Shadowing Practice: My Experience On First Day At School At 13 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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308 sentences

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Go!

Run!

I ran up the basement stairs with Ryan right behind me.

We sprinted out the door, and I paused to catch my breath.

My teeth were chattering.

Here.

But then he hobbled out of his house.

Get back here!

We gotta go.

How far can we go on the ice?

Hi, my name is Melody Walker, and I'm from Whittier, Alaska.

Before I continue, please like and subscribe.

I was from the tiniest town, and my house was even further away, tucked between these frosted mountains.

And I loved to play or roll in the snow, but what I loved most was whenever we had to go into town.

The people bustling from shop to shop, the cars whooshing by, and the laughter all around.

And when I saw kids, I knew I had to be friends with them.

If only I could stay in town a little longer.

By the time I turned six, my parents had started homeschooling me.

It was fun in the beginning.

I could go to class in my pajamas, I could turn in homework late by batting my eyes, and our cafeteria was open 24 -7.

If I ate two cookies, and then I'm gonna eat two more cookies?

That's too many cookies.

But when I would watch TV or a movie, well, school looked totally different.

I had no desk, no detention, and of course, no dances.

I complained sometimes to my parents, so they did everything they could to cheer me up.

We would play hide -and -seek or a game of chicken.

Duh, a modern family one.

Or become anchors of our own imaginary show.

My dad even tried to teach me to waltz.

But I only crashed into one or two vases.

Still, it felt like maybe I was missing something.

Like I had no one to give my friendship bracelet to.

Or ask me to the prom.

And when I was 15, my life took a sudden turn.

My dad got a promotion.

So we were moving to the city.

And I was ecstatic.

I can finally have friends.

And maybe a boyfriend like MSA.

But it wasn't that easy.

I wish there was a handbook for high school.

I had so many questions.

How do you get in line for lunch when the crowd never ends?

And where do you sit in class?

Why do all these kids leave that wobbly chair for me that keeps bumping me in the back?

Soon, I felt like I wasn't fitting in, but I wasn't a quitter.

So I remembered how kids would act on TV shows or movies.

And I tried the same with Amy, who was sitting next to me.

What are you doing?

Oh, you gave the right answer, so I thought I'd...

No, we don't high five.

What are you, 10?

And it got me.

Alone during lunches, alone during class, and alone during dances.

Maybe I wasn't cool, but maybe if I was smart, I would finally make some friends.

So I posted my tests with an A -plus on my locker and on my Instagram stories.

Neither worked.

And then I did something I shouldn't have.

Mrs. Smith, didn't you want to pass out that quiz before class was over?

You can guess what's next.

But at least my teachers liked me.

They knew I tried hard, maybe too hard, and word got around to the principal.

He tracked me down one day and asked me to join the school's newspaper.

You're pretty good at academics and writing, and the paper needs some help.

And it was a ton of fun!

It helped the day fly by, and I ended up hearing the gossip from everyone.

I heard where to get the best spray tan, which corner of the library was best for… you know.

And that Jessica P stole Jessica's R's homecoming crown and wouldn't give it back.

By the time I was 17, I was writing full articles and editorials in my free time.

I also got to interview school hotshots, the big leagues, like cheerleaders and athletes.

And finally, I was assigned to talk to Ryan, the captain of the hockey team, with a killer smile.

So Ryan, how do you deal with the team pressure?

Lonely?

I'm feeling lonely, lonely.

Stop glancing and tell me

Hold me, hold me I totally blurted it out.

I slapped my hand over my mouth.

As my face burned red hot, I immediately regretted serenading him.

Ryan laughed, and I turned to hide my embarrassment.

But my feet twisted over each other, and I fell back on Ryan.

Whoa, you have a lot of school spirit.

Are you okay?

Oh, yeah.

Oh, Melody, be professional.

I took a deep breath and tried to recover.

Are you excited for next week's date?

I mean, game?

Next week's game?

We're pumped, and I like a good date.

