Shadowing Practice: My Mom Gave Me Back to My Real Mom - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

261 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Hey there, I'm Eloise from Sydney, and I've got an incredible story to share with you.

Want to know what it is?

Then make sure to like and subscribe to MSA.

Ever since I can remember, my parents always made sure I felt like the luckiest kid alive, with their huge business and a home life filled with love and attention.

I was their world, and I knew no one could replace me.

I was proud to be their special one.

One of my earliest memories is visiting the zoo with my parents

and seeing a baby elephant that I just had to play with.

Even though it wasn't allowed, When I played with the elephant, I saw a lady who gave me the warmest smile.

Wow, you are one lucky girl.

I sure am.

My life was good.

I was surrounded by love and support from my amazing parents.

For my 16th birthday, my parents rented out a whole luxury hotel and threw me a huge party.

They even hired my absolute favorite singer to perform for me and my friends.

To make things even better, my crush Lionel showed up and gave me the most beautiful gift.

These Cartier earrings made me think of you.

They match your big, beautiful eyes.

Wow, Lionel, they're gorgeous, thank you.

Everything was perfect until we were home, and my parents sat down to tell me something that would change my life forever.

Honey, we have something to tell you.

Um, we need you to meet someone.

This is Nicola.

Oh my, you've grown so much.

You have my eyes, and your hair is so long, just like mine.

It was odd.

This woman seemed familiar to me.

Thank you so much for taking such good care of my daughter.

Very funny.

No way.

talking about?

If this is some kind of joke, let me tell you, it's not at all funny.

Eloise, honey, I know we should have told you before, but it never felt like the right time.

We adopted you when you were just a baby, and Nicola, she's your birth mom.

Wow, I felt like my head was spinning.

Oh my god, you're telling me this now?

This, this is crazy.

And why is she back?

Are you guys unadopting me or something?

I won't leave.

Oh, sweetheart, no. Eloise, I know you must have so But honey, I'm so sorry for everything.

Right now, I have been through some really tough times.

And I'm so happy that your parents have been kind enough to help us out.

Us?

And at that moment, there she was.

A girl so identical to me.

We could be twins if she didn't dye her hair purple.

This is your sister Sasha.

She's three years younger.

She's Eloise?

OMG.

I'm so excited to meet you.

I've always dreamed of my big sister.

She hugged me so hard that I felt she'd choke me.

Let me get this straight.

You gave me up and then had another daughter?

Why?

Eloise, we're sorry about this.

No, it's okay.

That's a fair question.

Eloise, darling, of course, I loved you.

I still do.

But when I had you, I wasn't ready for a kid.

I was not well.

It was hard to let you go, even if they are great parents.

But we're finally reunited, and now we'll spend time together.

It's gonna be amazing.

Amazing?

Her words were giving me a headache.

dressed I was and took me to my room to talk.

She explained that Nicola needed financial support

and they had decided to help her by getting her a place near her home and a job as mom's assistant.

She asked if I was okay with it, but what could I say?

I was still trying to take it all in when Sasha asked me to show her around.

I wasn't super excited about it, but she seemed pretty pumped, so I said yes.

It's so dark in here.

You some goth chick or what?

Let's open the curtains.

Wow, you definitely got the best room in this mansion.

You can see the pool from here.

You have a lot of stuff.

What's this?

Ooh, awesome.

Can you, um, just put that down?

My mom gave it to me.

Yeah, I can see that.

Saying that, she took out tons of pictures from her backpack and shoved them in my face.

I just love these photos of mom and I.

We look so happy, right?

She loves me so much.

She told me all about you when I was growing up, but she said, Ah, was her world.

As if I didn't already feel bad about my birth mom abandoning me, it had only been a few days since Sasha moved to our town.

But she was already driving me crazy.

Even though she and my birth mom, Nicola, had their own place, you never know it by how often she came over.

Why don't you hang out at your house?

Mom wanted my help working for your mom.

Looks like you're working real hard.

She was constantly snooping around my room, touching my clothes, and asking to borrow things.

I had given her a bunch of my stuff, but she still wanted more.

100

starting to get on my nerves, especially since it was spring break and I couldn't even go to my friends and rant.

101

Once spring break was over, I was excited to go to school and be normal, but when mom and dad dropped me off at school, I was stunned to see Sasha and Nicola there too.

