Shadowing Practice: Learn English by Listening β Talking About Energy Levels π | Episode 49 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello and welcome to English Audio Lab.
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Hello and welcome to English Audio Lab.
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My name is Trevor.
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And I'm Alicia.
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We're so glad you're joining us today.
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Today we have a very useful topic.
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We're going to talk about energy level level.
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That's right.
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We all have days when we feel great and days when we feel not so great.
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Exactly.
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So we'll learn different ways to say you are full of energy and different ways to say you are very tired.
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This is perfect for everyday conversation.
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Let's get started.
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So, Alicia, to begin, how are you feeling today?
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Oh, that's a good question.
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To be honest, I'm feeling a bit sluggish this morning.
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Sluggish.
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That's a great word.
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Can you explain what that means?
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Sure.
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Sluggish means I feel slow and like I have very little energy.
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I didn't sleep very well last night,
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so I'm not feeling my best.
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I understand.
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So your body and mind feel slow.
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How about you, listeners?
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Have you ever felt sluggish?
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How about you, Trevor?
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You seem to have a lot of energy today.
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I do.
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I'm feeling quite energetic.
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I had a wonderful night's sleep and I went for a walk this morning.
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That sounds lovely.
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So you're the opposite of sluggish.
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Yes, you could say I'm feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
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Ooh, that's a fun one.
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Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
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What does that mean?
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It's a playful expression that means you are alert,
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awake, and full of energy, ready for the day.
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I love that.
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I hope I feel bright-eyed and bushy-tailed tomorrow.
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Let's explore some more words and phrases.
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First, let's talk about having high energy.
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The most common way is to say,
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I have a lot of energy, or I feel energetic.
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Right.
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Simple and clear.
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Like, I feel energetic after my morning coffee.
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Perfect example.
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Another phrase is full of beans.
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A bowl of beans?
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That sounds funny.
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It is a little funny.
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It's an informal way to say someone is lively and has a lot of energy.
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We often use it for children.
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For example, the kids are full of beans today after that cake.
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I see.
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So it's for someone who is very active and maybe a bit excited.
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Exactly.
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Another useful expression is on top of the world.
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I like that one.
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It sounds like you feel amazing.
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It means you feel wonderful, successful, and very happy.
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It's more about a feeling of happiness and confidence,
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which often includes high energy.
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For instance, after I got the job,
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I felt on top of the world.
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That makes sense.
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It's a feeling of total victory.
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Now, let's talk about low energy.
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The most common word is, of course, tired.
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Yes, everyone knows tired.
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But what if you are more than just tired?
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Great question.
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If you are very, very tired,
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you can use the word exhausted.
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Exhausted.
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That sounds much stronger.
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It is.
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For example, after working for 12 hours, I was completely exhausted.
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Or, the long flight to Australia left me exhausted.
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Excellent.
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Two other very common phrases are worn out and wiped out.
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They both mean exhausted.
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Worn out, like an old pair of shoes.
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That's a great way to think about it.
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You've used up all your energy.
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For example, I feel completely worn out after cleaning the whole house.
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And wiped out?
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It's very similar.
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It gives the picture of having all your energy erased or wiped away.
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That long meeting completely wiped me out.
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What about when you have absolutely zero energy left?
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For that situation, we have a great idiom, running on empty.
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Like a car with no gas?
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Precisely.
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You are continuing to go,
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but you have no real energy to keep you going.
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After studying all night for the exam,
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I was running on empty.
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Another word you used earlier was sluggish.
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I also sometimes hear the word drained.
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Are they similar?
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They are.
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Fish focuses more on the slowness.
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Drained focuses on the feeling of having your energy taken out of you,
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like water draining from a sink.
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Dealing with that difficult customer left me feeling completely drained.
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These are great!
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It's so much better than just saying,
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I'm tired all the time.
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Alright, let's listen to these words in a short dialogue.
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Imagine two colleagues, Ben and Sarah,
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meeting at work in the morning.
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I'll be Ben.
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And I'll be Sarah.
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Okay, let's go.
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Morning, Sarah.
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You look a bit tired.
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Morning, Ben.
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Yeah, I'm feeling really drained today.
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I barely slept last night.
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Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.
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How are you going to get through the day?
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Lots of coffee.
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I feel so sluggish.
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It's hard to even think clearly.
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Well, I hope you feel better.
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I'm the opposite.
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I feel really energetic this morning.
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That's good.
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I wish I felt the same.
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Okay, let's look at that short conversation.
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Sarah used two phrases for low energy.
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Did you hear them, Alicia?
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Yes.
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She said she was feeling drained and sluggish.
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That's right.
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And then said he was feeling...
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Energetic.
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Excellent.
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Notice how these words make the conversation more interesting than just saying tired or not tired.
