Shadowing Practice: Learn English with SHERLOCK - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello?
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Hi, I live in the flat just below you.
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I don't think we've met.
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No, well, I've just moved in.
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Actually, I've...
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I just locked my keys in my flat.
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You want me to buzz you in?
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Yeah, and can I use your balcony?
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What?
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I'm sure Sherlock Holmes needs no introduction.
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But can you guess how many movies and series have been based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories.
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There are over 250 adaptations in movies and TV series, making Sherlock Holmes one of the most portrayed characters in history.
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Unlike previous versions, the series starring Benedict Cumberbatch is set in the 21st century,
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where Sherlock uses modern technology like smartphones and GPS to solve crimes.
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The two words from the short clip you just saw are included in the flashcards deck for this lesson.
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They are moving.
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and buzz someone in.
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If you'd like to learn the meanings of these and other words we'll cover today,
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I invite you to download the RealLife English app using the link in the description below.
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And later in the lesson, I'll share how you can get free access to vocabulary practice on the app so stay tuned!
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And if you're new here, please hit that subscribe button and bell down below, because you don't want to miss any of our new lessons.
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Every week on this channel, we bring you lessons just like this one.
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To help you understand your favorite movies and TV series, without getting lost.
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without missing the jokes and without subtitles.
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So let's explore advanced British vocabulary, and cultural nuances while sharpening your English comprehension, and critical thinking.
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just like the world's most famous detective.
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- Do you think he'd lost a lot of money?
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I mean, suicide is pretty common among city boys.
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We don't know that it was suicide.
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Come on.
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The door was locked from the inside.
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You had to climb down the balcony. Been away three days.
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Judging by the laundry.
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Okay.
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Look at the case.
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There was something tightly packed inside it.
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Thanks, I'll take your word for it.
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Problem?
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I'm not desperate to root around some blokes dirty underwear.
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Those symbols at the bank, the graffiti, why were they put there?
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- Some sort of code?
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- Obviously.
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Maybe they painted.
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If you want to communicate, why not use email?
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Well, maybe he wasn't answering.
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Oh, good you follow.
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Nope.
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What kind of a mess would everyone try to avoid?
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What about this morning?
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There's less as you were looking at.
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Bills?
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- Oh.
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Yes.
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He was being threatened.
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- I'm on a gas board.
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- See if you can get prints off this glass.
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Ah, Sergeant, we haven't met.
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Yeah, I know who you are, and I'd prefer it if you didn't tamper with any of the evidence.
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Okay.
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I phoned Estrade, is he on his way?
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He's busy, I'm in charge.
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And it's not Sergeant, it's Detective Inspector.
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Dimuk.
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In this context, a city refers to the financial district of London, also known as the city.
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City boys is a slang word for men who work in finance often seen as wealthy and under pressure.
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stereotype of high stress in the financial industry, which sometimes leads to mental health issues.
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The door was locked from the inside, you had to climb down the balcony.
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Been away three days.
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judging by the laundry.
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Thank you.
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Look at the case.
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There was something tightly packed inside it.
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Thanks, I'll take your word for it.
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Problem?
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The phrase "judging by" means you're making a guess or assumption based on something you can see or notice.
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So, Sherlock makes an educated guess about how long the person
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has been away by looking at the dirty clothes in his suitcase.
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A common collocation for this phrase would be "judging by the look" on one's face or by one's expression, like it was used in this clip.
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expression.
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Your business doesn't seem to be prospering.
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Look at the case, there was something tightly packed inside it.
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Thanks, I'll take your word for it.
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If you believe what someone is saying and you don't need any proof or checking it yourself, you take the award for it.
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Watson trusts Sherlock's observation without needing to check it himself.
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Like in this clip, Hugh Grant's character knows there are dozens of journalists outside their house and he says: Don't go outside.
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Just believe me.
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I wouldn't go outside.
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Why not?
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Just take my blood for it.
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Oh.
