Shadowing Practice: Living English - Episode 01 - Pleased to meet you - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Music Music Music Music Music Music Music Music
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Music Hello and welcome to the first program of Living English.
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You will learn how to speak English for work, travel or study.
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Each week we look at a short drama then practice our English.
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So now let's look at the first episode of our drama Sisters and Brothers.
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The Excuse
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me.
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Anne Lee?
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Yes, hello.
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Pleased to meet you.
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It's very kind of you to meet me.
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Oh, sorry.
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This is my husband, Mark.
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Good morning.
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How are you?
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Very well, thank you.
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How was your flight?
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Oh, actually, I'm a bit tired.
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It was a very long flight.
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Let's get your bags.
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Oh, that's mine there, the red one.
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It's Emily.
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Sorry.
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Don't worry, Ma, it's strong, aren't you, dear?
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No worries.
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Come on, let's go to the hotel.
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Poor Mark.
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In that episode we saw how to meet people.
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Let's look again at how Anne meets Sarah.
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Excuse me.
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Anne Lee?
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Yes, hello.
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Anne says hello.
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Try at home with the clip.
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Excuse me, Anne Lee?
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Excuse me, Anne Lee?
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Yes, hello.
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Hello is what we usually say when we meet people.
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What does Sarah say?
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Pleased to meet you.
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Sarah says her name and then she says, pleased to meet you.
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Let's look at this again.
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Pleased to meet you.
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First, Sarah says her name because Anne doesn't know who she is.
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We just say I'm, which is short for I am and then our name.
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In English, we say our family name last.
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Sarah's family name is Taylor.
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So she says, I'm Sarah Taylor.
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This is formal English.
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You can just say your first name.
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So Sarah could say, I'm Sarah.
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My name is Brenton Whittle.
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So I would say, hello, I'm Brenton Whittle.
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Now you try introducing yourself.
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Say your name.
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Hello, I'm...
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Sarah says something else.
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Watch again.
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Pleased to meet you.
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She says, pleased to meet you.
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This is another way of greeting someone.
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It's a formal way of greeting someone.
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Practice with the clip.
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Pleased to meet you.
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Usually, in Australia, we shake hands when we say, pleased to meet you.
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Here is another way of greeting someone.
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Look at the clip.
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Oh, sorry, this is my husband, Mark.
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Good morning.
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How are you?
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Very well, thank you.
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Sarah introduces her husband, Mark.
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Let's look again at what she says.
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Oh, sorry, this is my husband, Mark.
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She says, this is my husband Mark.
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Practice saying this with the clip.
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Oh sorry, this is my husband Mark.
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Now look at how Mark greets Anne.
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Good morning, how are you?
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Very well, thank you.
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How are you is a very common way of greeting someone.
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Sometimes we say, how are you going?
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Anne says, very well, thank you.
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Practice saying both of these phrases with the clip.
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How are you?
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Very well, thank you.
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There's one more way of saying hello.
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Let's look.
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Good morning.
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How are you?
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Very well, thank you.
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Mark says, good morning.
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Of course, you can only say good morning in the morning.
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Try with the clip.
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Good morning.
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Let's look at how English works.
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English is made up of sentences.
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Let's look at sentences.
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Firstly, let's listen to Sarah.
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I'm Sarah Taylor.
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I'm your new local buyer.
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Pleased to meet you.
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I'm is a way of saying I am.
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The word I is called the subject of the sentence.
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It comes first.
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Am is called a verb.
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It comes next.
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And her name, Sarah Taylor, is called the object.
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It comes after the verb.
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Many sentences have this pattern.
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Let's look at another one.
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Oh, sorry, this is my husband, Mark.
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Can you work out what is the subject, the verb, and the object of this sentence?
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That's right.
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The word this is the subject, is is the verb and my husband is the object.
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And this is Michelle Crodon.
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Hello Michelle, how are you today?
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Hello Brenton, I'm good thanks, how are you?
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I'm very well.
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Now, what have you got there?
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I have some hats.
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What are you doing with the hats?
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I'll show you, but first let's look at for scene again.
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Anne is collecting her luggage.
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Oh that's mine, the red one.
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Anne said that her bag was the red one.
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Red is a colour.
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I have four hats here.
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Now which is the red one?
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This is the red one.
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Do you know the colours?
