Shadowing Practice: Learn English with THE OFFICE - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
What is this?
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Happy holidays, Dwight.
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But do not open it till Christmas.
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You're so pathetic.
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How long did this take you?
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Three hours?
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Five minutes, actually.
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I am a black belt in gift wrapping.
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Yeah, no such thing.
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They don't give out black belts for things that are stupid.
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Well, I hope it was worth it, because I'm gonna take it apart in about five minutes.
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I think it'll take you a little bit longer than that.
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Really?
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If I can skin a mule deer in less than ten minutes, I ought to be able to cut my...
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Oh, hello.
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Sorry, I didn't see you there.
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I forget these cameras are always on.
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Fact!
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Learning Show TV series is the best channel on YouTube to learn English.
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Alright guys, I'm just kidding.
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I am imitating what it would be like to be a character on the popular comedy series, The Office. So...
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That's better, I guess.
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So, actually The Office has been having a bit of a revival because it's now available on Netflix in many countries.
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So you should definitely check it out.
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It is unique because it's shot as a mockumentary.
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Now, a mockumentary is done in a style that seems similar to a documentary,
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like there's cameras everywhere, but in fact it's actually done for comedy, usually.
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As you saw in the preview, the employees at Dundrum Mifflin love pulling pranks on each other.
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So we're going to look at a couple of the many pranks that they show in this office that are absolutely hilarious.
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And I absolutely love this show, I'm so happy that it's become popular again, I'm actually watching again myself, and I'm really looking forward to teach you with it.
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But before we get started, I want to let you know that if you are new here,
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every single week we make new lessons just like this one to help you understand fast speaking natives without getting lost,
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without missing the jokes, and without subtitles.
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So hit that subscribe button and the bell down below and
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that way you can join our community and you won't miss a single new lesson.
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So let's learn with one of my favorite shows, The Office.
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In this scene, the employees at Dunder Mifflin play a prank on their lovable but goofy boss, Michael Scott.
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Let's take a look.
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He's not available right now.
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Uh-huh.
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Yes.
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Sure.
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I'll give him the message when he gets up.
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Gets back.
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Michael had chicken pot pie for lunch.
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Actually, let me rephrase that.
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Michael ate an entire family-sized chicken pot pie for lunch, and then he promptly fell asleep.
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So we're all trying to be very quiet
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so as to not wake him out before 5 p.m which actually should be in about...
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You're so pathetic, how long did this take you?
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Three hours?
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If you describe a person or animal as pathetic, you mean that they are sad, weak, or helpless, and they usually make you feel sorry for them.
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For example, the team looked pathetic after they lost the match.
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Check out these examples.
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On the desk of Andrew Bernard.
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Note.
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Pathetic.
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I am a black belt in gift wrapping.
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When someone receives a black belt, it means that they achieved a high level or standard in a particular martial art.
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For example, Sarah received a black belt in karate.
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As a black belt, he mastered discipline.
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Yeah, no such thing.
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Dwight responds that there is no such thing as a black belt and gift wrapping.
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This expression means that that thing does not exist.
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Example, her older sister told her that there's no such thing as Santa Claus, but she didn't believe her.
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Well, I hope it was worth it, because I'm gonna take it apart in about five minutes.
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Here we have a nice example of reduction, which is quite common in casual speech.
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Instead of saying, because, he drops the B and reduces it to cuz, and links it to I'm.
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He then also uses connected speech when he says gonna, which is the shortened form of going to.
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If you take something apart, you break it into its separate parts.
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When I was a kid, I loved taking apart all sorts of devices.
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However, I never knew how to put them back together.
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If I can skin a mule deer in less than 10 minutes.
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To skin, or skinning, is the act of removing the skin of an animal, either for cooking and eating, or to harvest the skin for making fur or leather clothing.
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An example sentence would be, the hunter skinned the deer they had killed.
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Could you stay out of your kitchen for the next like 48 hours?
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I'm gonna be skinning a deer that I shot.
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What?
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He's not available right now.
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Let's take a closer look at how Erin pronounces this sentence.
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Instead of saying not available,
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she pronounces the T with a flap T or D and links it to the A in available, not available.
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Remember, if a T is between two vowels, whether within a word or between two words, it will be pronounced as a flap T.
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Sure, I'll give him a message when he gets up, gets back.
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In this scene, Erin forgets the lie for a moment and gives the real reason why Michael is not available.
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Michael is sleeping.
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So she says, I'll give him a message when he gets up, meaning when he wakes up from sleeping.
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An example would be, I'll ask him to take out the trash when he gets up from his nap.
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She then very quickly corrects herself, gets back, meaning when he returns to the office.
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For example, I'll pass on the message when he gets back from his lunch break.
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Get up and get back are both phrasal verbs.
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If you'd like to learn more about phrasal verbs for daily life, I recommend you check out this lesson later.
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Michael had chicken pot pie for lunch.
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A pot pie is pastry covered meat and vegetables cooked in a deep dish consisting of flaky pastry filled with either beef, seafood, or most commonly, chicken.
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Actually, let me rephrase that.
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Michael had an entire...
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To rephrase something is to say it again in a slightly different way.
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You can say, holidays can be terrible.
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I'll rephrase that.
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The first few days are usually bad.
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The main purpose of rephrasing your words is to clarify what you mean so that the listener has a better understanding.
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To do this, you can also use the phrase, just to be clear.
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Check out this example from friends.
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Now, one of the important ingredients of being able to paraphrase well is having a lot of different vocabulary
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that natives use in everyday situations.
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So I have a super fun way for you to do this and that is with our Fluent with Friends course.
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Now in this course you are going to finally understand fast speaking natives.
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You'll learn all the elements of connected speech, you'll learn the vocabulary expressions that we natives use in our everyday lives
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and you'll get to laugh along with every single joke.
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Alright, so why don't you give it a try right now, it's free with our three part masterclass
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and you can sign up by clicking up here or down in the description below now.
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is big enough to feed a family.
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Chandler, here you go, we've got your traditional holiday feast, we've got your tomato soup, your grilled cheese fixin' and your family sized bag of onions.
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We commonly create compound words with size, for example, a child sized life vest, a fun sized candy bar.
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And then you promptly fell asleep.
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If you do something promptly, you do it tiredly, do it lazily, do it quickly.
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For example, we'll have to leave fairly promptly if we want to catch the bus.
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Normally I don't condone leaving early, but I have an appointment with the horse doctor.
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How that horse became a doctor, I don't know.
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Like clockwork.
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Oh, that's so funny!
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Glad to be there!
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Oh, gay, geography joke!
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Oh, wow, okay.
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Alright, let's all go home.
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Come on.
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See you all to Molly.
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Normally I don't condone leaving early.
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To condone something is to accept behavior that is considered morally wrong or offensive.
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For example, I will never condone disrespect on any level.
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Dunder Mifflin wants to make it clear that Dunder Mifflin does not discriminate,
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nor does it condone unhealthy dieting habits or extreme weight loss strategies as was clearly stated in the description.
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How that horse became a doctor, I don't know.
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Is common to refer to a doctor according to what they specialize in?
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For example, we can also call a podiatrist a foot doctor, or we can call an optometrist an eye doctor.
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So a horse doctor, or a horse veterinarian, is a doctor who specializes in taking care of horses.
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Dwight's joke is funny because of the play on words.
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It sounds as though the doctor actually is a horse.
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We use the expression, like clockwork, when something happens or works correctly, with no problems or delays.
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For example, since the recent improvements to the service, the buses are running like clockwork.
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It's funny because Dwight is literally adjusting the time on the clock.
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See you all tamale!
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When Michael greets everyone and says, See you all tamale, it is his attempt at being humorous and to play on words, since it sounds quite similar to, See you all tomorrow.
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In case you don't already know, a tamale is a Mexican dish made of ground beef, mixed with crushed corn and seasonings, wrapped in corn husks and steamed.
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Hey, if you love The Office as much as I do and you want more lessons with it, then let us know by hitting that like button
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and also comment below and let us know if there's any particular scenes that you would like us to do.
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Maybe we'll do it.
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So look forward to seeing what you guys have to say.
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Now let's check out a scene where Dwight Schrute plays a prank that gets a little bit out of control.
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Last week I gave a fire safety talk, and nobody paid any attention.
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It's my own fault for using PowerPoint.
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PowerPoint is boring.
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People learn in lots of different ways, but experience is the best teacher.
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Today, smoking is going to save lives.
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Does anyone smell anything smoky?
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Did you bring your jerky in again?
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Oh my god!
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Oh my god!
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Fire!
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Oh, fire?
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Oh my goodness!
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What's the procedure?
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What do we do, people?
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The bones are dead!
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Oh.
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Last week I gave a fire safety talk.
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Fire safety is the set of practices intended to reduce the destruction caused by fire.
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An example would be, our company will be having a fire safety workshop this week.
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Well, you know, if Joey and I play with matches, we could get you up to an even hundred.
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Fire safety is not a joke, son.
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And nobody paid any attention.
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If you pay attention to someone, you watch them, listen to them, or take notice of them.
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If you pay no attention to someone, you behave as if you are not aware of them, or as if they are not important.
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So when Dwight says that nobody paid him any attention, he means that nobody listened to him.
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For example, he didn't pay attention to the lesson and as a result he failed the test.
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Now Mr. Kaplan Senior likes his coffee strong, so you want to use two bags instead of one.
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Now pay attention, cause this part's tricky.
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But experience is the best teacher.
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Experience is the best teacher is an idiom which means
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that you will learn more from things
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that happen to you in real life than you will from hearing about or studying things that happen to other people.
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And this is very true for learning English too, right?
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You can't get fluent in the language if you're just studying from a textbook or even just watching videos here on YouTube.
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You have to actually get out there and use the language in real life experiences with other people.
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So that's exactly why we created our RealLife English app.
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Now this is the only place where anytime, anywhere, you can simply press a button and
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and we'll instantly connect you to another English speaker in another part of the world for a fun and dynamic conversation.
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So download it now, it's free, you can just click the link in the description to find that.
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Does anyone smell anything smoky?
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We can use the word smoky in several different ways.
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If a place is smoky, there's a lot of smoke in it.
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Or if someone or something smells smoky, they smell like smoke.
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I can tell you, you smell so smoky, I gotta get up.
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Someone's eye makeup might be smokey by the application of dark eyeshadow on the eyelids
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and dark eyeliner that is blended along the upper and lower lash lines.
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For today's Monday makeup lesson, I'm going to show you how to create a classic smokey eye.
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When we say someone has a smokey voice, it generally means that that person sounds like they smoke a lot.
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In other words, their voice is low and often husky.
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For example, the singer has a very smokey voice.
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I only wanna make it good Smokey can also describe a flavor profile,
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in which case it means tasting like smoke.
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Well I suppose that Chandler will have the smoked duck.
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I suppose that Monica will have the manipulative shrew.
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A quick grammar point to improve your writing is that
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when the vowel suffix Y is attached to a word ending in silent E to form an adjective, it sometimes replaces the E.
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smoke smokey.
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Here are some other common examples.
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ice icy scare scary spice spicy.
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However this isn't always the case as there is no predictable pattern to know
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when to admit or keep the silent E when adding the suffix Y.
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So we have to learn which is the correct or more common spelling.
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Did you bring your jerky in again?
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We use the word jerky to refer to lean, trimmed meat cut into strips and dehydrated to prevent it from spoiling.
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This is a common snack in the USA and you can find beef, turkey, and even elk or deer jerky in most stores.
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Just a heads up, we're going to need to do a full restock of the jerky.
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Which of these also means jerky?
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Quick and sudden movements, slow movements, delayed movements.
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We use
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the word procedure to mean a set of actions that is the official or accepted way of doing something.
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For example, you need to follow the correct procedure when applying for a visa.
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Captain, we swept the scene, ran the prints, canvassed the building.
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We followed procedure.
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Procedure is just a fancy word for proper order to do things.
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Yes, that is its definition.
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The phones are dead!
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When we talk about a landline and we say that the phone is dead or the phone dies, it means that it is no longer working or has become disconnected.
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For example, the phones in the building went dead during the storm.
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However, when we talk about a smartphone or cell phone, we can also mean that the battery power has run out.
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I forgot my purse!
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Leave it, woman!
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Get out of the way!
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Go, go, go!
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Things can be replaced, Phyllis.
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People, human lives, however, can...
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This has been a test of our emergency preparedness!
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There is no fire, it was only a simulation!
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What?
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This was merely a training exercise.
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No, we don't know that!
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The smoke could be coming through an air duct!
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An air duct is a pipe that allows air to travel through a system, building, or other structure to improve ventilation.
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For example, every office in the building has an air duct.
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Somebody to f*ing calm down!
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This is quite humorous because while Michael is telling his team to calm down, he is clearly worked up, meaning he was very concerned and panicked at the time.
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Not a viable option.
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What next?
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We say that something or someone is a viable option if they are able to work as intended or able to succeed.
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An example would be, she wants to be healthier, so eating lots of cake is not a viable option.
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Now, I can't pay for your college, but you don't have to go to class to be in class.
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Online courses are a viable option.
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Okay, settle down everyone!
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What other phrasal verb that we've seen means the same as settle down?
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Calm down, get up, take a part.
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If you tell someone to settle down you want them to become calm and less excited or panicked.
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For example, it always takes the class a while to settle down at the start of the lesson.
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Earlier we learned one of the rules of the flap T.
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Let's look at another.
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A flap T will often occur between a vowel and a dark L.
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This means an L that comes at the end of a syllable such as in bottle, kettle, and settle.
