Shadowing Practice: m_01 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
I wish someone had told me
2
that all I had to do was sell all of my Hermes bags
3
and you guys would watch my gardening and homemaking videos
4
because this is the content that I want to be making on the internet.
5
So in today's video whilst I haven't been shopping at Harrods it is my grandma's 90th birthday
6
so I thought that I could put together a basket of things that I have homegrown and homemade to give to her.
7
Come on!
8
Firstly I'm going to collect the eggs from the hens because there is nothing better than six fresh hens eggs.
9
I do think we have a bit of a broody hen at the moment.
10
This is Clementine and whilst she is beautiful she is also very grumpy.
11
You have to take her off of the eggs.
12
She's not happy about it.
13
Off you go.
14
We have seven or eight chickens at the moment and we are getting a nice amount of eggs.
15
Do have to show you this, Ali built this like last weekend so far not a single chicken has used it so he's very sad about that.
16
and you might think this is a little bit extra
17
but I love this for gifting I buy recycled cardboard egg boxes on Amazon
18
and I had a little custom stamp made best to get it central
19
and then you've really just got to go for it oh
20
not too bad not too bad it's not the best
21
but it will do I like an assortment of colors at
22
the moment we're getting a lot of eggs from the Buff Orpingtons
23
and we've also got some from the hybrids as well so whites, blues and this sort of pale pink.
24
This is what they look like.
25
Such a lovely gift.
26
If you didn't know my husband is also a beekeeper
27
so we store a lot of honey that we got from last year
28
and save it for special occasions we don't sell it we just give it as gifts
29
and use it ourselves and
30
if you thought the stamp was extra I actually had these
31
little stickers made with my greenhouse on them they're sort of like produce labels
32
so we use these on the honey now Ali is much better at this than I am but you just
33
stick it on the front and hope for the best it ends up looking like this
34
pop my hair back because it's really annoying me.
35
Now rather than buying my grandma flowers I thought
36
that I could pick her some of my favourites
37
and just take her a really lovely bunch
38
so I'm going to take some of my Rosa Desdemona because I think she'll really like these.
39
This one is so gorgeous.
40
That is literally two stalks off of one of my plants.
41
I was about to start flower arranging here but it started raining so I think we're gonna head inside
42
oh my god
43
just popped the oven on to bake a fresh sourdough loaf for my grandma
44
and whilst that heats up I'm going to arrange the flowers I like doing this outside usually
45
because I can make a mess But because it's raining, I'm doing it inside.
46
This vase is from a bunch of flowers that I was sent
47
and I try and reuse them wherever possible
48
and I've only filled it about halfway up so that I can transport the roses with ease.
49
I start by taking off the lower stems and in all honesty I don't take it too seriously.
50
I like my bunches of roses to be quite wild and
51
so often I will just take the leaves off and bung them in a jar.
52
They look so beautiful just left to do their own thing.
53
A little bit of a cut down and just place them in.
54
Let's keep looking at the arrangement as well.
55
I don't like it to look like a shop bought arrangement.
56
So if I look at it and I think, oh, it needs a little bit more greenery.
57
Personally, I love adding mint to a rose arrangement.
58
I love anything fragrant.
59
It just adds another dimension quite a lot because it's going to add a lot of volume into the arrangement.
60
Oh my gosh it smells so good.
61
I don't think it needs much more than this.
62
I could probably add a little bit of mint in there
63
so I'm going to go and grab some whilst there's a break in the weather
64
and then I'm going to put the sourdough in the oven and tidy up my mess.
65
I do like making a mess.
66
So I grabbed some cat mint and some chocolate mint from the herb garden.
67
The chocolate mint I'm just going to pop in to add a little bit of density.
68
My favourite game of Tetris.
69
Doing this.
70
Lay a little bit there.
71
Chop them down.
72
You okay?
73
It's taken a turn and it's got quite wild and wonderful.
74
I don't want to do any more to it because, again, I don't want it to look too perfect.
75
I like the rustic look and this is definitely rustic.
76
Sourdough usually takes about two days to make.
77
And so I started making my dough yesterday like this.
78
Turn it out and place it on some baking paper.
79
I grab my little blade and I put whatever design I fancy in the top.
80
Generally, I just go for a crosshatch or a cross.
81
This blade is so bad.
82
I need to get a new one.
83
I think this is going to be the design I hoped for, but oh well, rustic is rustic.
84
And then I pop it into my Dutch oven, grab some ice cubes.
85
Lid on and into the oven.
86
Oh, that's a good one.
87
The loaf has come out perfectly.
88
I thought it was going to be a little bit more rustic, but the design has come out exactly how I wanted it.
89
So I'm going to let that cool for a little bit.
90
Pop Grandma's card in there.
91
I basically put a little bit of straw in the bottom of this so that it pads it out a little bit.
92
Put the eggs in.
93
I'm going to pop the loaf in a little baking liner.
94
Also pop little bread bags in because I get these from Amazon
95
and they're so handy people often bring them back so that I can refill them.
96
I realise is the flowers are not going to fit in the hamper.
97
It's like Animal Farm here.
98
What my love?
99
What?
100
What?
101
Gosh it looks so nice.
102
And that is my little homemade haul for my grandma's 90th birthday.
103
I hope you enjoyed it.
About This Lesson
In this lesson, learners will practice their English speaking and comprehension skills through the shadowing technique by listening to a transcript from a gardening and homemaking video. This engaging content will help you improve your fluency and pronunciation, making it especially beneficial for IELTS speaking practice. By replicating the speaker’s tone and rhythm, you will enhance your ability to express yourself naturally in English, whether you are discussing hobbies, gifts, or personal experiences.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Homemade: Food or items made at home rather than bought from a store.
- Broody hen: A hen that wants to sit on eggs to hatch them.
- Gift basket: A collection of items presented as a gift.
- Assortment: A variety or mix of different items.
- Flower arranging: The art of arranging flowers in a vase or bouquet.
- Sourdough: A type of bread made with natural fermentation.
- Eco-friendly: Environmentally safe; products that are not harmful to the environment.
Practice Tips
To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video, follow these tips:
- Listen carefully: Pay attention to the speaker's intonation, pace, and expressions. This will help you replicate their speech more accurately.
- Start slowly: Begin by listening to short segments of the transcript. Repeat phrases aloud, focusing on pronunciation and rhythm.
- Emphasize emotion: Notice how the speaker conveys their feelings about gardening and homemaking. Try to mirror their enthusiasm when you practice shadow speech.
- Record yourself: After practicing, record your shadow speak. Listen to your recording and assess areas for improvement.
- Repeat regularly: Consistent practice is key. Use this shadowing site regularly to enhance your speaking skills and build confidence.
By incorporating these techniques into your English learning routine, you will find significant improvement in your conversational abilities, especially in contexts similar to those presented in the video.
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.