Shadowing Practice: Learn English with Podcast 🎧 14-Day Challenge | Day 1: Build Your English Habit - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello my friends!
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Welcome back to English Unleashed!
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Today we are starting something exciting together.
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We are starting a two -week English challenge.
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For the next two weeks, I will post one new podcast episode every day.
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Each episode will be published at the same time,
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and each one will be around 12 to 15 minutes long.
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Your job is simple.
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Listen to the podcast.
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repeat the sentences, and try to learn useful words and phrases.
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You do not need to study for hours.
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You do not need to understand every single word.
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You only need to listen, practice, and come back again the next day.
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If you are ready to join the challenge, write "Yes, I'm in" in the comment section.
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Writing this sentence is a small action, but it is important.
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It means you are making a promise to yourself.
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You are saying for the next 14 days.
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I will make time for my English.
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So write "Yes, I'm in" and let us begin this journey together.
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Now there is something important that I want you to do before we start.
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Choose a time that is good for you.
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You can listen in the morning after breakfast.
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You can listen during your lunch break.
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You can listen after work, while you are walking, or before you go to bed.
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The exact time is not important.
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However, it is important to listen at the same time every single day.
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One of the best ways to develop a good habit is to connect it to a regular time or activity.
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For example, you may decide to listen after your morning coffee.
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You may listen while you travel to work.
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Choose a time that fits your life.
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Do not choose a time when you are usually busy or tired.
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Choose a time you can relax and pay attention for 12 minutes.
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You can also set an alarm on your phone.
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Give the alarm a simple name, such as: Time for English or English Challenge.
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or 12 minutes of English.
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When the alarm rings, try not to say, I'll do it later.
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later can easily become tomorrow, and tomorrow can easily become next week.
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Instead, press play and begin.
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Remember, the episode is only around 12 minutes long.
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I am keeping each episode short because I want you to feel motivated enough to start and continue until the end.
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Sometimes when you see a one hour lesson, you think, I don't have enough time.
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But 12 minutes feels possible.
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12 minutes is shorter than any coffee breaks it is shorter than one episode of a television program
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Many people spend more than 12 minutes checking social media without even noticing the time.
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So, you can definitely find 12 minutes for your English for your future.
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You do not have to change your whole life.
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Now, you may ask, "How can 14 days really help my English?" That is a good question.
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14 days will not make you completely fluent.
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You will not suddenly understand every film, every song, or every native speaker.
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But these 14 days can help you begin something much more important.
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They can help you build consistency.
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Consistency means doing something every single day.
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regularly even when you do not feel excited or highly motivated.
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Many learners wait for motivation.
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They study when they feel energetic, but they stop when they feel tired or busy.
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This creates a difficult pattern.
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They study for three hours on Sunday, But then they do nothing for the next five days.
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They learn 20 new words, but they forget them because they never use them again.
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Real progress usually comes from small actions that we repeat regularly.
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12 minutes every day can be more useful than 2 hours once a month.
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because your brain needs regular contact with English.
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Your brain loves repetition.
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Your brain loves repetition.
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During this challenge, you will hear English every day.
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You will hear natural sentences, useful expressions, and common vocabulary.
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Some phrases may be new.
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Some may already be familiar.
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Familiar means you have heard or seen them before.
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when you hear a familiar phrase again do not think I already know this!
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Ask yourself, "Can I use it naturally?" Knowing a phrase and using a phrase are not the same thing.
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You may know a phrase, but you may not be able to use it.
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For example, perhaps you know the expression That sounds good!
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You understand it when you hear it.
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But do you use it when someone gives you an idea?
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If a friend says, "Let's meet at 6." Can you quickly answer,
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"That sounds good." So this challenge is not just about understanding English.
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It is about making useful English easier to remember and easier to say.
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That is why repetition is important.
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When you hear a useful sentence, repeat it aloud.
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Do not only repeat it inside your head.
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Use your voice.
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For example, listen to this sentence: "I'm trying to build a better habit." I'm trying to build a better habit.
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Good.
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Here is another one.
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I'm going to practice every day.
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Now repeat: Good.
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I'm going to practice every day.
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Speaking aloud helps your mouth become familiar with English sounds.
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It also helps your brain remember the sentence as a complete piece of language.
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In this challenge, do not worry if your pronunciation is not perfect.
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Your goal is not perfection.
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Your goal is practice.
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You only need practice.
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In fact, during these 14 days, You may make many mistakes.
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I want you to make mistakes.
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That is completely normal.
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Mistakes are not a sign that you are failing.
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They are a sign that you are trying.
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You need to use the language.
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even when you are not completely sure.
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During each podcast, try to notice useful words and phrases.
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You do not have to write down everything.
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Choose three, four, or five useful expressions from each episode.
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For example, from today's episode, you may choose: to build a habit.
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to make time for something.
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to stay consistent.
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to keep going to fit something into your day.
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Let's look at these phrases: To build a habit means to develop a regular action.
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Ask yourself, can I use it?
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You could say, "I want to build a habit of reading in English." Here is the next one.
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To make time for something, means to find time for an activity even when you are busy.
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You could say: I'm busy, but I make time for English every day.
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To stay consistent means to continue doing something regularly.
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You could say, "The most important thing is to stay consistent." Here is the next one.
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To keep going, means to continue and not stop.
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You could say, This lesson is difficult, but I'm going to keep going.
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And to fit something into your day, means to find a suitable time for it.
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You could say, "I can fit a short English lesson into my day." Now,
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there may be a day during this challenge when you do not feel like listening.
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Perhaps you will be tired.
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Perhaps you will have a lot of work.
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Perhaps you will feel that you are not improving.
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This is the moment when the challenge becomes most useful.
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A habit does not become strong on the easy days.
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It becomes strong on the difficult days.
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on an easy day you may feel excited to study you may have plenty of time and energy
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But on a difficult day, you learn to say, I'm tired.
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but I can still do 12 minutes.
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This does not mean that you should force yourself when you are ill or truly need to rest.
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It simply means that you should not allow a small feeling of laziness to control your decision.
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Okay, so today is day one of our 14 day challenge.
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You have already taken the first step.
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and the first step is often the most difficult one.
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Now, go to the comments section and write "Yes,
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I'm in." Choose your daily listening time and set an alarm on your phone.
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Then come back tomorrow at the same time for the next episode.
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Remember, 12 minutes may feel small,
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but small actions repeated every day can create meaningful challenge.
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Keep listening, keep repeating, and keep learning.
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I'm Tom, and this is English Unleashed.
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I am so proud to have you in this challenge.
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I will speak to you tomorrow for day two.
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you
About This Lesson
Welcome to the start of your 14-day English podcast challenge! In this exciting lesson, you will practice listening to daily podcast episodes that are designed to help you build a consistent English habit. Each episode will be roughly 12 to 15 minutes long, making it easy to fit into your daily routine. Your primary tasks for each session will include listening carefully, repeating sentences, and learning new vocabulary and phrases. The goal is not to understand every word but to engage actively with the material and recognize patterns in English speech.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Podcast - A digital audio file available for streaming or download.
- Challenge - A task or goal that requires effort to achieve.
- Promise - A commitment you make to yourself or others.
- Regular time - A consistent schedule or routine for practice.
- Alarm - A signal to remind you to do something.
- Motivated - Feeling enthusiastic and driven to take action.
- Fluent - The ability to speak a language easily and accurately.
- Pay attention - To focus on something with intention.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this 14-day challenge, consider using the shadowing technique during each podcast session. Here’s how you can effectively implement this method:
- Listen attentively: Before you start shadowing, give the podcast a focused listen. This will help you get a feel for the speaker’s tone and pace.
- Repeat after the speaker: As you listen, pause the podcast after a sentence and try to mimic the speaker’s pronunciation and rhythm. This is key for improving your English pronunciation and intonation.
- Maintain a consistent schedule: Select a specific time every day to listen and practice. Connecting this habit to a daily activity helps reinforce your learning.
- Record yourself: Use your smartphone or computer to record yourself as you shadow the speech. This gives you a chance to compare and assess your own pronunciation with that of the speaker.
- Embrace small mistakes: Don’t worry about perfection during this challenge. The objective is to immerse yourself in the language and progressively build your fluency.
Ultimately, by committing just 12 minutes a day to this challenge, you can enhance your speaking skills and build a stronger connection with the English language. Remember, this journey is yours to own, so don’t forget to engage with the community by sharing your progress!
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.