I mean, game.

That smile again.

I felt like I'd melted into a puddle.

From that day on, everything changed, and my heart fluttered whenever he was even in the same room as me.

And once, when I was in the cafeteria trying to merge into the lunch line with no luck,

I was about to give up when a hand tapped me on the shoulder.

You can stand in line with me.

I spun around to make sure he was talking to the right person.

Yes, you.

Everyone gets feral at lunchtime.

100

It felt like everyone had disappeared, and it was just him and me.

101

I couldn't think of a single word to say, but spit it out.

102

I believed you, I'm so stupid.

103

I cringed at myself.

104

But Ryan just laughed.

105

Could this be the start of something?

106

And then one day, as I was washing my hands in the bathroom, I saw Amy crying in the corner.

107

I went to put my arm around her for a hug.

108

What is wrong with you?

109

Don't touch me!

110

I'm sorry, you looked so sad.

111

Amy rushed out of the bathroom and ran into the principal.

112

It is way past the bell.

113

Where is your hall pass?

114

Um, she's with me, sir. Is she?

115

I'm interviewing her for, uh, a story about the new tater tots.

116

He angrily shuffled around the corner.

117

Thank you.

118

You didn't have to do that.

119

That old man, he's a weirdo and always yelling and ranting and would love to give attention to everyone.

120

Well, it seems like you were having a tough day.

121

Yeah, boy trouble.

122

Amy invited me to sit at her table for lunch.

123

This was what I needed.

124

I had a group of girls to hang out with every day.

125

Gossip about boys or just share fries.

126

Amy was cool.

127

She gave me advice on how to wear my hair and which season my colors were in.

128

We even worked on a history project together.

129

I helped Amy get an A, and she helped me get out of that wobbly seat in the back of the classroom.

130

And one day at lunch, everyone was buzzing about a party.

131

Are you doing anything tonight?

132

I can get you an invite.

133

Oh, I don't know.

134

I felt like one of the girls.

135

I was also included.

136

I have real, true friends now.

137

Kelsey can pick us up.

138

Come on.

139

There will be really cute guys there.

140

Like, um, anyone from the hockey team?

141

Like Ryan?

142

Of course, he wouldn't miss it.

143

My first real party, and I had nothing to wear.

144

I dug through my clothes, like I had made mountains of rejected outfits, until I found the perfect one.

145

As snow lightly fell, Amy's friend Kelsey pulled up with Amy in her car with her two other friends, Allie and Emma.

146

We drove to the house on the very top of a hill.

147

The music was bumping, and we could hear laughter.

148

In the cafe, Amy and her friends pulled me into the dancing.

149

Even though I couldn't dance to save my life, I felt at ease in my little friend circle.

150

After a while, I cut my way out of dancing to look around for Ryan, but he was nowhere.

151

So I joined others around the pool table.

152

Do you play?

153

It was Ryan.

154

I nervously choked on my words. Do I?

155

Do I play pool? Do you?

156

No, no, I don't.

157

But I could.

158

That doesn't seem too hard.

159

Did I do this right at all?

160

Yeah, not quite.

161

First of all, you hold the cue stick in the other direction.

162

The other direction!

163

I knew I was missing something.

164

Let me show you.

165

Ryan stood behind me and moved my hands on the cue stick.

166

It's all about angles.

167

He put his arm around my arm and showed me how to shoot.

168

I could feel his breath, and I got goosebumps.

169

As we played, I didn't even notice the other people trickle out.

170

I looked at my phone and gasped.

171

I gotta go.

172

My parents are gonna freak out.

173

I've never been out this late.

174

Do you need a ride? it looks like the storm picked up.

175

Whoa, a ride with Ryan?

176

And just then, my imagination went wild in my head.

177

I could see us sitting in the car, our hands brushing against each other as we tuned the radio.

178

I might even say, oops, I'm sorry, just to make it happen again.

179

And when it was time for me to leave, Ryan would come running out of the car and say, Melody, you forgot your phone.

