Shadowing Practice: Learn English with SUITS — Mike Meets Rachel - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
B2
Mike Ross?
308 sentences
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Mike Ross?
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Hi.
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I'm Rachel Zane.
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I'll be giving you your orientation.
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Wow, you're pretty.
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Good.
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You hit on me.
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We can get it out of the way that I am not interested.
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No, I'm sorry.
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I wasn't hitting on you.
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Trust me.
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I've given dozens of these,
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and without fail, whatever new hotshot it is thinks that because I'm just a paralegal,
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that I will somehow be blown away by his dazzling degree.
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Let me assure you, I won't.
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Oh, yeah.
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Do you remember your first day at work?
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Imagine going through that, but in English.
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Well, this is exactly what's happening here.
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In Suits, we get to see a nice blend of legal and office English.
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There's a ton of vocabulary for the workplace,
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which makes it a powerful series for English learners.
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And I myself, I'm a huge fan.
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So in the scene that we'll watch today,
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Mike Ross has just been hired at this law firm,
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and Rachel, who's a paralegal,
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that is, she's a lawyer's assistant,
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is giving him an orientation.
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And by the way, do you see these words highlighted in blue?
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These are the advanced English expressions that we'll be learning today,
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and you should know that we're saving all of them in a special deck of flashcards
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that we created with this lesson with Suits on our own app.
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If you want to remember these words forever and actually be able to use them in your own English conversations,
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I'm telling you, this is the best way to do that.
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Just click the link below to access this lesson from inside our app,
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and you can even watch it from there too.
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Now let's get into the first part of the lesson.
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I'm Rachel Zane, I'll be giving you your orientation.
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When you start at a new job,
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most often you're given an orientation,
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a professional introduction to the office.
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Rachel is saying that she will be the one explaining to Mike how things work at the law firm,
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what he needs to do, and some important rules.
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Wow, you're pretty.
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Good, you hit on me.
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To hit on someone is to flirt with them,
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to show that you're romantically interested in them.
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It's an informal phrase of verb.
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Check out this audio example.
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Are you hitting on me?
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Yes, yes, I'm hitting on you.
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You're hot and cool and nice and you have beautiful eyes.
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So Rachel stops it right away.
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By saying that they can get it out of the way that she's not interested,
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she means that they can clear this up immediately,
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so there's no misunderstanding later.
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We can get it out of the way that I'm not interested.
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And that's a great phrase to learn advanced English pronunciation because it has some connected speech in it.
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And that is, it's being pronounced with words being cut,
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reduced, and linked together.
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And if you learn this,
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your comprehension of fast speech will increase significantly.
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We can get it out of the way that I'm not interested.
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No, I'm sorry, I wasn't hitting on you.
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Trust me.
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We have three examples of a flap T there,
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this softer sound that resembles a D sound,
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like ra ra ra, very common in American English.
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She says get it, not get it,
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and then it links to out,
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so it sounds like get it out.
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And finally, she doesn't say out of the way,
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but rather out of the way.
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So this happens because the T in those phrases stand between two vowels.
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Really cool right?
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Get it out of the way.
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Get it out of the way.
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Now let's hear you try it.
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Repeat after Rachel.
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We can get it out of the way that I'm not interested.
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We can get it out of the way that I'm not interested.
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I've given dozens of these and without fail whatever new hotshot it is thinks
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that because I'm just a paralegal that I will somehow be blown away by his dazzling degree.
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Let me assure you, I won't.
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So let's understand what Rachel said here.
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She's explaining that every time a new lawyer joins the firm He assumes
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that just because she's a legal assistant should be blown away
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or amazed by his impressive law degree His certificate from law school.
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Check out this other example of the expression blown away I'm blown away
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You bought me a car
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I've given dozens of these and without fail whatever new hotshot it is thinks
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that because I'm just a paralegal The phrase without fail is used to emphasize that something always happens every single time.
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Like every day without fail he has toast and coffee for breakfast.
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And a hotshot is an informal expression meaning someone who thinks they're very talented or important,
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sometimes a little too confident.
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I didn't know that.
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I learned it when I studied for the bar.
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Okay, hot shot.
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Fire up this laptop.
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Now let's watch the next part of the scene.
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Each bank of offices specializes in its own arena of the law and is anchored by a department head on either end.
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So on our left, mergers and acquisitions.
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On the opposite side, high net worth divorce.
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mergers across from divorce, symmetry.
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Ah, I should just listen.
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The firm operates on a chain of command model.
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Harvey's your commanding officer.
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However, Louis Slit, he oversees all associates,
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so you'll also answer to him.
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So Rachel gives Mike an orientation,
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leading him down one of the main corridors in Office Tour.
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Pay attention now, because we'll see several advanced expressions in a short amount of time.
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Each bank of offices specializes in its own arena of the law and is anchored by a department head on either end.