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Let's do another one.
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This time, let's imagine two friends talking at the end of a very long day.
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I'll start.
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Oof, what a day!
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I am completely worn out.
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You can say that again.
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I am so wiped out.
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I think I'm running on empty at this point.
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Me too.
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I'm going to go home and just relax.
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No big plans for me tonight.
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That sounds like a perfect plan.
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I'm absolutely exhausted.
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Okay, that conversation was full of great low-energy words.
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It was.
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We heard worn out, wiped out,
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running on empty, and exhausted.
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Four different ways to say very tired.
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It really shows how you can express the same idea with different words to make your English sound more natural and varied.
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Now it's time for some practice.
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This is where you, our listener, get to speak.
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We will say a sentence slowly and then we will repeat it at a normal natural speed.
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Please repeat both times.
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Ready?
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Let's begin.
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I am feeling very energetic today.
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I'm feeling very energetic today.
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she was completely worn out after the gym she was completely
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worn out after the gym i think i am running on
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empty i think i'm running on empty he felt on top of the world.
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He felt on top of the world.
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The long meeting left me completely drained.
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The long meeting left me completely drained.
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Excellent work.
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Repetition is so important for building memory and confidence.
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Now, for our last practice section,
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Trevor and I will have a short conversation.
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Your job is to listen carefully for the energy phrases we used today.
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And after our conversation, we will ask you a question.
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Okay, let's start.
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Wow, Trevor, you seem full of beans this afternoon.
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I am.
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I had a very productive morning, and I feel great.
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It's funny because yesterday I was completely wiped out by this time.
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Really?
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A busy day yesterday?
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Yes, it was non-stop.
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I barely had time for lunch.
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I was definitely exhausted by the end of the day.
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Okay, listeners, did you hear the phrases?
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We use three.
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Alicia started by saying I seemed full of beans.
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Right.
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A fun way to say energetic.
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Then I said that yesterday I was wiped out and exhausted.
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Great job if you heard them all.
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Now here is our question for you.
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How are you feeling right now?
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Try to answer out loud.
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Use one of the phrases from today's lesson.
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You can pause the audio now and say your answer.
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Wonderful practice, everyone.
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We have from feeling energetic,
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bright-eyed, and bushy-tailed, or on top of the world.
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To feeling sluggish, drained, worn out,
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or even running on empty.
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The most important thing is to practice.
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Try to use just one of these new phrases this week,
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maybe in a conversation, or just say it to yourself.
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That's the best way to make new words a part of your vocabulary.
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Don't worry about making mistakes.
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Every time you speak English,
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you are learning and improving.
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You are doing a fantastic job just by listening and practicing with us today.
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Keep up the great work!
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Thank you for joining us at English Audio Lab.
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We look forward to seeing you in the next lesson.
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Bye for now and happy learning!
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Context & Background
In this episode of "Learn English by Listening," hosts Trevor and Alicia delve into the topic of energy levels and explore how to express feelings about energy in English. The dialogue begins with a casual check-in between the two hosts, setting a conversational tone while addressing a common experience: fluctuating energy levels. Listeners are invited to reflect on their own energy levels, making the lesson interactive and relatable. By discussing words like sluggish and bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, the video provides learners with valuable vocabulary that can be easily integrated into everyday conversations.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Sluggish - Feeling slow and lacking energy, often due to poor rest or fatigue.
- Energetic - A common way to describe feeling full of energy and enthusiasm.
- Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed - A playful expression indicating that someone is alert and ready to embrace the day.
- Full of beans - An informal way to say someone is lively and full of energy.
- I feel tired - A straightforward phrase to express fatigue or low energy.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively enhance your English pronunciation and fluency using the shadowing technique, follow these steps:
- Choose Your Material: Select the episode or a specific segment of the video to focus on. For this lesson, listening to Trevor and Alicia's conversation about energy levels will be particularly beneficial.
- Active Listening: Before you start shadowing, listen carefully to the dialogue a couple of times. Pay attention to the intonation, rhythm, and pronunciation of key phrases.
- Practice Aloud: Start shadowing by repeating after the speakers. Mimic their tone, speed, and emotion as closely as possible to grasp the nuances of the language. This method, often referred to as shadowspeak, can significantly improve your English pronunciation.
- Break It Down: If a phrase feels challenging, break it down into smaller parts. Repeat each segment until you feel comfortable, then try to say the complete phrase without pauses.
- Record Yourself: Use a shadowing site or simple voice recording tool to capture your pronunciation. Compare your recording with the original audio. This will help you identify areas of strength and improvement.
By practicing regularly with these techniques, youβll likely find that your energy for speaking English improves alongside your vocabulary and fluency!
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 β like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1β2 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 β making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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