Shadowing Practice: Let's Learn English Level 2 Lesson 11: The Big Snow - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi Anna!
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87 sentences
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Hi Anna!
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Why do you have all this weather stuff?
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I love weather.
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Me too!
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Weather is so important!
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It is!
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It affects people's lives.
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Have you ever reported on a big weather event?
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I have.
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I've reported on a blizzard.
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Do you mean the one last weekend?
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Yes.
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I had been waiting for that blizzard for years.
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When it came, I was ready.
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Welcome to our most perfect lesson.
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Why is it perfect?
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Today we are reviewing the present perfect and past perfect verb tenses.
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These show that an action is completed.
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Kelly uses the present perfect when she says...
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Have you ever reported on a big weather event?
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Ana uses the past perfect when she says,
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I had been waiting for that blizzard for years.
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Listen for have or had and the past participle to find more sentences with the perfect tense.
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I'll color those words to help you.
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Kelly, I have wanted to report on a big weather event my whole life. Who hasn't?
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Did you report all weekend by yourself?
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No, no, no, no. I volunteered Pete to help me.
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Why am I here on a Saturday?
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Why are you carrying things?
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Why?
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Why?
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Pete, these are my supplies.
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Food, a blanket, warm clothing.
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Where are your supplies?
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Pete, Pete, Pete, Pete.
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This could be the blizzard of the century.
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It'll be fine.
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How else had you prepared?
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Well, I had just bought the latest weather forecasting software.
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So I brought it.
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Do you mean the Weather Genie Pro?
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You know it.
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You know it!
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Pete thought it was pretty great too.
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Do you have any games on that thing?
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Yes, I have the best weather survival game.
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Boom.
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Sounds fun.
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It is.
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But right now, Pete, this computer is a work tool.
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It will give us the temperature,
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wind speed, wind direction and amount of snowfall in real time.
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Boom, boom.
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I can't wait.
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Pete, we need a name for this blizzard.
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No, we don't.
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All the great storms have names.
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No, they don't.
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I know.
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The big snow.
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I am not saying the big snow.
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Welcome to the big snow.
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The big snow broke all kinds of records, didn't it?
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Yes it did.
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And every time a record was broken, we celebrated.
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So far in Washington, D.C.,
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29 inches of snow has fallen.
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That, my dear listeners, is a record.
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Woo-hoo!
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We just broke the wind speed record!
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Snow has been falling for 30 hours straight!
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That's another record!
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Woohoo!
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By Saturday night, stores and restaurants had closed.
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Did you bring enough food?
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I thought I had brought enough food, but I ran out.
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Hey Pete, where's my bag of popcorn?
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Maybe you ate it already?
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No, I didn't.
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I haven't seen it.
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We had reported together for 48 hours straight.
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Wow.
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That must have been a great team-building exercise for you and Pete.
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Yeah.
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You could say that.
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I hope you found all the sentences with perfect tenses.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, titled "The Big Snow," students will focus on improving their understanding and usage of the present perfect and past perfect verb tenses. The dialogue revolves around a weather event, specifically a blizzard, and the conversations explore how these tenses convey actions that are completed. By the end of this session, learners will not only grasp the grammatical nuances but will also practice expressing their own experiences related to significant weather events. This lesson is designed to enhance communicative competence while providing practical examples in a real-life context.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Blizzard: A severe snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility.
  • Reported: To inform or tell about an event or information.
  • Prepared: The state of being ready for something.
  • Supplies: Items or materials needed for a particular purpose.
  • Weather forecasting: The activity of predicting the weather conditions.
  • Past participle: A verb form used in creating perfect tenses, usually ending in -ed for regular verbs.
  • Equipment: Tools or devices used for a specific purpose, in this case, for reporting weather.

Practice Tips

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this lesson, first, listen attentively to the dialogue presented in the video. Pay close attention to the speed and tone of the speakers, as they convey both excitement and urgency about the blizzard event. Start by repeating each sentence aloud immediately after hearing it. This approach, known as shadowspeak, will help you synchronize your speech patterns with native speakers.

Since this conversation involves practical vocabulary related to weather reporting, try to visualize the scenario as you practice. Use a shadowing app or a shadowing site to replay segments at a slower speed if needed. This will allow you to focus on correct pronunciation and intonation without feeling rushed. Remember, effective shadowing is not just about mimicry; it’s about capturing the rhythm and emotion conveyed in the dialogue, which is especially relevant when discussing personal experiences with weather events.

As you practice, consider incorporating the new vocabulary phrases into your conversations. Discuss your own experiences related to weather, how you prepared for a storm, or times you've reported on weather phenomena. By integrating these elements, you'll enhance your fluency and build confidence in using the present perfect and past perfect verb tenses.

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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