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In this context, bank of offices refer to a group of offices in the law firm.
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An arena of the law means an area of law.
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Just like she says, company acquisitions is one of these areas.
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Divorces is another area.
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Basically, these different departments specialize or focus on different areas of law.
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And the department heads are senior lawyers.
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Each section of the law firm is led by them and their offices are located at the end of each area.
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So on our left, mergers and acquisitions.
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On the opposite side, high net worth divorce.
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So the left side of their offices specializes in mergers and acquisitions,
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that is, big business deals.
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A merger is when two companies join together to become one bigger company.
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An acquisition is when one company buys another company and takes control of it.
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These deals require legal procedures,
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so that's what they do there at the law firm.
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The opposite side of the corridor handles high net worth divorces.
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This is when wealthy couples get divorced, when they get separated.
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Normally, because they have so much money and properties to split,
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they need legal support too.
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By the way, the expression net worth refers to exactly that,
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the total value of all the money and property a person has.
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Nice, mergers across from divorce, symmetry.
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Mike is making a funny observation about the office layout.
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Mergers, that is companies coming together,
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are exactly on the other side of divorces,
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that is couples who are separating.
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He calls this symmetry, when you have two sides and they match each other creating a nice balance.
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For example, you could see yin and yang as a symbol of symmetry and harmony.
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Here's a clever example from the movie Mr. and Mr. Smith.
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So what did you decide?
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I want a divorce.
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I like it.
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You propose to me here so it has agreeable symmetry.
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Cool, sir.
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Ah, I should just listen.
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The firm operates on a chain of command model.
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Harvey's your commanding officer.
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However, Louis Slit, he oversees all the suits,
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so you'll also answer to him.
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So here, Rachel is explaining how the law firm is structured.
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A chain of command is a system where people have different levels of authority and orders come from the top down.
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So Harvey is Mike's boss.
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Mike will also have to report to Louis Litt,
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who oversees all junior lawyers.
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You could also say Louis manages,
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supervises, or he's in charge of the junior lawyers.
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And by the way, remember that you can practice all this vocabulary that you've been seeing today on our own app.
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I highly recommend you try it.
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It's the best way for you to make sure
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that you never forget all these words and expressions that you've been learning with these lessons.
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In fact, I find it even better to watch it from there because you've got a way more powerful experience.
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Click the link below to start now and you'll be taken directly to this lesson over there.
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Or you can search for real-life English on Google Play or the App Store and I hope to see you there.
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What do you think about Harvey?
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People are in awe of him.
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Hmm, people are in awe of him.
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What do you think that means?
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That people dislike him, admire, or fear him.
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When you're in awe of someone or something,
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you feel deep respect or admiration because you're very impressive or dazzling.
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Another nice word we learned today.
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People are in awe of him.
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They say he's the best closer there is,
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but I have very little contact with him, so I don't know.
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In this context, a closer is someone who is really good at finishing important deals or winning cases.
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Now, did you hear the connected speech there?
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Let's go back and check that out.
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People are in awe of them.
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A lot of linking here.
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Pretty much every single word.
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Let's see.
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People are becomes people are.
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Next, the word are links to in,
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so we get are in. Are in.
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Then from are in, we go to ah,
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so we get are in awe.
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And make sure to pronounce the vowel sound correctly here.
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It's ah not oh No drop ah like in the word awesome
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Finally the H sound in him is dropped as he gets linked to of
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of him of them Note that the main stress falls on the word ah people are in all of them
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Now it's your turn to practice People are in all of them People are in all of them
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Now let's watch the next part of the scene.
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Rachel shows Mike his cubicle,
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jokingly telling him this is where you live,
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meaning he'll be spending a lot of time there.
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I gave you that for a reason you haven't taken one note.
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It's because...
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Because you were too busy ogling me to listen to a word I've said.
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To ogle means to stare at someone in a way that shows attraction,
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often too obviously, or in a way that makes the other person uncomfortable.
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Mom, that perv is ogling you again.
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No!
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I was reading my horoscope.
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You will borrow a huge swimsuit today.
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What?
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So Mike proves Rachel wrong by repeating everything she told him,
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showing that he actually was listening.
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Partners offices anchor the wings.
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Fifth floor is research.
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Six is security.
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All work gets built, even if it's finding an address.
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I answer to Harvey and Louis Litt,
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and judging by the way you responded to my questions,
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I should admire Harvey and I should fear Louis.
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Partners offices anchor the wings.
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You remember the structure of the company, right?
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So here, Mike says that the offices of the senior lawyers,
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the partners, are at the end of each wing, each sector.
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And all the work, even the minor things, gets billed.
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So everything the lawyers do costs money and gets charged.
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Getting billed means being charged for services or products.
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You have been here for five years,
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and just because I outrank you does not mean I have the authority to command your services.
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Oh, it's also pretty clear that you think you're too smart to be a paralegal.