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And I can tell you, don't take my word for it when I say
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that the RealLife English app is the best app for English learners you can find today.
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Check it out yourself.
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The most common issue I had when I just started speaking English daily was constantly forgetting some words.
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I knew I learned them, but I couldn't retrieve them from my memory when I needed them.
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Would you believe me if I told you that if you spent just 10 -15 minutes a day working with the flashcards,
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then these new words you learned today like judging by or moving they will stick with you forever.
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That's all thanks to the Space Repetition software we built into our app.
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Using flashcards, the system prompts you to retrieve words at specific intervals, helping you move them from your short -term into long -term memory,
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so you won't forget them.
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Along with the pronunciation and example sentences, you'll also find writing exercise to help you spell the words correctly.
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And I can tell you, don't take my word for it when I say
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that the RealLife English app is the best app for English learners you can find today.
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Check it out yourself!
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And by the way, now you can have one free deck for any lesson you choose.
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Don't miss out on this opportunity!
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and get started today.
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Thanks, I'll take your word for it.
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I'm not desperate to root around some blokes dirty underwear.
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Root around is to search through something in a messy or casual way.
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Watson says he doesn't want to search through someone's personal belongings.
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He even says I'm not desperate, meaning he's not in that situation where he would have to root around some dirty underwear.
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And I was like rooting around in your things and I found this and I thought, cool.
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Hey, let us know in the comments if you want us to make a lesson with this movie.
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It's just such a classic.
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Anna, look, I'm a fairly level -headed bloke.
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Not often.
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in and out of Love. But, uh...
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Can I just say no to you?
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Kind request.
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Leave it or not.
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Those symbols at the bank, the graffiti, why were they put there?
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Some sort of code?
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Obviously.
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Why were they painted?
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If you want to communicate, why not use email?
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Well, maybe you won't answer him.
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Oh, could you follow?
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Nope.
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In this context, follow means to understand what someone is saying.
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For example, if you want to check whether the person you are talking to understands you, you can ask: "Are you following what I'm saying?" Good.
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Do you like ice cream?
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I'm sorry, sir, I don't follow.
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What about this morning?
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As less as you will have given.
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Bills?
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Yes, he was being threatened.
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Here, the word "bills" refers to the regular payments for services like electricity, gas, or water.
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Common collocation would be to pay the bills, monthly bills, or utility bills.
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When you are threatened, you are in danger of being hurt or harmed.
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So, someone had warned the man that something bad would happen to him if he didn't do what they said.
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him.
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Remember the word "bills"?
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So, the "gas board" refers to the companies
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that supply gas in the UK and send you your monthly bills to pay for the service.
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Sherlock means the threats were serious not just from a utility company demanding payment.
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And a cultural note: mentioning a utility bill adds a touch of British humor,
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showing the contrast between everyday problems like paying bills and life -threatening ones.
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To tamper with something means to mess with it, often in a way that causes damage or changes the outcome.
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In the scene, the detective is warning Sherlock not to touch the evidence at the crime scene.
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"Peter, we tampered with the stability of space -time to resurrect countless
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When you are on your way, you are currently coming or traveling to a place.
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I was just there. May I join you? Of course.
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He's busy.
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I'm in charge.
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Dymok says he's in charge, meaning he's the one responsible for the investigation at the crime scene.
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And I'm in charge of checking how well you remember some of the expressions before we move on to the next scene.
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So, are you ready for a short quiz?
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what does it mean to root around you Oh To search through something.
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And what does it mean if someone is asking you "Do you follow?" Amen.
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Oh It means "Do you understand?" Good job!
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And remember, if you want to remember these words tomorrow, and a week later, and then months later,
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go to the RealLife English app and have a vocabulary practice session with all these words we covered today.
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Your first deck of flashcards is always free.
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Now let's watch the next scene.
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Thank you.
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We're obviously looking at a suicide.
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That does seem the only explanation of all the facts.
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Wrong.
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It's one possible explanation of some of the facts.
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You've got a solution that you like, but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it.
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Like?
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The wounds on the right side of his head. And?
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Van Coombe is left -handed.
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Quires quite a bit of contortion.
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Left -handed?
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I'm amazed you didn't notice.
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All you have to do is look around this flat.
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Coffee table on the left -hand side, coffee mug handle pointing to the left, power sockets, habitually used the ones on the left.
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Pen and paper on the left -hand side of the phone
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because he picked it up with his right and took down messages with his left.
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You want me to go on?
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No, I think you've covered.
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I might as well.
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I'm almost at the bottom of the list.
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There's a knife on the breadboard with butter on the right side of the blade.
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Because he used it with his left, it's highly unlikely that a left -handed man would shoot himself in the right side of his head.
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here and murdered him only explanation of all the facts but the gun he was waiting for the killer It means threatened.
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Max, you've got a solution that you like but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it.
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If you follow the rule or do what is expected of you, then you comply with it.
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You have to come with me.
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I'm not going anywhere.
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This is a court order, and if you don't comply with it, I'm afraid you may be in some trouble.
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Max, you've got a solution that you like, but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it.
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Like?
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The wound's on the right side of his head.
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Hand?
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Van Coon was left -handed.
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Requires quite a bit of contortion.
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Contortion means twisting or bending in an unusual or difficult way.
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Sherlock mentions
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that it would take a lot of contortion for a left
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-handed person to shoot themselves on the right side of the head, meaning it would be an awkward, unnatural position.
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And by the way, if you've ever watched an acrobatic performance, this is also called a contortion,
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when your body is so flexible that you can bend it in the most unnatural ways.
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And the artist or performer is called a contortionist.
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If you do something habitually, you do it regularly or as a habit.
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Sherlock talks about how Van Koon habitually uses certain power sockets, meaning it was his normal routine to use those on the left side.
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Do you want me to go on?
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No, I think you've covered it.
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I might as well, I'm almost at the bottom of the list.
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"Might as well" is an interesting phrase, It is used when you're suggesting that it's better to do something often because there's just no good reason not to.
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Sherlock says "I might as well continue listing details" meaning he's already started so he thinks he might as well finish.
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You might want a couple examples with this phrase to learn how to use it in the context.
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John, there's something...
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I should say, I meant to say always and I never have.
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Since it's unlikely we'll ever meet again, I might as well say it now.
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- Sherlock is actually a girl's name.
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- Yeah.
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I saw it.
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I'm gonna be stuck here in small length.
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Might as well do something useful.
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When something is very improbable, or probably won't happen, it is highly unlikely.
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Sherlock says it's highly unlikely that a left -handed man would shoot himself on the right side of the head,
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meaning it doesn't make sense or it's very unlikely.
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There's a knife on the breadboard with butter on the right side of the blade.
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Because he used it with his left, it's highly unlikely that a left -handed man would shoot himself in the right side of his head.
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Conclusion: someone broke in here and murdered him.
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Only explanation of all the facts.
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Conclusion is the final decision or opinion you arrive at after thinking about something carefully.
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A common collocation would be jump to a conclusion.
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And should they happen to see the Duke of Edinburgh out and about with them, beautiful younger companion, it would be an irritation if they felt at liberty to jump to any wrong conclusions.
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When you break in, you enter a place illegally, without permission, usually by force.
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I hope you liked our today's lesson.
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Write us in the comments which words and expressions were new to you.
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And don't miss our quiz questions when you will be watching this clip one more time without subtitles.
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The door was locked from the inside.
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You had to climb down the balcony. Been away three days.
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Judging by the laundry.
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Look at the case.
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There was something tightly packed inside it.
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Thanks, I'll take your word for it.
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Problem?
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If you take someone's word for it, you write down what they say, believe what they say, need to check if that's true.
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I'm not desperate to root around some blokes dirty underwear.
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Those symbols at the bank, the graffiti, why were they put there?
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Some sort of code?
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Obviously.
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Why were they painted?
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More to communicate, why not use email?
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Well, maybe he wasn't answering.
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How could you follow?
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Nope.
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So What does "follow" mean in these contexts?
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It means "good you understand".
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Ah, Sergeant, we haven't met.
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Yeah, I know who you are, and I'd prefer it if you didn't tamper with any of the evidence.
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- - Okay.
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I phoned Estrade, is he on his way?
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He's busy.
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I'm in charge.
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And it's not Sergeant, it's Detective Inspector.
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Dimock.
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Which word is the closest in meaning to the word temper, mess with, make fun of, analyze?
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We're obviously looking at a suicide.
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That does seem the only explanation of all the facts.
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Ron.
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It's one possible explanation of some of the facts.
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You've got a solution that you like, but you're choosing to ignore anything you see that doesn't comply with it.
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Like?
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The wound's on the right side of his head.
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Hand?
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Van Coon was left -handed.
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Requires quite a bit of contortion.
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Choose an image showing the contortion.
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That's it for today.
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Thank you so much for choosing our channel.
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And if you enjoy our lesson, please share it with your English learning friends subscribe and give this video a like.
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It really means the world to us.
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And also write us in the comments where you're from.
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It's so amazing to see how diverse is our YouTube community.
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The link to the deck of flashcards to the Sherlock Holmes lesson is in the description below.
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And here is another fun lesson for you to watch next.
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I mean, to many Americans, it sounds so distinguished and, you know.
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Oh no, it's awful.
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When I come to America, I always feel really...
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I hate my English accent because it sounds so kind of like I don't know, pretentious?
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I don't know if that's the word, it sounds really kind of, I don't know.
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So by the end of my stay here I kind of find that my English is kind of
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edging towards American English accent.
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No, what's pretentious is when people affect an English accent.
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Yours is real.
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You're allowed to have one.
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There are people like Madonna, who like two years ago, started to be like, "Oh, hello, hello." "I'm just feeling, I'm excited to have it."
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Context & Background
In this engaging episode of "Learn English with SHERLOCK," viewers are introduced to a contemporary take on the iconic detective Sherlock Holmes. The dialogue captures a critical moment where someone is reaching out for help after inadvertently locking themselves out of their flat. This conversation not only highlights the challenges of living in a bustling city but also serves as an excellent example of English speaking practice for learners. The modern setting incorporates current technology, such as smartphones and GPS, which adds relevance to the language being used. This context makes it easier for learners to grasp the dialogues while enhancing their cultural understanding.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
Here are five key phrases extracted from the transcript that you can incorporate into your own daily conversations:
- “I live in the flat just below you.” - A polite way to introduce your living situation.
- “I just locked my keys in my flat.” - A useful expression for a common scenario.
- “Do you want me to buzz you in?” - An informal way to offer assistance.
- “Can I use your balcony?” - A practical request in shared living spaces.
- “What was that about?” - A phrase to clarify confusion in conversations.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively tackle the dialogues in this video and improve your English pronunciation, follow this shadow speech technique:
- Watch Actively: Begin by watching the episode without any subtitles. Pay close attention to how the actors pronounce words and phrases.
- Listen Closely: Replay specific segments. Focus on the intonation, rhythm, and pacing of the speech. This is crucial for improving your English pronunciation.
- Shadow the Dialogue: Try to repeat exactly what you hear right after the characters say their lines. This practice enhances your English speaking skills and builds confidence.
- Record Yourself: Use your phone or computer to record your shadowing. Listening to your recordings will help you identify areas needing improvement.
- Celebrate Progress: After a few sessions, revisit the segments you found difficult and observe how much easier they are becoming. Each small success contributes to your overall language proficiency and prepares you for tasks such as the IELTS speaking practice.
By incorporating these elements into your routine, you'll align your English learning experience with real-life situations, ensuring a more practical and enjoyable approach to learn English with YouTube.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've met · I've just moved · have been based |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been based · is set · are included |
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.