Shadowing Practice: Let's Learn English - Level 2 - Lesson 1: Budget Cuts - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Oh, important meeting everyone must come.
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82 sentences
1
Oh, important meeting everyone must come.
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Well, back to work and my boss has called a meeting.
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I wonder what it's about.
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Maybe we're all getting raises.
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Oh, there's Jonathan.
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Maybe he knows.
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Hi, I'm Professor Abat.
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This video is all about work.
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People talk about jobs and things that happen at work.
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Your assignment is to find as many work words as you can.
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Don't worry, I'll help.
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So Jonathan, what do you think today's meeting is about?
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The email sounded important.
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Well, I have heard people in the building talking about budget cuts.
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Oh, budget cuts?
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Wait, who has been talking about budget cuts?
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Mark in accounting.
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Mark in accounting?
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That's one person.
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That's not people.
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I know, but Mark knows everything that goes on at the studio.
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That is true.
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But wait, look at us.
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We shouldn't gossip.
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That's how rumors start.
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We'll just go to the meeting and see what happens.
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Yeah, you're right.
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No more talk about budget cuts.
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Budget cuts?
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Oh no!
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I just heard Anna and Jonathan talking about budget cuts.
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That must be what the meeting is about.
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When they're budget cuts, people lose their jobs.
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Not you!
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You're a good reporter.
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And it's not you.
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You've done such a great job as a videographer.
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I can't go back to being a detective.
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Criminals scare me.
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And I can't go back to being a teacher.
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High school kids scare me.
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Did you hear any work words?
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They talked about a lot of jobs.
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You can make the name of a job by adding an ending to a verb.
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Kave reports, so he's a reporter.
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Amelia used to detect, so she was a detective.
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If you teach, you're a teacher.
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And a videographer, uh, I think you understand.
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Back to the story.
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Penelope, have you heard the news?
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Today's meeting is about budget cuts.
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That's awful.
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What should I do?
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Update your resume.
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I've already updated mine.
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I'll see you at the meeting.
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Hello everyone.
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Quiet please.
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Quiet please.
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This meeting won't take long.
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Then you can all leave.
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What is wrong with everyone?
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You look like I'm going to fire you.
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Seriously, what is wrong with everyone?
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Excuse me, Ms.
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Weaver?
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Yes, Anna.
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Well, everyone has been worrying about, you know...
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We've been worrying that you're going to fire us!
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I'm not going to fire any of you.
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No!
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The reason for this meeting is to tell you what a good job you've been doing and give out new assignments.
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Budget cuts have been happening, but only one person has lost their job.
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Mark, in accounting?
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Now, let's talk about those new assignments.
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Miss Weaver's team is doing a good job.
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How did you do?
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Did you find all of the work words?
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Here's a list you can check.
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Watch again if you did not find all the words.
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Go to the VOA Learning English website to learn more.
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About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Let's Learn English - Level 2 - Lesson 1: Budget Cuts" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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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