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You know what nobody likes?
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Nobody likes a show off.
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You used the word ogling.
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When do I get to see Harvey?
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You have been here for five years,
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and just because I outrank you does not mean I have the authority to command your services.
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If someone outranks another person,
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they have more authority in a company, for example.
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The word outranks is commonly more associated with the military to show that one officer holds a higher position than another.
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Oh, it's also pretty clear that you think you're too smart to be a paralegal.
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You know what nobody likes?
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Nobody likes a show-off.
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A show-off is someone who likes to brag or make sure that everyone notices how great they are at something.
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They do things just to impress people.
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What's interesting about this word is that it can be used both as a noun and as a verb.
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Check it out in this example.
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Is it just me or Zach perfect?
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He's good looking but not into himself.
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Smart but not a show-off.
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Athletic but sensitive.
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Alright, now prepare for the test.
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You'll watch the entire scene again, this time without subtitles and I'm gonna ask you some questions.
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Let's do this.
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Mike Gross?
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Hi.
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I'm Rachel Zane.
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I'll be giving you your orientation.
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Wow, you're pretty.
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Good.
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You hit on me.
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If a person hits on you,
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they are attacking you, interested in you,
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or acting as if they were better than you.
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We can get it out of the way that I'm not interested.
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No, I'm sorry, I wasn't hitting on you.
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Trust me, I've given dozens of these and without fail,
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whatever new hotshot it is thinks that because I'm just a paralegal,
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that I will somehow be blown away by his dazzling degree.
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Let me assure you, I won't.
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What would be the opposite of dazzling?
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Dull?
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Brilliant? Or impressive?
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Each bank of offices specializes in its own arena of the law and is anchored by a department head on either end.
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So on our left, mergers and acquisitions.
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On the opposite side, high net worth divorce.
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The firm operates on a chain of command model.
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Harvey's your commanding officer.
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However, Louis Slit, he's a f***ing doll associate,
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so you'll also answer to him.
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Which verb means to supervise and check the progress of someone's work?
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Overlook, overhear, oversee.
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However, Lewis Slit, he oversees all associates,
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so you'll also answer to him.
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What do you think about Harvey?
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People are in awe of him.
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And finally, this is where you'll live.
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I gave you that for a reason you haven't taken one note.
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It's because...
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Because you were too busy ogling me to listen to a word I've said.
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You don't want somebody ogling you because it means they are completely ignoring you,
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staring at you, or disrespecting you.
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All right,
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guys.
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Great job.
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Now remember to go and practice everything that you learned today on the RealLife app.
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Just click the link in the description below to start the vocabulary practice right away.
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Thank you.
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Not at all.
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Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of these United States of America at your service.
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Okay, I'm Larry Daly, the new night guard.
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Pleasure to meet you, Lawrence Daly!
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You'll have to excuse me though.
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The hunt is a foot.
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Hunt's foot.
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Um, okay, excuse me, Mr. President.
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Can I ask you something?
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Yes, but just one question.
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All right, okay, why?
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Is it, like, just some,
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like, free wishes kind of deal?
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Jumbo!
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About This Lesson
Welcome to today's lesson, where we'll be diving into a scene from the popular series "Suits." In this session, you will practice essential English phrases and vocabulary that are commonly used in professional settings. This particular scene features an orientation at a law firm, showcasing interactions between colleagues. You'll learn how to engage in office conversations and understand subtle social cues, like humor and flirting, which can be very useful in your English-speaking journey. By focusing on real-life dialogues, you’ll develop not only your vocabulary but also your confidence in using English in a professional context.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Orientation: A formal introduction to a new workplace or job.
- Hit on (someone): To flirt or show romantic interest.
- Paralegal: A person trained in legal matters who assists lawyers.
- Dazzling degree: A reference to an impressive academic qualification.
- Hotshot: A person who is very successful or talented, often in a particular profession.
- Professional introduction: An overview of what to expect and key information in a new work environment.
Practice Tips
To maximize your learning from this lesson, I recommend using the shadowing technique while watching the video. This involves listening to the dialogue and attempting to repeat it immediately after hearing it. The unique aspects of this scene from "Suits" provide an excellent opportunity to practice at a conversational pace. Although the characters speak relatively quickly, focusing on their tone and rhythm will help you develop a more natural flow in your own speech.
Here’s how you can use the shadow speech method effectively:
- First, watch the scene without pausing to get a feel for the context and emotions.
- Next, play the scene in short segments, repeating what you hear aloud. Emphasize the expressions and phrases highlighted in blue.
- Finally, try to integrate these phrases into your conversations, practicing both the meaning and pronunciation. Utilizing a shadowing app can help you track your progress and refine your skills.
By actively engaging with the dialogue through shadowing, you'll enhance your speaking abilities and gain a deeper understanding of workplace interactions. Keep practicing, and you'll find that your confidence in English will soar!
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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