Shadowing Practice: Learn English With Slow English Podcast | Easy English Listening Practice for Beginners - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello everyone!
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Hello everyone!
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Welcome to Slow English.
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The podcast is for English learners who want to speak English more naturally and confidently.
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My name is Tom.
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I'll be the host of the podcast today and hopefully many other podcasts in the future.
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In today's episode, we're going to talk about something very simple but very powerful.
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I will be speaking slowly and clearly,
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so you can follow me and repeat after me.
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Through this video, you can practice your listening skills and also your pronunciation skills by copying me.
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So if you shadow me,
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for example, shadowing means to copy something.
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In English, this means to listen to someone speaking and then try to copy the sounds they make.
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Some people will call it the listen and repeat method,
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but it is basically the same thing.
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You listen to the audio,
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and then you repeat what you heard.
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So if you do that,
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then you can practice your pronunciation.
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Before we start, if there are any words that you don't understand or that you couldn't really hear clearly,
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just check the subtitles.
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If you're just listening on headphones on another platform,
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Then you can go to YouTube,
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look in the description and download the transcript or just look at the subtitles.
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So in today's podcast, I'm going to talk about the first time
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when I'll introduce myself to you guys and I'll tell you about slow English.
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Firstly, well, very nice to meet you.
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My name is Tom.
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Maybe you've seen me in videos on Facebook or TikTok.
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You know, those of you who have seen me in different places,
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I wanted to make this podcast to connect with you guys on a personal level.
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So if there's anything by the way you have any suggestions,
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you can just comment.
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But anyway, I'm getting a little bit off topic now.
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I made this podcast to help English learners,
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specifically English learners for beginners.
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And it's mostly for upper beginner and above learners.
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But for higher level learners,
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you can start listening to native content.
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And that is why I made this podcast.
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So I want to tell you guys about the journey from making Facebook and TikTok up until now,
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because I could not believe how many people started following and watching my Facebook and TikTok channels.
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I started putting out some videos on Facebook and I thought,
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oh, you know, if I could get a few followers and a few views,
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that would be cool.
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I didn't expect much, to be honest,
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but I had the goal of making more really useful videos.
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That could help English learners learn English easily and naturally.
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So I made the first video and didn't get too many views,
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maybe I think 100 or something.
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And I spent the day uploading the video on Facebook when I was at a cafe.
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Then I started driving home.
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I didn't think too much about it.
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And then I opened the app on my phone and saw how many views the video has.
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And I did that.
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And then I saw it was like 5,000 likes or something.
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And that was after about a few minutes.
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And so I was thinking, something's wrong.
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Not only that, but a lot of people were following.
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And then every time I refreshed the page,
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there were like thousands more views.
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And so I was shocked, to be completely honest.
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I did not expect that to happen.
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So I kept refreshing.
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And then there were more and more and more.
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And I was like, what is going on?
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I have like 10,000 followers and 15,000.
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It was exploding.
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And then so well, I kept on uploading videos.
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Because again, I had all of these ideas in my head.
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And I thought many English learners could really benefit from this.
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It could be really useful for them.
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And so apparently, you know, people liked it.
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And I was very happy about that.
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And so I made videos for about,
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sorry, I'm talking a bit fast.
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And so I made videos for about six months consistently.
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To be honest, I can't really remember.
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A bunch of followers and a bunch of views.
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Some videos did much better than others.
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But then I stopped making videos because I had made a lot of videos.
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I had a lot of people follow me.
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I had a decent sized Facebook group.
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But I think the video is not helpful and interesting enough for English learners.
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And I think TikTok and Reels,
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those short videos, I think they're useful for learning.
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But if you really want to learn,
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you need to have more.
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And to be honest, I don't even really like TikTok.
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I don't like the whole short content thing going on.
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How everyone is pretty much addicted to short content.
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I see it like cake, you know.
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It's like really sweet, it's delicious.
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And when you eat it,
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you want to eat more.
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And when you eat it,
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your brain gets that dopamine.
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And you feel really good, right?
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And so it makes other foods not so appealing.
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And I see short content kind of like that.
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It makes us really used to getting that quick hit of a good feeling and then going to the next one.
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And many people have talked about this,
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so I'm not going to talk about it too much.
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But what I wanted to do was create something bigger,
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create something more useful.
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And so that's what I'm working on right now.
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I'm not going to talk too much about it.
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I will announce it in the future.
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So I started spending my time making the videos.
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And those videos on Facebook or TikTok,
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they take a lot of time for me to think about what what the video will be about,
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to film it, and to edit it,
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because I didn't have a team.
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I was doing everything by myself.
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And so it took me a lot, a lot of time.
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And I realized if I wanted to create something bigger and better,
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then I needed to sacrifice something to have more time.
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And so, I put short videos on pause,
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and I'm working on something else.
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Alright, I'm looking at my notes here because I made a bit of a plan for this podcast.
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So, guys, what can you expect from this channel and from Slow English?
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Well, on this channel, I plan to upload content three or four times a week for a long video.
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I want to focus more on long videos that are really high quality and really useful.
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So, you guys can learn, right?
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Whenever I'm making a video,
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I'm always thinking about you guys.
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I'm thinking like, okay, what would be useful for them?
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What would they watch?
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And also be entertained by.
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Because, you know, when you learn English,
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you also have to have fun.
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And if it's purely educational,
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like someone in front of a whiteboard just writing,
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you know, this and this, then you feel bored.
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And while it is very educational,
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I think entertainment is crucial.
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Especially these days when we can easily go to something else and be entertained.
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So yeah, that's what you can expect from this channel is videos each week.
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And if there's anything you guys want to learn,
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please just put a comment in the description.
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I will read them and I will listen to your feedback for sure.
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I don't want to ramble on and kind of bore you with talking.
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So I don't think this podcast will be very long because it's the first one.
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And I just want to introduce you guys to myself,
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to Slow English, and to my new channel.
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Let me know what you want to see.
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And, yeah, this is my first podcast on the Slow English channel,
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so it's not the best,
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but it's something I want to share with you.
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So, thank you so much for watching,
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and I'll see you next time.
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Goodbye for now.
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Context & Background
In the podcast episode hosted by Tom, English learners are introduced to a practical approach to improving their speaking skills. This engaging format is designed specially for beginners, with a focus on speaking English naturally and confidently. Tom emphasizes the importance of clear pronunciation and listening skills, creating an inviting atmosphere where listeners can feel comfortable while practicing their English. The podcast is not only a learning tool but also a personal connection for many who have followed Tom's journey across platforms like Facebook and TikTok.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- Hello everyone! - A friendly greeting to start a conversation.
- Very nice to meet you. - A polite way to express pleasure in making someone's acquaintance.
- If there's anything you have any suggestions, you can just comment. - Inviting feedback shows openness to communication.
- So, anyway, I'm getting a little bit off topic now. - A great phrase for refocusing during discussions.
- I will be speaking slowly and clearly. - Assures listeners of the clarity needed for effective learning.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this podcast episode, follow these steps for a successful English speaking practice session:
- Initial Listening: Start by listening to the podcast without any distractions. Pay attention to Tom's pronunciation and intonation.
- Use Subtitles: If there are unclear words, utilize the subtitles available. This will enhance your understanding and help you catch every detail.
- Shadowing Technique: Play short sections of the audio and pause after each line or phrase. Try to copy Tom’s pronunciation and rhythm exactly. This ‘shadow speak’ method is essential for improving your speaking skills.
- Repeat and Revisit: After attempting to shadow, listen again. Focus on areas where you struggled and repeat them until you feel confident.
- Practice Regularly: Make this practice a daily habit. Regularly using a shadowing site or method will solidify your skills and help you progress as a speaker.
By integrating these steps into your routine, you can harness the power of effective shadowing and truly enhance your English communication skills. Whether you're using audiovisual resources or practicing daily phrases, remember that consistency and active engagement are key to success in mastering a new language.
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.
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