180

I would know that I did it on purpose, but I would pretend to be surprised.

181

Then I would take a step towards my house and he would grab my hand, spin me around, and kiss me.

182

And just then, Amy popped in.

183

No, Ryan.

184

She's getting a ride with me and Kelsey.

185

She doesn't need your stupid truck.

186

Okay, no problem.

187

Thought I'd offer.

188

See you later, Melody.

189

Amy crushed my dreams badly.

190

And with a heavy heart, I waved goodbye to him.

191

Don't get your hopes up.

192

He's a massive flirt.

193

I think Kelsey is in her car.

194

We walked outside and all the other cars were gone, including Kelsey's.

195

Where are you?

196

I don't have any service.

197

The wind had picked up and was whipping around us.

198

Everyone tried their phones, but with no luck, I shuffled up back to the cafe.

199

But the lights were out.

200

This door's locked.

201

We've got to do something before we turn into icicles.

202

There's another house just down the way.

203

We can go there.

204

It's closer to town, so we'll probably get reception.

205

Probably.

206

The four of us waddled down the street in our dresses, slipping and sliding as the snow whirled around us.

207

We arrived at the front door and knocked.

208

No one's answering.

209

Amy looked under the doormat, and then, under a frog statue, she pulled out a key.

210

Too easy.

211

I don't know if we should break into someone's house.

212

We're not breaking into someone's house if it's already open.

213

I don't know if the police will agree with us, but my hands are turning blue, so...

214

We crept into the house.

215

It was small and creaky and smelled like an old wet towel.

216

Let's see if they have chips.

217

I walked past the mantle and looked at the owner's photos.

218

The face looked familiar, but I couldn't place it.

219

I could hear whimpering noises coming from the basement.

220

You guys, you hear that?

221

I opened the basement door, slowly made my way down, and found crates and crates of puppies.

222

But they looked hungry, and I could feel that I would be their next meal.

223

The basement door slammed shut.

224

I ran up to the door, but it was locked.

225

Amy?

226

Ellie?

227

Emma!

228

Hello?

229

I pushed as hard as I could, but the knob wouldn't budge.

230

I was left alone for hours, out in the rural parts, when there wasn't any cell service.

231

I was so scared, but somehow I gathered myself, and I remembered there was one number that could get through.

232

Hello, 911?

233

What's your emergency?

234

I'm locked in a basement, and I can't get out.

235

A door slammed, and I knew the owner of the house must be back.

236

A bad feeling crept into my stomach.

237

Whoever keeps dogs like this in their basement must be dangerous and crazy.

238

I needed to get out of here pronto.

239

What is your address?

240

Up on a hill?

241

I had no idea where I was.

242

I could hear a man's footsteps upstairs, and the puppy started barking like crazy.

243

I think I'm on a pine hill or a peanut hill.

244

Something with a P, that's for sure.

245

I picked up a crowbar, just in case I needed a weapon to defend myself.

246

The door swung open.

247

Melody?

248

Ryan, what are you doing here?

249

I was worried about you, and when I didn't reach you, I called Amy.

250

She told me that she left when she'd been waiting for you around here but couldn't find you.

251

So I came here, and then I spotted your scarf.

252

Yeah, but she was here.

253

Anyway, I've been trying to call for help, but I don't even know where I am.

254

Ryan took the phone.

255

Hi, 1430 Pepper Lane.

256

Pepper!

257

I was close.

258

What are all these puppies?

259

Some shady person may definitely be selling them illegally.

260

Another thud exploded upstairs, and a shadow appeared.

261

Principal Crabapple?

262

What are you kids doing here?

263

Breaking and entering is a crime, don't you know?

264

I'm sorry.

265

I got trapped here when I was looking for help.

266

Please let us go.

267

It's all a misunderstanding.

268

And we don't know anything about the puppy mill, and we will never speak about this to anyone.

269

The principal's eyes darted around the room, crazy and frantic.

270

I can't trust you.

271

You won't be getting my secret.

272

He lunged at me, and I threw the crowbar at him, and it landed on his foot.

273

He started hopping like mad.

274

Go.

275

Run.

276

I ran up the basement stairs with Ryan right behind me.

277

We sprinted out the door, and I paused to catch my breath.

278

My teeth were chattering.

279

Here.

280

But then he hobbled out of his house.

281

Get back here.

282

We gotta go.

283

How far can we go on the ice?

284

Just then, police cars squealed onto the property.

285

Ryan put his arms around me as the police handcuffed Mr. Crabapple.

286

We're gonna be okay, Melody.

287

Everything was fine, and the police did their investigation.

288

And at school, Amy avoided me like the plague for a week then finally came to apologize for what happened.

289

You could have gotten me into real trouble by telling the police about me, but you didn't.

290

Why, Amy?

291

Why did you do this?

292

The thing is, Ryan and I used to date, but I wasn't over him at all.

293

And then I saw him scribbling your name and pouring over your newspaper articles, and it just drove me mad.

294

So you took me there on purpose?

295

No, I had no idea about that eerie house, but I could have helped you out of the basement

296

when I left you there on purpose so that you would know that it wasn't your place to just take him.

297

I thought it wasn't over between us.

298

But it is, and I realized he only likes you a lot.

299

I wish you would forgive me and we could still be friends.

300

I have forgiven you, but I'm not sure about being friends again.

301

Well, I volunteered at the shelter to help place every last puppy.

302

I also wrote a gripping story for the newspaper about our ex -principal.

303

It was the talk of the town, and I got famous too, only because I stayed true to who I was.

304

Even if it made me different from everyone else.

305

Oh, and me and Ryan?

306

We're still going strong.

307

I can beat him at pool now.

308

And we recently went out on a date with our cutie.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “My Experience On First Day At School At 13”. This video has 308 sentences and 2683 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:26. The speaker talks fast, about 200 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 48 of its 308 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
basement noun	/ˈbeɪsmənt/	A floor of a building below ground level.
puppy noun	/ˈpʌpi/	A young rat.
lonely adjective	/ˈloʊnli/	Unhappy due to feeling isolated from contact with other people.
cookie noun	/ˈkʊki/	A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm.
hockey noun	/ˈhɑ.ki/	Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal.
spin verb	/spɪn/	To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
forgive verb	/fɚˈɡɪv/	To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against.
stairs noun	/ˈstɛɹz/	A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors.
laughter noun	/ˈlæftɚ/	The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound.
slam verb	/ˈslæm/	To shut with sudden force so as to produce a shock and noise.
pause noun	/pɔːz/	A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation.
bump noun	/bʌmp/	A light blow or jolting collision.
sprint noun	/spɹɪnt/	A short race at top speed.
gossip noun	/ˈɡɑsɪp/	Someone who likes to talk about other people's private or personal business.
upstairs adverb	/ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/	Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.
get back verb	Return to where one came from.
get out of verb	To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
run up verb	To run (towards someone or something); to hasten to a destination.
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
fall back on verb	To turn to as a substitute; to rely on as a backup.
get around to verb	To eventually begin or return to some task.
get out verb	To leave or escape.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

How far can we go on the ice?
Are you excited for next week's date?
What is wrong with you?
Where is your hall pass?
Breaking and entering is a crime, don't you know?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was assigned · was also included · was locked
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've never been · have forgiven
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	were chattering · was missing · were moving
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	started homeschooling · keeps bumping · Stop glancing

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/, thud /ˈθʌd/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, wash /wɑʃ/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, promotion /pɹəˈmoʊʃn̩/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/
Long words — get the stress right: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, editorial /ˌɛdɪˈtɔːɹɪəl/, illegally /ɪˈliːɡəli/, imaginary /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪˌn(ɛ)ɹi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like basement, puppy, lonely.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: My Experience On First Day At School At 13 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?