Shadowing Practice: Marriage Takes Practice - Learn English Speaking with Video

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You know, if you haven't been getting along very well and you go to try to have a date, if it isn't a complete bloody catastrophe, it might be a step forward.
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I used to have people who were having trouble in their marriage in my clinical practice, and I'd say, well, when was the last time you guys went on a date?
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And they'd just like roll their eyes and like, that was, they thought, this is a stupid therapist.
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That's what they both agree on.
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This is a stupid therapist.
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That's one thing we could agree on.
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And then often they begrudgingly agree to go have a date.
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And the whole plan was to go have like the worst date in the world, so they could come back and triumphantly report how miserable the date was to prove
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that they had the stupidest therapist in the world.
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And you know, and I can understand that because they're all frustrated
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because they hadn't had like a good date for like 10 years.
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And so they were really pretty frustrated and unwilling even to hope.
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But you know, if you haven't been getting along very well and you go to try to have a date, if it isn't a complete bloody catastrophe, it might be a step forward.
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And maybe if you do it 30 times, it'll sort of be 20 % enjoyable, which is a lot more than zero.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Marriage Takes Practice" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →