Shadowing Practice: My Method for Learning Languages from Scratch - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi, Steve Coffin here.
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Today I'm going to talk about,
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I often get this question like,
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how do you start a language from scratch?
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What is your process to learn a language?
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By the way, if you enjoy my podcast or at least videos about language learning, please subscribe.
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Alright, how do you start from scratch?
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Obviously right now I'm focusing on four Slavic languages.
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I've studied all those four languages to varying degrees before.
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So I'm not starting from scratch.
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In fact, the last language I started from scratch,
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I guess was Ukrainian, but I had had Slavic languages before, Romanian maybe.
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How do I start from scratch?
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All right, let's say I was going to study Turkish.
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All right.
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Or Arabic, and I do intend to do that one day.
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I would go out and buy a starter book.
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A starter book is like a teach yourself,
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assimil, colloquial, any of those.
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It almost doesn't matter.
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I just find it's comfortable to have a book,
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a little book, that gives you a bit of an overview of the language.
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There's typically, you know, 20 or 12 chapters that introduce some aspects of the language in each chapter.
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They have a dialogue, some audio, some explanations.
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And I kind of go through them predominantly to get a sense of the language,
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to read some
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and to get an overview of the grammar not expecting to
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remember much it's just kind of an introduction get my feet wet
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so to speak then as soon as I could I would
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get into interesting content how soon I can get into interesting content will depend on the language
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but I would start trying and I would do it at LingQ obviously
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because there I can look up every word I can I can't say words,
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I'm used to that.
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That's my favorite sort of learning environment.
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But my sort of modus operandi is to get into a situation where I can listen and read.
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Because listening in combination with reading is so powerful.
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And so for an initial six months or so, I would only...
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And so then people say,
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well, how can you listen to things you don't understand?
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I get that all the time.
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How can you listen if you don't know the words?
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Obviously, when you start out,
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you have to listen to short bits of content because you don't understand.
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And you have to listen to content where you have the transcript.
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And again it should be 30 seconds long because you're going to be looking up words,
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you're going to be struggling,
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you don't understand, you're in that early process of discovering the language.
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But to listen to something you have to have the transcript so that you can look up the words.
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Alright?
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Also, listening and reading go together.
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Why?
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we listen to something that has been recorded.
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Alright, that's a record.
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It's an audio record of something that someone said.
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But writing is a written record.
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Before they had, you know,
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tape recorders or mp3 files,
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all they had was writing.
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That was the only way to record what was said.
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And the writing is a visual representation of the words.
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I find that I need both.
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If I just hear it, I won't remember it.
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Not a chance.
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If I'm talking to my tutor and she gives me a new word in Ukrainian,
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if I don't see it written down,
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I haven't got a chance of remembering that word.
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But if I hear it often enough and see it often enough,
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that's the visual representation, if I combine the two,
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I have a chance of accumulating those words.
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So in order for that to work in the initial period,
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which might be one, two,
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three months, you've got to listen more than once to the same content.
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And so that's what I would do.
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Therefore it has to be short.
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And you have to, even though the content is boring,
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it's the challenge of trying to make sense out of this new language that makes it interesting enough,
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stimulating, challenging enough that I can actually listen over and over because I'm still not getting certain parts of it.
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Even though I've read it and I've looked up the words and I've kind of pieced together what it means,
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when I listen to it, it's still a blur.
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So therefore there's that challenge that keeps you focused.
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You're going to listen to it again,
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read it again, and also in the beginning I'm more likely to review words
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and phrases using my flashcards or other of the activities that we have at LINC,
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closed tests or multiple choice or whatever,
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to try to somehow, because I have to very sort of intensively work this stuff because it's so new to me.
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Now gradually as I progress,
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and remember again, I'm listening to content that's short,
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for which I have the transcript.
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And hopefully it's relatively easy because it's designed for beginners.
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And you can get
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that out of your beginner book you can find lots of
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such content at LINK for different languages some languages have more than others
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and then but as early as possible I want to get to interesting content
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because after a while it becomes boring to listen to stuff that's essentially boring
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so I have to move to a stage where I am now motivated by my interest in the content.
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And for me very often that means books related to the history of the country where the language is spoken.
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And then it continues.
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It's that combination of the the sound and the visual representation of the words repeated, repeated, repeated.
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Now some people say well you should you know try
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and first learn the most important 1000 words of the language they will show up anyway that you needn't worry about
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the main thing is is to get hooked hooked on the
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language get enough of a start with the beginner material
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that you've got a bit of a toehold on more interesting material
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and initially it's a tough grind but i find that in
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that early period where it's very difficult and i'm looking up a lot of words,
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I'm excited by the fact that I'm actually reading and listening to authentic material that turns me on.
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Wow, look at me.
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Now I've got say a Turkish newscast with transcript and I'm listening to it,
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not really understanding it, reading it,
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listening again, but it's real stuff.
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And then sort of without even realizing it,
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all of a sudden, three months later,
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I'm able to understand more and more of these podcasts or whatever they might be.
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And then as I'm getting more and more of the meaning,
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then I try to notice expressions
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or words that are kind of key words for the meaning or key words that I would like to use.
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And so I think it's useful once you are comfortable with the meaning
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that you try to focus on certain expressions when you notice them, certain phrases.
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All right.
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The great thing about listening is you can do it wherever you are.
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I find that and I've said this before,
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if I just sit down and listen, I lose focus.
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However, if I'm listening while driving,
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if I'm listening while doing the dishes,
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then I seem to be able to focus in better on the meaning.
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And once you are able to kind of get the meaning fairly well,
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that's the time when you start focusing in on expressions and phrases so that you notice it here,
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you notice it there, and pretty soon it starts to become part of your vocabulary.
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Now, different people start speaking at different times.
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I, if I were doing Turkish,
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I would imagine that my initial period with the beginner material might be three months because it's a totally different language.
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Then I might go another three,
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four, five months with a lot of listening and reading,
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getting into more and more interesting content.
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And then I would need to start speaking because when you start speaking,
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you see things that are missing.
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You get a report back hopefully from your tutor,
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which I can import into LingQ.
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And this increases your attentiveness so that when you're listening,
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you're listening for some of the things that you have had difficulty with.
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And as you progress, you're able to speak more.
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But even when I'm speaking a lot,
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like right now with my Ukrainian,
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because I'm doing four languages,
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I'm doing Ukrainian for six weeks,
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then I'm going to do maybe Polish and maybe Czech.
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So I'm speaking once a day, an hour a day.
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That's a lot.
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I think it's sufficient to do it once or twice a week.
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That's all the speaking you need in order to kind of maintain that level of focus when you're listening and reading.
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and basically that's what I do.
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If I have dedicated learning time I sit down with my iPad and I read and I create links.
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The listening ends up being the biggest part of my learning activity
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because I can do it whenever I want but that basically is what I would do.
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So when I undertake Turkish or Arabic when I get around to doing
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that I would expect that it would take me a year on you know So using mostly listening time,
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maybe 45 minutes a day,
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an hour, another half hour with my iPad on link.
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On that basis, I would think within a year,
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I would be able to present to you some videos of me speaking Turkish.
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That's for the future.
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Anyway, that's a brief description of how I go about learning languages.
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I hope this was of interest and I'd be interested in answering any questions.
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Bye for now.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will delve into effective language learning strategies as shared by Steve Coffin in his video on starting languages from scratch. The focus will be on understanding the process of initiating language study, specifically through listening and reading exercises. By practicing these methods, you will enhance your English speaking skills and improve your overall comprehension, which is crucial for IELTS speaking practice. Whether you're exploring Slavic languages or English, this approach emphasizes the importance of engaging with interesting content early in your study journey.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Starter book: A book designed for beginners to introduce the basics of a language.
- Transcript: A written version of spoken content, essential for understanding language in context.
- Listening and reading: Two skills that, when practiced together, greatly enhance language acquisition.
- Interesting content: Material that captivates your attention and aids in the learning process.
- Discovering the language: The initial phase of learning where you familiarize yourself with new vocabulary and structures.
- Shadowing: A technique that involves mimicking spoken language to improve pronunciation and fluency.
- Learning environment: The context or setting in which you practice and acquire a new language.
Practice Tips
To effectively improve your English speaking skills using the shadowing technique, start by selecting a short audio clip or video that resonates with you. Aim for pieces that are around 30 seconds long, so you can manage the content without feeling overwhelmed. As you listen, follow along with the transcript. This will allow you to look up unfamiliar words and understand their context. It’s crucial to practice in a comfortable environment where you can focus.
Incorporate shadow speech techniques by repeating phrases after the speaker, mimicking their tone and pace. This method, known as shadowspeaks, can dramatically improve your pronunciation and fluency. Try to vary your speed—start slowly to ensure accuracy before gradually matching the speaker’s natural pace. Utilizing resources like "learn English with YouTube" can provide vibrant content to practice with. Your goal is to become comfortable with listening to things you may not fully understand at first, solidifying your language skills along the way.
Consistent practice over approximately six months will help build your confidence. Regularly engaging with new materials not only keeps the learning process enjoyable but also prepares you for the dynamic language use required in scenarios such as IELTS speaking practice. Happy learning!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've studied · has been recorded · I've read |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been recorded · was said · is spoken |
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.