Shadowing Practice: LIVING THE MEME - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Memes can be cringe, memes can be witty, memes can be funny.
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But they're not usually noted for representing a 100 % accurate view of reality.
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And yet now, we're literally living this meme.
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New variant, surging cases, lockdowns and further restrictions, vaccination or another booster, slight reopen.
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New variant, surging cases, lockdown and further restrictions, vaccination or another booster, slight reopen.
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and further restrictions, vaccination or another booster, slight reopen.
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New variant, surging cases, lockdowns and further restrictions, vaccination or another booster, slight reopen.
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If the creators of Black Mirror remade the movie Groundhog Day...
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Then put your...
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They told us we had to learn to live with the virus.
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Unless it's a new variant of the virus, in which case we can't live with it.
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They told us we'd vaccinate our way to freedom.
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Then they told us the vaccinations would never end.
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There's not going to be an end point to this vaccination program.
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So we only get our freedom back when the vaccination program ends.
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And the vaccination program Never ends.
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"There's not gonna be an end point to this vaccination program." Oh shit.
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"But it's Christmas time, we'll be in line for a booster." "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
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than there were in October.
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The number of people in hospital primarily for Covid is down, 4214 in England, it's been below 5000 since 10th of November.
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Guess it's time for another semi -lockdown then.
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The government has announced England is moving into plan B of its winter plan.
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Now is the time for plan B.
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Plan B.
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Plan B.
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Plan B.
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Plan B in England.
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it would take them three weeks to have anything solid on Omicron.
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But in the space of 24 hours, suddenly Omicron becomes a dire threat.
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What changed of course was that Boris Johnson was in dire need of a dead cat moment.
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They admitted to violating their own lockdown rules by hosting numerous Christmas parties.
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While everyone else was under lockdown, while everyone else had to cancel their Christmas.
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While some people lost out on a final chance to see their dying parents and grandparents.
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And what was the response from the general public?
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Well the message was clear, addressing the same government that made a mockery of lockdown rules They stood up
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and loudly proclaimed "Lock me down harder daddy !" Comres poll:
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69 % support vaccine passports compared to just 10 % who oppose the scheme, 74 % support working from home rule.
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"Govern me harder daddy !" They're claiming post -pandemic stress disorder is now a thing.
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"Then we told them the sudden onset of hundreds of thousands
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of heart -related illnesses were due to post -pandemic stress disorder !" So what's this clamour for more restrictions all about?
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"Demic Battered Wives Syndrome" These are people out there who are now absolutely certain
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that the government has been relentlessly taking the piss out of them for 20 months, yet still strap a nappy to their face when ordered to by the very same government.
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You're mad at a corrupt government for abusing its power when it comes to Covid rules, and your response is to reward that government with more power to abuse.
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Gover me harder daddy!
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You're angrier at the Tories for having a festive piss up during lockdown than the horrendous toll
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that their lockdown policies are going to be a bit more difficult have had on this country.
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740 ,000 missed cancer screenings, a devastating mental health crisis, largest ever recorded rise in alcoholism,
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unprecedented assault on our freedoms, massive economic damage.
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Man, I'm not bothered about any of that and you supported the cause of it, but some politicians having a cheese and wine knees up at number 10,
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oh now we're mad, we have an opposition party calling for Boris to resign for allowing his government to flout Covid rules,
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while they'll vote for Boris and his government to impose more Covid rules.
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They're even saying Boris isn't going far enough.
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If it came up for a vote, Labour would rubber stamp tattooing QR codes on kids' heads.
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And what of the rules?
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Well once again they're a shameful farce.
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Their own internal study said Covid passports would achieve nothing and could even worsen the spread.
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They achieved nothing in Wales, Scotland, Ireland and every other European country that introduced them.
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Guess it's time to introduce Covid passports then.
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Makes perfect sense.
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Here's another one.
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So you shouldn't go to work to be with your colleagues.
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Apart from if it's a Christmas party, then you can be with your colleagues in closer proximity than you would have been
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if you'd have gone to work with them.
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Makes perfect sense.
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You don't have to wear a mask in a packed pub on Christmas Eve in close proximity to everyone, but you do have to wear one while at a cinema sat in your own seat.
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Makes perfect sense.
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I guess the solution is just to lock down even harder and cancel Christmas entirely again.
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They're already preparing the public for that in the media with Plan C.
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"Couldn't kill this." "Here's my Plan C, swivel on it, you're never cancelling my Christmas again !"
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And all of this is being imposed not because of public health or science, but because of politics, because they needed a distraction.
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They're on the news telling you we need these rules to stop a dangerous rise in hospitalisation figures.
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while literally standing in front of a graph showing hospitalization figures going down.
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Oh but Omicron is gonna cause a million corona cases a day!
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Yeah, say the same people who back in July said lifting the restrictions would cause 7 ,000 hospitalizations a day.
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The restrictions were lifted and it never reached a thousand a day.
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Why are we still listening to these people?
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They have no credibility, they've been wrong every time!
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And what of Omicron, the deadly new variant that has killed precisely Zero people in the entire world.
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The WHO says preliminary data indicates hospitalisations across South Africa have remained low.
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The load on hospitals is significantly lower compared to Delta.
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Botswana where the variant originated has not seen a rise in Covid hospital admissions so far.
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According to experts in South Africa the variant causes much milder symptoms.
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The EU says cases are mostly mild.
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Some experts even say we should allow the milder variant to spread to reach herd immunity.
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Some even say this is good news and it could herald the end of the pandemic.
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So why is our government formulating policy as if the situation was a hundred and eighty degrees the other way?
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There is of course another possibility
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that the Christmas party thing is a giant red herring and that the semi lockdown was planned all along.
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Just as we knew back in summer 2020 that they were planning another lockdown in October.
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Journalist Neil Clark predicted the January lockdown to the day of
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and was out by just one day on the current semi -lockdown based on his inside source.
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They appear to be working to a political timetable that's completely divorced from the data.
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from the science that they so vehemently exalt.
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They're not even bothering to cite data that supports their cause anymore, because such data doesn't exist.
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Another thing that doesn't exist is any rational reason to continue listening to these clowns for a second longer.
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And unless you want to be trapped in this never -ending circling of the drain of existence for years to come, it's time to say:
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Enough is enough.
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Link in description.
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And also signing up for my free newsletter at summit .news /newsletter.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will engage in English speaking practice by analyzing a humorous yet critical commentary on contemporary societal issues, particularly relating to government responses to health crises. The focus will be on understanding the intricacies and nuances of the spoken language while practicing the shadowing technique. By shadow speaking the transcript, learners will improve their pronunciation, rhythm, and fluency, gaining valuable insights into colloquial phrases and expressions used in modern discourse.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- New variant - Referring to a new strain of a virus.
- Surging cases - A sudden increase in the number of cases, commonly in the context of health crises.
- Lockdown - A period when movement and public activities are restricted for safety.
- Vaccination program - A public health initiative to immunize individuals against a virus.
- Post-pandemic stress disorder - Behavioral issues and stress resulting from prolonged pandemic-related restrictions.
- Govern me harder - A satirical phrase expressing frustration with government control.
- Cheese and wine knees up - An informal term for a gathering or party, often with food and drinks.
- Corrupt government - A government perceived to abuse its power or act unethically.
Practice Tips
To maximize the effectiveness of your English speaking practice, utilize the shadowing technique by closely mimicking the tone and speed of the speaker in the video. Given the satirical and somewhat fast-paced nature of the transcript, take the following steps:
- Start by listening to a small segment of the video before attempting to repeat it. This allows you to grasp the flow and context.
- Try to match the speaker’s pace. If the speaker is talking quickly, aim to maintain that speed in your own practice without losing clarity.
- Focus on emotional intonations and pauses, particularly in humorous or critical segments. This will help you convey the same sentiment in your shadow speech.
- Record yourself practicing to identify areas of improvement in pronunciation and delivery. Compare your version to the original to enhance your skills further.
- Engage in multiple repetitions (this is crucial for the shadowing technique) until you feel comfortable with the material, which will solidify your understanding and use of key vocabulary.
By applying these tips during your shadow speaking practice, you’ll not only improve your English proficiency but also gain a deeper understanding of contemporary language used in discussions about societal issues.
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.