Shadowing Practice: Learn English with a Story: Small Steps, Big Dreams (A1 Level) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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102 sentences
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Hi, I'm John.
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Hi, I'm Jennifer.
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Welcome to the English Storycaster Channel.
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Today, we talk about dreams and goals.
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We speak very simple English today.
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We speak slowly for you.
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Sit down and relax.
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You do not need to understand every word.
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Jennifer, what was your dream when you were a child?
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I wanted to be a famous singer.
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I wanted a big stage and a big microphone.
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What did you get?
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I sang in my bedroom.
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My only fans were two plants and one chair.
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What about you, John?
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I wanted to be a famous football player.
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I wanted a big stadium.
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What did you get?
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I played on a small field.
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My friends shouted, John, you missed the ball again.
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Childhood dreams are fun.
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They make life exciting.
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First, what is a dream?
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A dream is not the picture when you sleep.
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No flying animals.
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A dream is a big wish in your heart.
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Yes, a dream is what you want for your future.
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For example, you want to speak English easily.
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That is a dream.
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Now, what is a goal?
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A goal is a small plan.
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A dream is the big wish.
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A goal is the small step.
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Dream equals big wish.
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Goal equals small plan.
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For example, your dream is Confident English.
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Your goal is speaking English for five minutes today.
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Big dreams and small goals are a team.
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They travel together.
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Let's share our real dreams.
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Jennifer, what is your dream?
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My dream is to have a cozy English school.
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It has green plants, hot tea, and happy students.
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How do you reach this dream?
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I set a small goal.
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I work on my lesson plan for 15 minutes every day.
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Only 15 minutes?
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Yes, only 15 minutes.
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Small daily work makes the big dream grow.
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That is wonderful.
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My dream is to have a small house with a green garden.
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What is your small goal?
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I save a little money every month, and I walk in a green park every week.
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You live a small piece of your dream today.
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Yes, you can do a small step today, too.
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Sometimes real life is busy.
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Yes, phones, games, and TV take our time.
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Here are four simple ideas to stay focused.
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Idea number one.
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Choose one main dream for this season.
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A season can be three months.
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Make your English dream your priority.
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Priority means the most important thing.
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Idea number two.
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Do one small daily action.
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Call it your anchor.
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Practice English for 10 minutes after dinner every day.
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Idea number three.
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Stop dream thieves.
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Dream thieves steal your time.
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Put your phone on silent for 10 minutes.
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Idea number four.
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Remember your reason.
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Why do you learn English?
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Write your reason on paper.
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If you miss one day, do not worry.
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Just try again today.
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Sometimes people say negative words.
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Do not listen to doubt.
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Protect your dream.
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Your dream is like a compass.
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A compass shows the direction.
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Direction means the way you walk.
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You do not need to run fast.
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You can walk slowly.
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Resting is okay.
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Resting is not failure.
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Let's review four key words from today.
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Word 1.
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Dream.
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A big wish for your future.
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Word 2, goal, a small daily plan.
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Word 3, priority, the most important thing first.
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Word 4, consistent, doing something again and again.
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We want to hear from you.
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Please write a comment below this video.
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Write, I am, your name, from your country, and my small goal is.
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We read every comment.
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If you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to subscribe to English Storycaster.
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Thank you for listening to us today.
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Take care and keep going.
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Goodbye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English with a Story: Small Steps, Big Dreams”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: dream, goal, English, word, wish. This video has 102 sentences and 605 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:19. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| priority noun | /pɹaɪˈɒɹɪti/ | An item's relative importance. |
| thief noun | /ˈθiːf/ | One who carries out a theft. |
| compass noun | /ˈkʌmpəs/ | A magnetic or electronic device used to determine the cardinal directions (usually magnetic or true north). |
| consistent adjective | /kənˈsɪs.tənt/ | Of a regularly occurring, dependable nature. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| silent adjective | /ˈsaɪ̯lənt/ | Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| shout verb | /ʃaʊt/ | To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc. |
| anchor noun | /ˈæŋ.kəː/ | A tool used to moor a vessel to the bottom of a sea or river to resist movement. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| microphone noun | /ˈmaɪ.kɹəˌfəʊn/ | A device (transducer) used to convert sound waves into a varying electric current; normally fed into an amplifier and either recorded or transmitted over radio. |
| cosy adjective | /ˈkoʊzi/ | Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Jennifer, what was your dream when you were a child?
- What did you get?
- Jennifer, what is your dream?
- How do you reach this dream?
- What is your small goal?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most important |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to understand · need to run |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 priority, thief, compass.
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.