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To replace means to take the place of something, or to put something or someone in the place of something or someone else.
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For example, the factory replaced most of its workers with machines.
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We use the word simulation to mean a model of real activity, problems or events that can be used to teach someone how to do something.
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For example, astronauts are trained using spaceflight simulation.
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We use the adverb merely to mean only and nothing more.
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For example, she doesn't want to leave the party.
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She merely said that she was tired.
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Being with her has been like being on a vacation.
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And what may be perceived as high maintenance is merely attention to detail.
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Happy holidays, Dwight.
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But do not open it until Christmas.
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You're so pathetic.
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How long did this take you, three hours?
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Five minutes, actually.
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I am a black belt in gift wrapping.
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Yeah, no such thing.
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They don't give out black belts for things that are stupid.
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Well, I hope it was worth it, because I'm going to take it apart in about five minutes.
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The opposite of taking something apart is break up, assemble, put together.
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What do you need from me?
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Normally, I don't condone leaving early, but I have an appointment with the horse doctor.
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How that horse became a doctor, I don't know.
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No, I'm kidding.
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Someone who condones something, remembers it, accepts it, rejects it.
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Today, smoking is gonna save lives.
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Does anyone smell anything smoky?
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Did you bring your jerky in again?
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Oh my god!
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Oh my god!
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Fire!
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Oh, fire?
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Oh my goodness!
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What's the procedure?
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What do we do, people?
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The bones are dead!
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Oh!
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Which of these is spelled incorrectly?
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Pricey, Tasty, Flaky?
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If you're a fan of The Office, then we have another lesson that you can continue learning with it with.
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So let's check out a clip.
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All right, come on.
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Get out!
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Fuck!
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Oh!
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Did I want to harm Michael?
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The one man I've been hired to protect?
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No, I did not.
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Are you okay?
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Yes.
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Are you sure you're all right?
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Yep.
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Yep.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English with THE OFFICE”. This video has 312 sentences and 3255 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:21. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| smoky adjective | /ˈsmoʊki/ | Filled with smoke. |
| condone verb | /kənˈdoʊn/ | To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked). |
| jerky noun | /ˈd͡ʒɝki/ | Lean meat cured and preserved by cutting into thin strips and air-drying in the sun. |
| pathetic adjective | /pəˈθɛtɪk/ | Arousing pity, sympathy, or compassion; exciting pathos. |
| deer noun | /dɪɹ/ | A ruminant mammal with hooves and often antlers, of the family Cervidae, or one of several similar animals from related families of the order Artiodactyla… |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| flap noun | /flæp/ | Anything broad and flexible that hangs loose, or that is attached by one side or end and is easily moved. |
| rephrase verb | To say or write something with different wording. | |
| prank noun | /pɹæŋk/ | A practical joke or mischievous trick. |
| promptly adverb | /ˈpɹɑmptli/ | Both soon and quickly. |
| viable adjective | /ˈvaɪəbəl/ | Able to live on its own (as for a newborn). |
| clockwork noun | /ˈklɑkwɝk/ | A mechanism powered by a coiled spring and regulated by some form of escapement; the power is transmitted through toothed gearwheels and used to drive a… |
| phrasal adjective | /ˈfɹeɪzəl/ | Relating to, or used in the manner of, a phrase. |
| tamale noun | /təˈmɑː.liː/ | A Mexican dish of cornmeal dough shell filled with various ingredients (e.g. chopped beef, pork, sweet filling) then steamed in corn husks. |
| duct noun | /dʌkt/ | A pipe, tube or canal which carries gas or liquid from one place to another. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. |
| settle down verb | To make or become quiet and calm after a period of disturbance or restlessness. |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. |
| give out verb | To utter, publish; to announce, proclaim, report. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How long did this take you?
- You're so pathetic, how long did this take you?
- Did you bring your jerky in again?
- The one man I've been hired to protect?
- Are you sure you're all right?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is done · will be pronounced · is considered |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has become disconnected · has run · has been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | reduction, which is · gonna, which is · idiom which means |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 65 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: pathetic /pəˈθɛtɪk/, unhealthy /ʌnˈhɛl.θi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: simulation /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃn̩/, dish /dɪʃ/, ventilation /ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, martial /ˈmɑɹʃəl/, workshop /ˈwɝk.ʃɑp/
- Long words — get the stress right: mockumentary /ˌmɑkjuˈmɛn(t)əɹi/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, discriminate /dɪˈskɹɪm.əˌneɪt/, incorrectly /ˌɪnkəˈɹɛk(t).li/, ventilation /ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like smoky, condone, jerky.
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.