a better...
36
Take your sneakers off!
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No!
38
What are you doing?
39
It's my nice couch!
40
It is a circus.
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Take your fucking shoes off.
42
Action pack day.
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I slept four hours, woke up at six, couldn't go back to sleep and came in here.
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11.34 a.m.
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Reporting live from Broadway.
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The police have cleared all the parking off of Broadway.
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They've towed one BMW.
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I have no idea what's going on.
49
Stay tuned.
50
Stay tuned for updates.
51
How you doing?
52
How you doing?
53
Good job.
54
The amazing thing about street closures is that the road that's closed, you get the whole road to yourself,
55
but every other street is just gridlock traffic.
56
I almost died.
57
I almost died.
58
How you doing, man?
59
Sure.
60
Stay safe.
61
I will.
62
I'll do my best.
63
Long time ago.
64
What's going on here, girls?
65
How's business?
66
It's been a while since we've done a Billy update, Candice.
67
Give us a Billy update.
68
That's very close.
69
Do you still want to quit?
70
No. I'm working on something very special for you for Father's Day.
71
Did I tell you I'm going on a surfing trip on Mother's Day?
72
No. Really?
73
I put it on the calendar.
74
You didn't say it was a surfing trip.
75
What?
76
It's not very nice.
77
I know but it's a...
78
What are you gonna do for me in return?
79
This is not turning out as I hoped it would turn out.
80
Can I show pictures of this stuff?
81
No, no, no. Create this?
82
Yep.
83
It's about time I did this because I've been really wanting to.
84
I've been watching the clock.
85
I'm watching the clock on this one.
86
Are you alluding to something new you're making?
87
Yes.
88
Are you making a watch?
89
Well, I'm not making it.
90
I'm making a watch better.
91
You're making the Casio F109 in custom billy?
92
Yeah.
93
Is this going to be gold?
94
It can be.
95
Come on, tell me, what happened?
96
She punched somebody.
97
Yeah, because somebody pushed her in a bar, and so she punched him.
98
I'm like, where?
99
And I thought she'd say, like, you know, on his arm, in his face!
100
In New York City?
101
You punched someone in the face?
102
I can't believe she is.
103
I had to.
104
She had to.
105
A guy pushed her.
106
All right, remember, guys, violence is never the answer.
107
Bye!
108
You look handsome today.
109
Really?
110
Yeah.
111
I look good.
112
I'm even more handsome now.
113
I took my hat off.
114
We haven't had a proper lunch date in a minute.
115
All right, I got to get to work.
116
Get to work.
117
Come by the office.
118
Got to.
119
All right, take care.
120
Boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, boop, Alright, take it, buddy.
121
Hey, you're upstairs.
122
Does it look like whatever is coming down Broadway is coming down Broadway?
123
I'm coming up, I'm coming up.
124
Jordan!
125
I forgot my phone.
126
Locked in the stairwell.
127
Hey, I was locked in the stairwell.
128
Ah, look how clean Broadway is.
129
I don't know what it is.
130
I tried to look at it with the binoculars, and I couldn't.
131
The King of England's a town, so I don't know if he...
132
You got a charge boosted?
133
Yeah.
134
I got an extra.
135
Should we go see?
136
Yeah.
137
Oh wait, this is it.
138
Okay, these cops are the front of.. is this a protest?
139
What is this for?
140
May Day, it's like International Workers Day.
141
I appreciate
142
it.
143
What does it look like from up there Preston?
144
The view up here looks pretty good.
145
And just like that it's over.
146
To everyone that participated in the labor march, I hope you brought attention to your cause.
147
And yeah, I guess that's just another Friday in New York City.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 147 sentences and 877 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:10. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- billy /ˈbɪli/ (noun) — A highwayman's club, billy club.
- punch /pʌnt͡ʃ/ (noun) — A hit or strike with one's fist.
- parade /pəˈrɑd/ (noun) — Synonym of military parade: A show of troops, an assembly of troops as a show of force, to receive orders, or especially for inspection at set times.
- protest /ˈpɹoʊ.tɛst/ (noun) — A formal objection, especially one by a group.
- clock /klɑk/ (noun) — A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
- tune /tjuːn/ (noun) — A melody.
- shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
- handsome /ˈhæn.səm/ (adjective) — Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly
- couch /ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/ (noun) — An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
- demonstration /dɛmənˈstɹeɪʃən/ (noun) — The act of demonstrating; showing or explaining something.
- surf /sɝf/ (verb) — To ride a wave on a surfboard; to pursue or take part in the sport of surfing.
- custom /ˈkʌstəm/ (noun) — Frequent repetition of the same behavior; way of behavior common to many; ordinary manner; habitual practice; method of doing, living or behaving.
- participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/ (verb) — To join in, to take part, to involve oneself (in something).
- boost /buːst/ (verb) — To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up.
- buddy /ˈbʌdi/ — A person far removed from the conversation.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- come down (verb) — To descend, fall down, collapse.
- come up (verb) — To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
- lock in (verb) — To fix the value of (something potentially variable).
- turn out (verb) — To end up; to result.
- ask for (verb) — To request; to order.
- come by (verb) — To obtain; to get, especially by chance or involuntarily.
- come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 35 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, demonstration /dɛmənˈstɹeɪʃən/, closure /ˈkloʊ.ʒɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: demonstration /dɛmənˈstɹeɪʃən/, participate /pɑːˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, binoculars /(ˌ)baɪˈnɑ.kjə.lɚz/
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 billy, punch, parade.
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 | I've been · have cleared · They've towed |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm doing · we're just clearing · I'm saying |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll go · I'll let · I'll do |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | it's going to be · gonna do |
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.