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Which hat is yellow?
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This is the yellow one.
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Which hat is blue?
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This is the blue one.
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So which hat is green?
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This is the green one.
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Brenton, which hat do you like?
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This one.
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Brenton likes the blue hat.
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What about you Michelle?
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I think I see you in red.
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Haha, yep.
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Michelle likes the red hat.
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Which hat do you like?
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The blue one, the red one, the yellow one or the green one?
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You say I like the...
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Which hat do I like?
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That's right.
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I like the red hat.
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Which hat does Brenton like?
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He likes the blue hat.
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So, Brenton, which hat is yours?
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The blue one.
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The blue hat is mine.
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It's my hat.
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The blue hat is yours.
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It's your hat.
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And which hat is mine?
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The red hat is yours.
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It's your hat.
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The red hat is mine.
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It's my hat.
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So we've learned four colours.
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Red, blue, green and yellow.
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And we've learned your and yours and my and mine.
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But there's something else to look at in the scene.
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Here are two clips.
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Oh, sorry.
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This is my husband, Mark.
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Oh, that's mine, the red one.
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Sarah uses the word this when she introduces Mark.
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She says, this is my husband.
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But when Anne points out her bag, she uses the word that.
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She says, that's mine.
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What's the difference?
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Look again and see if you can tell.
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Oh sorry, this is my husband Mark.
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Oh that's mine, the red one.
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What's the difference, Brenton?
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When Sarah says, this is my husband, she's standing right next to him.
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But when Anne points to her bag, it's not next to her.
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So, Brenton, is that your hat?
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This one?
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Yes, it is.
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Is that his hat?
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No, it isn't.
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This is your hat, Brenton.
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Thank you, thank you.
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And is that your hat, Michelle?
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Yes, this is my hat.
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Remember in the clip, Anne's red bag was heavy.
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Is your hat heavy?
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No, Brenton, it's light.
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This is heavy.
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Yes, it's heavy.
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Answer the questions at home.
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Is it light?
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No, it's heavy.
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Is this heavy?
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No, it's light.
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And are you strong, Brendan?
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What do you think?
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Is he strong?
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Yes, he is, I suppose.
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And is Mark strong?
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Let's look and listen for something else Mark says.
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Don't worry, Mark's strong, aren't you, dear?
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No worries. So, is Mark strong?
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I'm not so sure.
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But Mark said something else.
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Listen again.
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No worries.
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Mark said, no worries.
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This is an Australian way of saying, okay.
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And finally, let's look at some different ways of saying hello.
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Remember what Mark said when he greeted Anne?
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He said, good morning.
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He said good morning because it was in the morning before 12 o'clock.
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What would he say after 12 o'clock?
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He could say good afternoon.
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Try saying it after me.
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Good afternoon.
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And if it was in the evening, he could say good evening.
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Try saying this after me.
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Good evening.
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But he probably wouldn't say goodnight.
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We usually only say goodnight when we're leaving or going to bed.
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And I think it's time for us to leave now, Brenton.
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No worries, Michelle.
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Hope you enjoyed episode one of Sisters and Brothers and our first program of Living English.
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And I hope you can watch our next program.
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We'll find out how to check in at a hotel and about dealing with money.
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So until then, see you later.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will focus on the essential skills of introducing yourself and greeting others in English, as demonstrated in the first episode of "Living English." You will learn how to use polite phrases and the proper structure for sharing your name. The episode's dialogue offers practical examples that will help you practice speaking naturally in social scenarios whether you are working, traveling, or studying. By the end of this session, you should feel more confident introducing yourself to new acquaintances, which is a vital part of your IELTS speaking practice.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Pleased to meet you - A common expression used when meeting someone for the first time.
  • Excuse me - A polite way to get someone's attention.
  • I'm [Your Name] - A simple way to introduce yourself.
  • How are you? - A common greeting that inquires about someone's well-being.
  • Very well, thank you - A polite response to the greeting 'How are you?'
  • Local buyer - A job title which may be important in business contexts.
  • Come on - A casual way to encourage someone to proceed.
  • Don't worry - A reassuring phrase often used to comfort others.

Practice Tips

To effectively improve your speaking skills using the shadowing technique, focus on mimicking the dialogue in the video. This approach will enhance your pronunciation and help you internalize everyday phrases. Here’s how to apply the shadowing technique:

  • Watch the clip carefully: Pay close attention to the speed and intonation of the speakers. Notice how each phrase is delivered.
  • Repeat aloud: Use a shadowing app or your device's voice recording feature to practice along with the video. Start slowly, gradually matching the speed of the dialogue.
  • Focus on clarity: Ensure that your pronunciation is clear and that you are stressing the right syllables, especially when saying "Pleased to meet you" or any key phrases.
  • Practice regularly: Consistent practice will help you internalize these phrases, leading to improved confidence in real-life conversations.

By integrating these techniques into your study routine, you will develop a more natural speaking style and enhance your overall communication skills, which is essential for achieving your language learning goals.

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.