Shadowing Practice: Learn English - FULL ENGLISH - 1 - Lesson ONE - Learn English in a fun way. - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi everybody, this is Mr Duncan in England.
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I'm very happy to meet you.
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Welcome to the very first edition of Mr Duncan's Full English.
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Right here you will find many topics relating to the English language and how it is used,
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with new words and phrases along with lots of other super -duper stuff as well, all crammed into each episode.
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Today's edition is what we call a pilot show.
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A pilot show is a programme that has been made to test how well it works.
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You make a pilot show to see how the audience reacts to it.
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That is what I am doing today.
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But enough of that.
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Let's get on with the first ever Mr Duncan's Full English right now.
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I like to stretch in the morning just as I'm waking up.
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I like to stretch in the afternoon when I've been working too much.
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I like to stretch in the evening before I go to bed.
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I like to stretch all day long from my toes up to my head.
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Did you know that there is an expression in English?
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To stretch your legs.
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This means that you are going for a walk.
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I'm just going out in the garden to stretch my legs.
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To stretch your legs is to go for a walk.
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You can stretch most parts of your body.
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You can stretch your arms.
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You can stretch your neck.
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But be careful not to stretch it too much.
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You can stretch your whole body.
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Stretching is a good way of making yourself feel better when you are tired.
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Do you ever stretch?
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These are my socks.
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I have many pairs of socks.
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There is something wrong with this pair.
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Can you see the problem?
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These socks have holes in them.
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They are worn out.
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If something is worn out, then we can say that it is no longer useful.
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It has become damaged and useless.
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The thing has been used so many times it has become damaged.
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You can feel worn out too if you are tired after working hard.
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I have had such a busy day.
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I'm worn out.
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Oh, I feel so nervous today, because of course this is the first ever full English episode.
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Sometimes when you do something for the first time, you might feel a little bit nervous and apprehensive.
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Of course it is normal to feel this way.
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I still remember the first time I ever taught in a classroom.
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I was so nervous.
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My hands were shaking and I could hardly hold the chalk while writing on the blackboard.
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I felt nervous and jittery.
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I had a case of the jitters.
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I was on edge.
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I felt apprehensive.
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Of course, that feeling soon wears off as you gain experience.
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The more you do something, the better you become at it.
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And the better you become, the less nervous you will feel doing it in the future.
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Flowers are so beautiful, don't you think?
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They have wonderful colours in summer and the fragrance from them is so sweet.
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You can smell them, you can pick them, you can stand back and admire them.
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You need to take care of them too.
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You need to water them so that they will grow and survive.
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A flower has many parts.
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The petals are the parts with the colour.
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The stem is the long part of the flower.
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Most flowers have leaves.
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If you touch a flower, you might find your fingers will be covered in a fine dust.
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This is called pollen.
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Pollen can go up your nose and make you sneeze.
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I love flowers, don't you? Do you like idioms?
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Do you have a soft spot for them?
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To have a soft spot for something means that you really like that particular thing.
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You are very fond of it.
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I have a soft spot for classical music.
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I have a soft spot for Italian food.
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If you have a soft spot for something then it means that you like it very much.
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What What do you have a soft spot for?
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Yesterday while on the stair I saw a man who wasn't there
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He wasn't there again today
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Oh, how I wish he'd go away
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Can you see the letter next to me?
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It is the letter Z.
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In British English, we usually call this the letter Z.
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In American English, this letter is pronounced Z, which can cause some confusion for those looking at the alphabet in other countries.
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Zack, Zebra, Zip, Zither, Zone,
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Zoo, Buzz, Crazy, Dazzle, Doze,
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Fizz, Jazz, Maze, Nuzzle, Zed or Zee.
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Can you see what I'm doing here?
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I'm fitting new handles to the doors in my house.
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The word handle can be used as a noun or verb.
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As a noun, handle names something that can be grabbed or held onto, like a door handle.
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As a verb, it can mean to hold or carry using one or both hands, or to transport something.
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In verb form, handle can mean to cope with something, or deal with a problem.
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If you can deal with something, then you can handle it.
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To manage or oversee something means you are handling it.
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You are taking care of it.
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In a positive sentence you can handle it.
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In a negative sentence you can't handle it.
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It is too much for you to handle.
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Well, that is all for this first ever full English episode.
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What did you think of it?
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Was it too long?
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Was it too short?
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Was it too red?
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What was your favourite part?
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My favourite part was this.
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Here, mate.
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Lend us a fiver.
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Please let me know what you thought of today's episode.
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either through email, personal message or...
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Mental telepathy.
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Oh wait, I'm getting a message now.
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No, no, wrong person.
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OK, I'm off now to make a nice tomato ketchup sandwich for myself.
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So until next time, if there is a next time of course, This is Mr Duncan in the place where English was born.
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Of course, that is England.
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Saying to you, stay happy, stay positive, and most importantly of all, stay alive.
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Ta -ta for now.
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Oh, Blue Sox, I knew you well.
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But lately you had started to smell.
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To part with you so soon makes me think, If you leave me now, will I miss your stink?
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The time has come, now you've worn thin
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To throw you straight into the bin.
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My pair of blue socks, what will become of your souls, Now that you are full of holes?
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Alas, blue socks, I knew you well, but I could no longer stand your smell.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English - FULL ENGLISH - 1 - Lesson ONE - Learn English in a fun way”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: stretch, handle, English, flower, soft. This video has 120 sentences and 1114 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:40. The speaker talks slowly, about 88 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stretch verb | /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ | To lengthen by pulling. |
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| sock noun | /sɑk/ | A knitted or woven covering for the foot. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| noun noun | /naʊn/ | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea… |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| finger noun | /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other… |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| stem noun | /stɛm/ | The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors. |
| classical adjective | /ˈklæs.ɪ.k(ə)l/ | Of or relating to the first class or rank, especially in literature or art. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wear out verb | To cause (something) to become damaged, useless, or ineffective through continued use, especially hard, heavy, or careless use. | |
| get on with verb | To proceed with; to begin or continue, especially after an interruption. | |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| stand back verb | To maintain distance. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| wear off verb | to diminish in effect |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can you see the problem?
- Flowers are so beautiful, don't you think?
- I love flowers, don't you?
- Do you have a soft spot for them?
- Can you see what I'm doing here?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been made · are worn · is worn |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been made · has become · has been |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might feel · might find |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | am doing · I'm waking · are going |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, telepathy /tɛˈlɛp.ə.θi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, apprehensive /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/, telepathy /tɛˈlɛp.ə.θi/
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 stretch, flower, sock.
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.