Shadowing Practice: L3 07 Past tense Winter Vacation 00 00 00 000 00 03 17 121 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Last year, I went to Portugal just after Christmas, and I stayed there until, well, just after New Year's this year.
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In Portugal, I met up with one of my friends from Toronto.
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He had family that lived in Portugal, because his family was originally from Portugal,
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so they were kind enough to let me stay with them.
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I didn't know any Portuguese except for some simple words like hello and thank you.
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I learned some simple words through an audio CD before I went there.
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And the people that I stayed with didn't know very much English either.
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However, we got along surprisingly well.
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They were surprised that I was able to eat some of their exotic foods.
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They made some delicious meals every single day like octopus, tripe and rabbit.
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It is quite exotic but I thought it was quite good.
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They also made some excellent desserts like crème caramel and a rich sponge cake that they called Pound-de-Lô.
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I went to a few cities such as Porto, Almere, Lisbon and Nazare.
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The New Year's celebration on the beaches of Nazare was fantastic.
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It was really quite a celebration.
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We had some champagne and some raisins.
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In Portuguese tradition, they eat 12 raisins for each month of the year and make a wish for each month.
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I think that because of my friend and his family,
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I got to experience a part of Portugal that most people wouldn't just by going on vacation.
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And I really did have a fantastic experience.
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Okay, now I'll talk about my winter vacation.
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This winter vacation I spent two weeks in my hometown, which is Daytona Beach, Florida.
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It was wonderful.
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The weather was warm every day.
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It was sunny every day, and the temperature was almost 80 degrees.
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I visited my mother and I spent every morning having a nice leisurely cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.
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And after that, I got my bicycle out and rode down to the beach and enjoyed the sun and the surf.
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I came back home and read a book and went to bed early.
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I had a wonderful time.
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I saw a couple of new movies when I was home in Florida.
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I saw The Aviator, and also an interesting movie called Spanglish,
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which I hope you all can see because it's an interesting movie about English and the Spanish.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice speaking about your past experiences, specifically focusing on winter vacations. Through listening to a personal account of a winter trip, you will enhance your speaking abilities while learning how to express events in the past tense. By the end of the lesson, you should feel more comfortable using the past tense in a conversational context, which is essential for your IELTS speaking practice. This exercise also emphasizes pronunciation and sentence structure, helping you improve your English pronunciation.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Exotic foods - Uncommon or unusual food items from a different culture.
  • Leisurely - Taking time in a relaxed or easy-going manner.
  • Splashing - Creating noise or movement typically associated with water.
  • New Year's celebration - Festivities marking the start of the new year.
  • Wildlife - Animals living or growing in a natural environment.
  • Delicious meals - Tasty and enjoyable dishes.
  • Making wishes - A tradition often linked to special occasions.

Practice Tips

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this lesson, try to follow along with the speaker's pace. The transcript reflects a natural conversational tone, making it ideal for shadowing practice. Here are some specific tips:

  • Slow it Down: If the pace feels too fast, slow down the video. Focus on clearly pronouncing each word rather than mimicking the speed.
  • Repeat Multiple Times: Listen to short segments and repeat them several times before moving on. This repetition will help you improve English pronunciation and build confidence in your speaking abilities.
  • Focus on Intonation: Pay attention to the natural rises and falls in the speaker's voice. This will help you develop a more engaging speaking style.
  • Record Yourself: Use a recording device to compare your shadow speak with the original audio. This will reveal areas for improvement.
  • Incorporate Vocabulary: Make a conscious effort to include the key vocabulary and phrases in your speaking practice. This will enhance your fluency and prepare you for IELTS speaking practice.

By applying these techniques, you'll create a strong foundation for discussing past events, making your winters more engaging and articulate!

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.