Shadowing Practice: Life Lessons From 100-Year-Olds - Learn English Speaking with Video
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131 sentences
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I think
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I've done all that I wanted to do.
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As long as I can be helpful and keep going, that's the main thing.
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My name is Clifford, but call me Cliff Crozier, and I was born on 6th of September 1915.
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Makes me now 101.
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I was born in Birkenhead, in the Whittle, Cheshire.
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Apart from the war and the time I was at college, I'd been there all my life.
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I've been retired now for 38 years.
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It always pleases me though to keep robbing the government, really, of my pension.
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It's just that you keep going.
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It's only a number.
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101 is only a number.
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And you live for the day.
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A spot of whiskey occasionally helps, although it's not on the national health.
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I have so many fond memories.
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Sometimes I sit down in my chair and I think back
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and I try to sort of reorganize this story about these people
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that I have got in my mind and mix them up together first and then pair them all.
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And I think there are quite a few people out there that would be very, very happy to be together because they are so sovereign people that they are.
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Emilia-Theresa Harper.
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Teresa.
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It's Teresa because it's Czechoslovakian.
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103, my goodness me.
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A three is my lucky number.
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I have always been lucky.
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I've never been unlucky in touchwood.
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There's wood underneath there.
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I was in Czechoslovakia when I was a young girl, and I was living with my grandparents because my father was a prisoner of war.
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We came over to England to be with our father when he was released from the war.
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Everything makes me happy.
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I love talking to people, I like doing things, I like going out shopping.
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Once I go out shopping, I don't want to come back.
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I don't think there is anything that I really need to do,
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because I've done practically everything that I ever wanted to do in the past.
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I've got beautiful memories, you know.
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I can live happily forever after because of my lovely memories. Do you know Selenko?
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I climbed up the tower there, Sirigura, which is 600 feet up to the top.
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I've always been fond of the water and I did a lot of yachting
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when I was young as well another part of my misspent youth.
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My name is John Dennerly.
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I'm 102 and a half.
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I was born at an early age, before World War I, in Denton, Manchester.
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I've had a relatively easy life, even with the RAF, five years of war.
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It was an adventure more than a penalty, even amongst the bombs.
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But I wasted a lot of time, my childhood, entertainment, that sort of thing.
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and staying up till sometimes right through from midnight right through to breakfast time
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and mother would come down in the morning and say, haven't you been to bed, John?
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And I'd say, no, I've been listening to the Schenectady, New York on the radio with the jazz band.
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I enjoyed it.
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And then sort of settled down once I became a pharmacist.
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I don't feel any older than I was, what, 20, 30 years ago.
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Except with my limitations.
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I don't feel 29, but say, 79, 69, 79.
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I'm not going yet.
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I'm still strong.
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I'm very, very strong.
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I've never realised how strong I am.
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It's all the food that my mother cooked and first of all grew in the garden.
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I make my own bread by hand.
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I'll probably be making some today.
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That's my online Tesco's coming tomorrow.
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We always, always had fresh food when we were youngsters.
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Always.
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Straight from the garden, into the pan and onto the place.
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Skimmed milk, kitchen towels.
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Six ounces of flour, two ounces of sugar and six ounces of butter.
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Butter.
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Apples or gooseberries.
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Lots of gooseberries.
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Shepherd's pie.
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I don't have many failures.
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If I'm making a cake and it fails, it becomes a pudding.
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Oh, my marriage was absolutely wonderful, heavenly, heavenly, heavenly.
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I lived with him from the age of 16 until he died at, I think it was over 70.
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I wanted to marry a handsome man and a man with good manners, and I had both.
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We did have problems, but we got through them.
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And I think nowadays people give up too easily.
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I'm always optimistic and she was always pessimistic, so we got on very well together.
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Make the most of it because that's the, especially if it's the first love, there's nothing like it.
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When I had my first children, I had twins, but unfortunately I lost the twins.
