Shadowing Practice: Learn English Vlog - A Day at The UK's BEST Zoo! ๐ (B2-C1) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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OK with each other?
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I'm at the zoo.
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Let's learn some English together.
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So we're at Chester Zoo.
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It's the most visited zoo in the UK and the country's favourite zoo.
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Right, so penguins, the way penguins walk is like a waddle, like this, right?
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But we can also use waddle for people.
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So you might say like, oh, that old lady, she's waddling.
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She kind of walks like this.
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So we sometimes use waddle for people as well.
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It's not a very kind word, but we do.
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Right, I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of the dusky pad-melon.
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Pad-a-melon, which is kind of like a kangaroo sort of thing.
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But no sign of him yet.
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They're marsupials, Laura. Are they?
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So right then they were standing upright.
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So when you've got an animal that's normally down like this and the animal goes like that, we say that they are standing upright.
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So, oh look, he's standing upright.
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Can you spot the warthogs?
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To spot means to see or find.
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And I can spot three warthogs.
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Look at him.
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He's all curled up.
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He's all curled up and sleeping.
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I mean, it's not the most ladylike position I've ever seen anyone sit.
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I'm a bit intimidated.
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I'm very scared he's going to just take off and flap in my face.
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Oh, he's making noises.
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I'm scared.
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How close are you allowed to be?
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Hello.
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I like your plume.
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Oh, no, he's going to go.
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Moo!
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This is the closest I've ever been to a crocodile.
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Like, he's just there.
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Whoa.
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He's hanging on this branch.
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He's kind of, like, leaning on that branch and just relaxing.
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Bedouin has an aversion to birds.
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Absolutely.
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And things that flap and fly.
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So he's not extremely comfortable in this place.
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I'm doing well.
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They're a free flying bird.
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And there's a place called the Bat Cave, which we have only been in once, and they let bats free fly around you.
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And you were destroyed.
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I'm particularly afraid of bats as well.
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He is fast with the snow.
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He's a bit wrinkly.
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Wow.
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Nobody home.
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Keep your eyes peeled for someone joining us soon.
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Keep your eyes peeled and keep looking, keep watching, keep your eyes peeled. Be ready.
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We've decided we're going to take a little boat trip.
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So when you use the word trip, we often use to take a trip.
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So we're going to go on a little boat, we're going to take a little boat trip.
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Come on!
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It's very peaceful on this boat.
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Very tranquil.
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Yeah.
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Very calm, peaceful.
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It's just, we're just leisurely moving along the water, which is really, really nice.
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And we're the only people on the boat, which is nice.
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The boat is empty apart from us.
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Do not rock the boat.
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Now, in this case, it means it literally, it's saying do not rock the boat, but it's also an idiom.
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If you say don't rock the boat, it means don't disrupt things, like don't cause arguments, don't cause controversy.
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Just do what is expected of you.
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Don't do anything controversial.
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Don't rock the boat.
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I'm getting a bit peckish.
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You know what some people say for starving?
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I've heard some people say, I'm Hank Marvin.
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Have you heard that?
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It must be, is that Cockney rhyming?
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I think it's Cockney rhyming.
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So I go, oh, I'm Hank Marvin.
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And it means I'm starving.
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I'm really hungry.
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It's lunchtime.
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So we're going to go into Chester Zoo's like pub restaurant and get some lovely lunch.
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We had a lovely lunch.
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I had like a risotto chicken situation.
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What did you have?
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You didn't see?
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A big fish and chips.
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A huge fish and chips.
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I was just thinking in there, the food didn't need to be that good.
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And that was really good quality food.
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You don't go to the zoo for food really, do you?
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So it's nice that there's an option.
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It was really, really nice quality food.
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We're going to go and see some more animals.
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It says here, have a go at.
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That's a very British phrase.
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Have a go means try it.
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So have a go at flamingo courtship poses.
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Right, head flag.
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Stretch up tall, point your beak up high, Turn your head from side to side.
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Crushed it.
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What's that one?
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Wing salute.
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Amazing.
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Put your head down with your tail feathers in the air.
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I think this is designed for children, but I'm doing it.
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Here's a really funny British English phrase that I bet you don't know.
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He's got the hump, but a lot of the time we drop the H and say, he's got the ump, right?
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It's quite a regional phrase it means he's angry he's in
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a mood he's a bit grumpy today he's got the ump i think these cannibals are about to hunt
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oh they're going in there they're going inside they're scrapping the fighting
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It's just a bog standard goat.
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It's just a goat.
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Peacocks.
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They're in the zoo, but can't you get like...
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I swear I've seen peacocks just...
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Roaming around.
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Just roaming around.
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Yeah.
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In like old buildings in the UK, like big stately manors in the UK.
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You'll just see a peacock.
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Yeah, that's true.
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Do they buy them?
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I think you can get wild peacocks.
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Not wild surely.
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Well, who owns them then?
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Look, look, it says on the map here.
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It says they're native to South Asian.
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I think people buy them in.
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Do you think?
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I think so.
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They must be.
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We should get one.
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I don't think.
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The Smashing English mascot.
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A peacock.
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Yeah, don't mind that.
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Don't mind the noise.
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It's a peacock.
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It's our pet peacock.
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Right, questions.
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How many teeth do they have?
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So many of my students struggle with making questions like that.
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So they say like, how many teeth it has, how many teeth do they have, how much does a lion weigh,
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how far can a lion pounce.
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Practice your questions because a lot of my students get the wrong.
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So remember I told you that Bez doesn't like flying things and things that flap.
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We're going to go into a butterfly house where it's nothing but butterflies flying around so how do you think you'll do?
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I remember I went in there a few years ago and I haven't forgot about it.
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It was pretty traumatic, to be honest.
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It's vile.
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It's vile.
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Isn't that vile?
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That's beautiful.
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I have a fear of...
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Sometimes they land on you.
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I have a fear of things that flap.
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So I have a fear of butterflies, bats, birds, insects, curtains...
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Curtains is ridiculous.
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Like just anything kind of an uncontrollable thing.
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So like, oh, horrible things like that.
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Horrible, horrid things like that.
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I'm ready.
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I'm really not.
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I'm really not.
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I'm just gonna pop this in the bin and we'll go in.
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He's gripping my hand so tightly.
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Ow!
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Ow!
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Oh my god.
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I don't think they're as bad this time.
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Last time we were here, they were flying right in front of us.
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It's still pretty horrible, are they?
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It's warm in it, warm!
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Look at these chrysalises!
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Bedouin is petrified, he is absolutely petrified!
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Nearly at the end!
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Oh my god, oh my god!
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So the spider monkeys have really long limbs and they're quite gangly.
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You know, if they were a person you would say, he's quite lanky, you know, like really long, thin limbs.
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But it makes them really nimble and they can smooth really easily.
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I love a spider monkey, they're fun.
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Quite similar to you, Laura.
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Oh, oh.
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Oh, come on.
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Come on.
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Come on.
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Do you want to go in the Batcave?
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Fat chance, Laura.
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Is that a joke?
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Come on, it would be lovely.
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It would be lovely.
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No way.
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No, there's not a chance in hell.
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These capybaras are basking in the sun.
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Just basking.
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Taking it all in.
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I feel like there's always one on lookout.
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So here, that guy there, he's always on lookout.
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So there's always one that's higher than the other one.
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Can you guess how many animals are at this zoo?
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Like individual animals?
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Me?
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Yeah.
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2,000.
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More.
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More as in individual animals?
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Yeah.
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10,000.
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More.
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20,000.
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More.
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50,000.
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30,000.
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Wow.
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Here's a question.
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Do you think we say I'm at the zoo or in the zoo?
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We'd say I'm at the zoo, because as you can see, most of it is not inside.
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So if you're going somewhere where you're not really going to be inside a place, you say I'm at there.
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So I'm at a wedding.
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I'm at the zoo.
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I'm at a party.
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You'd say I'm in if you're specifically enclosed in something.
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That's quite a common phrase.
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Like there's safety in numbers.
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Like you are safer if you are with a group of people rather than being on your own.
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So this animal is safer when they're together, because there's lots of them.
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So these are crickets.
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And as you can see, there's thousands of them here.
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There's bucket loads of crickets.
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Don't ask how I got in this situation. To thrive.
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If you are thriving, you are doing really, really well.
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Chester Zoo is saying that Chester Zoo works locally and internationally to help nature thrive.
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So to help nature do really well rather than just, okay, we want nature to do really well.
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Thank you so much for watching.
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If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like.
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And if you want to see more videos like this, press the subscribe button.
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You can also become a member, which means you get PDFs for every video you get two live streams a month
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and you get videos four days early
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so click the join button to become a member for example
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here's a sneak peek of the pdf for this video
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so members get this for every video thank you so much for watching and i'll see you next time
Why practice speaking with this video?
This engaging vlog from the UK's best zoo offers an authentic context for learners to enhance their English speaking skills. As the presenter interacts with various animals and expresses emotions, you'll gain valuable insight into natural conversational English. Learning English with YouTube videos like this one enables you to hear colloquial phrases and situational responses in real-time, which is crucial for fluency.
By practicing shadow speech while watching, you can replicate the speakerโs tone and delivery, improving your own speaking abilities. This form of practice is particularly beneficial for those preparing for the IELTS speaking test, as it mirrors real-world interactions you may encounter in such exams.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
In this video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are used that are vital for learners:
- โTo spotโ: This verb is used in the context of seeing or identifying something. For example, when the presenter says, โCan you spot the warthogs?โ, it emphasizes the action of finding or noticing something.
- Descriptive phrases: The presenter describes the penguinsโ walk as a โwaddle.โ This vivid imagery not only enhances the listener's understanding but also enriches vocabulary for describing movement, a useful factor in English speaking practice.
- โStanding uprightโ: This phrase illustrates the concept of position. Using context-specific expressions like this helps show how adjectives pair with verbs in descriptive contexts. Learners can practice variations like โsitting downโ or โlying flatโ as part of their vocabulary.
- โMaking noisesโ: The use of gerunds here emphasizes ongoing actions, a common structure in English that helps to convey immediacy in descriptions.
Common Pronunciation Traps
In this video, certain words and phrases may pose pronunciation challenges:
- โWaddleโ: The 'w' sound followed by the 'addle' segment can be tricky, especially for non-native speakers. Ensure you're blending the sounds smoothly.
- โCrocodileโ: This word requires careful enunciation, with emphasis on the second syllable, "co-". Make sure to practice saying it clearly to avoid confusion.
- โAversionโ: The blend of 'av-er-sion' can be difficult; pay attention to how the sounds transition to avoid a common mispronunciation where syllables may become jumbled.
By focusing on these key pronunciation points, learners can improve their articulation, which is essential for clear communication in both casual and formal settings. With regular practice through methods such as shadow speak, mastery over these nuances becomes achievable!
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 โ like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1โ2 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 โ making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.