Shadowing Practice: Jack Nicholson’s Coldest Scene | Rob Reiner | A FEW GOOD MEN - Learn English Speaking with Video

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100 sentences
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1
Colonel, I do have to ask you a couple of questions about September 6th.
2
Shoot.
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On the morning this 6th, you were contacted by an NIS agent who said that Santiago had tipped him off to an illegal fence line shooting.
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Yes.
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Santiago is gonna reveal the person's name in exchange for a transfer.
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Yes.
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If you feel there are any details that I'm missing, you should feel free to speak up.
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Come on.
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Thank you.
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Now, at this point, you called Lieutenant Colonel Markinson and Lieutenant Kendrick into your office.
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Is that right?
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Yes.
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What happened then?
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We agreed that for his own safety, Santiago should be transferred off the base.
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Santiago was set to be transferred.
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On the first available flight to the States.
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0600 the next morning.
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Five hours too late, as it turned out.
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Yeah.
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All right, that's all I have.
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Thanks very much for your time.
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The Corporal's waiting outside with a jeep for you.
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He'll take you back to the flight line.
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Thank you, sir.
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Wait a minute, I've got some questions.
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No, you don't.
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Yes, I do.
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No, you don't.
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Colonel, on the morning that Santiago died, did you meet with Dr. Stone between 3 and 5?
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Of course, I met with the doctor.
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One of my men was dead.
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See?
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The man was dead.
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Let's go.
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I was just wondering if you've ever heard the term code red.
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I've heard the term, yes.
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This past February, Colonel, you received a cautionary memo from the commander-in-chief of the Atlantic Fleet warning
38
that the practice of enlisted men disciplining their own wasn't to be condoned by officers.
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Well, I submit to you that whoever wrote
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that memo has never faced the working end of a Soviet-made Cuban AK-47 assault rifle.
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However, the directive having come from the commander, I gave it its due attention.
42
What is your point, Joe?
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She has no point.
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She often has no point, sir.
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It's part of her charm.
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We're out of here.
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Thank you.
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My point is that I think Code Red still go on down here.
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Do Code Red still happen on this base group?
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Joe, the Colonel doesn't need to answer that.
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Yes, he does.
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No, he really doesn't.
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Yeah, he really does.
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Colonel.
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You know, it just hit me.
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She outranks you, Danny.
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Yes, sir.
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I want to tell you something, and listen up, because I really mean this.
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You're the luckiest man in the world.
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There is nothing on this earth sexier, believe me, gentlemen, than a woman that you have to salute in the morning.
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Promote them all, I say, because this is true.
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If you haven't gotten a blow job from a superior officer, well, you're just letting the best in life pass you by.
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Colonel, the practice of code reds is still condemned by officers on this base.
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Of course, my problem is I'm a colonel, so I'll just have to go on taking cold showers until they elect some gal president.
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I need an answer to my question, sir.
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Take caution in your tone, Commander.
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I'm a fair guy, but this fucking heat is making me absolutely crazy.
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You want to ask me about code reds on the record, I tell you I discourage the practice in accordance with the commander's directive.
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Off the record, I tell you it is an invaluable part of close infantry training, and if it happens to go on without my knowledge, so be it.
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I run my unit how I run my unit.
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You want to investigate me, roll the dice and take your chances.
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I eat breakfast 300 yards from 4,000 Cubans who are trained to kill me, so don't think for one second that you can come down here,
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come down here, flash a badge, and make me nervous.
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Let's go.
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Colonel, I just need a copy of Santiago's transfer order.
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What's that?
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Santiago's transfer order.
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You guys have paperwork on that kind of thing.
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I just need it for the file.
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For the file?
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Yeah.
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Of course, you can have a copy of the transfer order for the file, Danny.
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I'm here to help in any way I can.
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Thank you.
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You believe that, don't you, Danny, that I'm here to help you in any way I can? Of course.
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The Corporate will take you by personnel on your way out to the flight line, and you can have all the transfer orders that you want.
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It's cool.
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But you have to ask me nicely.
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I beg your pardon?
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You have to ask me nicely.
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You see, Danny, I can deal with the bullets and the bombs and the blood.
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I don't want money and I don't want medals.
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What I do want is for you to stand there in
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that faggoty white uniform and with your Harvard mouth extend me some fucking courtesy.
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You gotta ask me nicely.
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Nicely.
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Colonel Jessup, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like a copy of the transfer order.
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Sir.
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No problem.
100
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Speaking Goals for This Clip: Mastering Assertive Dialogue

This clip from *A Few Good Men* is ideal for practicing confident, interruptive speech—a key fluency milestone for IELTS speaking and real-world communication. It targets the ability to hold ground in tense conversations, use strategic pauses, and balance politeness with directness, skills critical for high-stakes interactions like debates or negotiations.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Tense Conversations

  • "Shoot." (Casual invitation to ask questions)
  • "If you feel there are any details I'm missing, you should feel free to speak up." (Polite prompt for clarification)
  • "Five hours too late, as it turned out." (Concise reflection on a missed opportunity)
  • "She often has no point, sir. It's part of her charm." (Humor to defuse tension)
  • "The Colonel doesn't need to answer that." (Assertive protection of someone's boundaries)

Fix Your Weak Spots: Pronunciation and Rhythm in Interruptions

The dialogue’s rapid back-and-forth highlights two common challenges: stressing key words in interruptions and maintaining natural rhythm under pressure. For example, when characters say, "No, you don't" or "We're out of here," the stress falls on the verb ("don't," "out") to convey urgency. Practice shadowing these lines with a shadowing app to mimic the sharp, clipped delivery—this improves your ability to be understood in fast-paced exchanges. Additionally, notice the pauses before phrases like "My point is that..."; these pauses build tension and make your message clearer. For IELTS speaking practice, focus on replicating this rhythm to sound more native-like. Whether you’re using a shadowspeak tool or repeating lines aloud, this clip helps you refine the "push-pull" of conversational English, a skill that sets advanced speakers apart.

Learning English with YouTube clips like this one bridges the gap between classroom practice and real-life communication. By focusing on the nuances of assertive speech, you’ll not only improve English pronunciation but also gain the confidence to navigate complex dialogues with ease.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itwere contacted · should be transferred · was set
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowyou've ever heard · I've heard · has never faced

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →