Shadowing Practice: Learning English with BBC Stories Practice Listening&Reading Story #4 Purple Tomatoes - Learn English Speaking with Video

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this is six-minute English from bbclearningenglish.com hello I'm Rob welcome to six minute English with me today is Finn hello Finn hello Rob now Finn I'd like

to start by asking you a question would you eat a purple colored tomato purple uh well that depends um is it a naturally colored tomato um where does it come from is this an artificial tomato

Rob tell me more artificial yes you mean is it man made and trying to copy something that is natural well in a way yes because scientists have developed a genetically modified purple

tomato they took red tomato plants and changed their genetic patterns so they now produce new purple tomatoes yes so this would be an example of GM genetically modified food it's something we'll

be discussing more soon and of course looking at some related VOC vocabulary but here's another question for you Finn that hasn't been modified or changed in any way not a GM question no GM food

has been researched and experimented with for many years but do you know when the first genetically modified food was first sold commercially was it in a 1974 B 1984 or C 1994 well we think of GM

food as a recent thing so I'll say the opposite um a 1974 okay we'll find out if you're right later on now let's talk more about genetically modified food or GM food it's called this because

the food's genes have been changed this means the way it grows is different from the way it grows when it isn't touched by humans yes so um growing GM food or crops is quite controversial

some scientists think it's needed to meet the world's growing demand for food yes GM food can resist or stop the effects of some pests or bad weather it can grow more quickly meaning even more

crops can be cultivated or grown but opponents of GM food people who argue against it say we don't know enough about its effect on the environment and then there are the fears about who controls

what's grown M yes but despite this GM food has become an important part of food production crops like sweet corn rape plants wheat and tomatoes have all been genetically modified yes like the

purple tomato which was recently developed in the UK it has a dark pigment or color which gives it the same potential health benefits as blueberries well that sounds like a good thing

and not only that it has an antioxidant that's a substance that stops the decaying process which tests show could help fight cancer one day we could see these purple tomatoes on pizzas or in

our tomato ketchup let's hear from Professor Kathy Martin who's a plant biologist from the John inis Center who developed this tomato what does she say is good about this new food with these purple

tomatoes you can get the same compounds that are present in blueberries and cranberries that give them their health benefits but you can apply them to Foods that people actually eat in significant amounts and that they're reasonably affordable so she says the good thing about this development is

we can get health benefits from something we eat significant amounts of so lots of and they will be reasonably affordable so it'll be cheap yes but there's still maybe a problem with the color we

are affected by the color of stuff we put in our mouths I mean who eats blue food h that's true and also because the European Union has restrictions on growing GM food this tomato has to be grown

in Canada where rules are more supportive of GM foods okay well Professor Nick pigeon who is an environmental psychologist says in the UK there is some distrust of GM food he says some people

are concerned all this is messing with nature it's not natural and maybe we don't know what the long-term consequences are and a big concern is that large corporations will have control over

the technology and this could mean they control food prices too you know Rob I think this is a debate that will just go on and on and on indeed but it's now time to reveal the answer to today's

question okay earlier I asked you if you knew when the first genetically modified food was first sold commercially I said a 19 74 interesting the answer is actually 1994 oh come on okay a company called

Calene sold a product that delayed the ripening of tomatoes oh okay well I guess that means the fruit could last longer and it would stop it going soft that was the idea now before we go Finn could

you remind us of some of the vocabulary that we've heard today yes I will artificial genetic modified

genes resist pests cultivated pigment antioxidant significant affordable distrust ripening well

that brings us to the end of today's six minute English we hope you've enjoyed today's program please join us again soon bye-bye bye that was 6 Minute English from bbclearningenglish.com

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 25 sentences and 851 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:04. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

tomato /təˈmeɪ.toʊ/ (noun) — A widely cultivated plant, Solanum lycopersicum, having edible fruit.
modify /ˈmɑ.dɪˌfaɪ/ (verb) — To change part of.
purple /ˈpɝ.pl̩/ (noun) — A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta.
genetically /d͡ʒəˈneɾɪkli/ (adverb) — In a manner relating to genes or genetics.
artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ (adjective) — Man-made; made by humans; of artifice.
affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/ (adjective) — Able to be afforded; inexpensive or reasonably priced.
crop /kɹɑp/ (noun) — A plant, grown for it, or its fruits or seeds, to be harvested as food, livestock fodder, or fuel or for any other economic purpose.
gene /d͡ʒiːn/ (noun) — A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form…
genetic /d͡ʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/ (adjective) — Relating to genetics or genes.
scientist /ˈsaɪəntəst/ (noun) — One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
resist /ɹɪˈzɪst/ (verb) — To attempt to counter the actions or effects of.
reasonably /ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/ (adverb) — In accordance with reason.
vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ (noun) — A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning.
commercially (adverb) — In a commercial manner: a manner pertaining to commerce.
pest /pɛst/ (noun) — Any destructive insect that attacks crops or livestock; an agricultural pest.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
eat in (verb) — To eat a meal at home.
find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
hear from (verb) — To receive updates or opinions from (someone).
look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
mess with (verb) — To interfere with.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we'll, hasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/, restriction /ɹɪˈstɹɪkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: genetically /d͡ʒəˈneɾɪkli/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, reasonably /ˈɹiː.zən.ə.bli/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like tomato, modify, purple.

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	have developed · hasn't been modified · has been researched
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	been modified · has been researched · have been changed
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who argue · tomato which was
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction	I'll say · will be · will have

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Learning English with BBC Stories Practice Listening&Reading Story #4 Purple Tomatoes - Learn English Speaking with Video

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