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And that was the most tragic moment in my life.
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But I had a daughter and I enjoyed her company very much indeed.
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Loved her immensely.
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When I lost my first baby, it was one of the twins who went, I was devastated.
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Eventually, of course, you get used to it because life goes on regardless.
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you get healed, and what you never forget.
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So, you know, it's really wonderful to have something left behind, even if they are no longer here, they're there, they're in your mind,
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they're in your air, all around you.
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It's really a wonderful, wonderful feeling.
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I think a lot of my children, even today, after all these years,
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this year is I can still sit here and I can talk to him and as if they were still alive.
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When people pass this way they hear me talking to myself they think I'm crackers
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but I'm not crackers I'm only just thinking about my my children.
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Any regrets?
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None.
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None whatever.
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I can tell you right from my heart.
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None whatever.
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If I'd have been more attentive at school in my early life,
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I'd have studied more and harder.
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Although I didn't do too bad in the end.
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But I think the sooner you start studying, the better.
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I was ill at college and my father came to collect me and I didn't want to go back with him.
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I wanted to stay at the college with friends for a short time and I always regretted that,
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that my dad had made the journey and I hadn't taken it up.
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His offer to take me back.
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I didn't do the right thing by my father.
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That's the thing.
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Because I admired him very much.
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I never said anything.
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You've got to keep up with the times.
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So what was good in sort of 80, 90 years ago doesn't work these days.
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Communicate, speak with your parents and take their advice too.
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Or at least consider it.
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You don't always have to follow it, but certainly don't throw it out of the window.
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I recommend anybody, if they find the right husband, to marry.
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Not just live together, marry.
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Be closer and closer.
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It seems to me as if you are happy, happily married and happily living,
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that is the finest remedy for all ills because everything is in perfect harmony.
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Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted and be as independent as you can
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but don't be reluctant to ask for help when you think you need it.
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idea is to behave well to other people,
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show them respect and help them as much as you possibly can and it will be repaid hundredfolds.
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My motto for life, there was an old Scottish comedian, Harry Lauder, Sir Harry Lauder,
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who used to sing, keep right on to the end of the road.
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And that's my motto.
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The living hope will be there at the end of the road.
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The longer I stay, the more nauseous I get.
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I'm staying put.
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Thank you.
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Practicing with "Life Lessons From 100-Year-Olds" is a goldmine for english speaking practice. The video features warm, conversational dialogue from real people, making it perfect for shadow speech—repeating phrases aloud to mimic tone and rhythm. You’ll learn to speak naturally, not just recite, as the speakers share stories, humor, and wisdom. It’s a chance to master everyday expressions while connecting with heartfelt narratives—quick wins that boost confidence fast!
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is packed with practical language. Here are key takeaways:
- "I've done all that I wanted to do": Uses the present perfect to link past actions to the present. Great for talking about life experiences.
- "It's only a number": A casual way to downplay something (age, in this case). Perfect for relatable conversations.
- "I don't think there's anything I really need to do": Negative structure with "anything" for clarity. Useful for expressing contentment.
- "Touch wood": A common idiom to avoid jinxing good luck. Adds natural flair to speech.
These phrases work in daily chats—start using them today!
Common Pronunciation Traps
Watch out for tricky sounds. Clifford says "Wirral" with a soft "r" (like "wur-ul"), a regional accent quirk. Amelia’s "Tereza" has a short "e" (not "Tuh-RAY-zuh"). Practice these with shadowspeaks—repeat after the speakers to nail the rhythm. A shadowing app or shadowing site can help slow down the audio, making it easier to mimic. Don’t stress—even small tweaks make your speech sound more natural!
Ready to level up? Hit play, start shadowing, and turn these life lessons into speaking wins. Your fluency will thank you!
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 | I've done · I've been retired · have always been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was born · I've been retired · was released |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep robbing · love talking · start studying |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most tragic · the finest |
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.