102

But the weirdest thing was, Sasha was wearing my clothes, the ones I did not give her.

103

Hey, Eloise, how do I look?

104

Gorgeous, right?

105

I know.

106

What are you doing in my clothes?

107

I already gave you some.

108

Why did you Wow.

109

Eloise, come on.

110

It's her first day at your school.

111

She wanted to look her best?

112

By looking like me in my school?

113

I couldn't believe it.

114

My parents just had to get Sasha in the same school as me.

115

The moment I entered the hallway, I told my friends everything.

116

Oh my gosh, that's crazy.

117

Is that her?

118

Oh my god, she looks just like you.

119

Ha, I looked everywhere for you.

120

This school is so big, like a maze.

121

Hey, are these your friends?

122

Hey, I'm Sasha, Eloise's sister.

123

So, what happened to your accent?

124

What accent?

125

Wow, your hair? So awesome.

126

I also love coloring my hair.

127

I had green hair before I colored it purple.

128

I must say, blue is your color, girl!

129

Um, thanks a lot.

130

Purple hair really suits you, too.

131

Actually, it kind of makes you look like a badass.

132

Thanks.

133

I was thinking about dying it black, actually.

134

Then you and Eloise would sure look like twins.

135

Ugh, first day in school and she's charmed my friends.

136

Ugh!

137

I had some distraction from all the craziness going on in my life.

138

He asked me how my summer break was, and I was ready to dish out everything.

139

You won't believe!

140

But right then, the teacher walked in and class started.

141

After class, Lionel's friends took him for basketball practice.

142

The next day, when I woke up for school, I heard Nicola and Sasha downstairs.

143

Perfect.

144

And then, I found out that Dad would be dropping us both off at school together.

145

I swear I left the car keys here.

146

How can they just vanish?

147

Oh, let me help you.

148

They must be around here somewhere.

149

It must be there.

150

What's happened to you?

151

Yesterday you lost your tag Hoyer watch a day before you couldn't find your Oakley Sunglasses

152

and then later both were on your table dad.

153

Just take the other car.

154

We're gonna be late here found it It was right here When I arrived at school, I was excited to see my friends But then I got annoyed

155

when I saw them all around Sasha to make matters worse

156

when lunchtime came around I searched for Lionel everywhere

157

and then I spotted him with the last person I wanted him to be talking to Sasha.

158

They were laughing, and once Lionel left, I dragged Sasha to the side.

159

Hey, sis.

160

What's up?

161

Don't sis me.

162

First, you and Mom just barge into my life.

163

Then you start stealing my clothes, then my friends, and now Lionel?

164

Oh, I know what you're trying to do.

165

You want to be me.

166

Admit it.

167

OMG.

168

You're a psycho.

169

What are you even talking about?

170

That guy just thought I was you, and we had a laugh.

171

He actually confused me for you.

172

I told him we were sisters.

173

Right, Lionel?

174

Yeah.

175

You guys look so alike.

176

later.

177

I tried to leave with Lionel, but my bracelet got stuck in Sasha's bag.

178

When I pulled it, her bag fell off and a box I recognized rolled out.

179

I couldn't believe my eyes.

180

It was the same one that Lionel had gifted me with my earrings still in it.

181

Why do you have these?

182

They're mine.

183

I didn't know these were your earrings.

184

My mom gave them to me.

185

Here, you can take them.

186

Your mom gave these to you?

187

Yeah, right.

188

These are limited edition Cartier earrings.

189

Um, all I know is mom found them by the pool.

190

Maybe you put them there when you were going swimming and forgot about them?

191

Yeah, right.

192

Did she think she could get away with it?

193

I had seen her eyeing my jewelry and designer clothes, but to steal?

194

That was crossing the line.

195

I had to keep an eye on Sasha.

196

Soon, I noticed that something was definitely off as Mom and Dad kept losing small items around the house.

197

I tried telling my parents about everything and was totally surprised when they said I was being too suspicious.

198

They said some of the stuff that had been missing eventually turned up and they must have just forgotten about it.

199

I couldn't I needed concrete proof for Mom to believe me.

200

So one day, I snuck into Sasha and Nicole's house.

201

And when I opened the door, the sight left me speechless.

202

So many things were all piled up on a table.

203

Even my snow globe was there.

204

Oh, hey, Eloise, you shouldn't be here.

205

You want to explain all this to my parents, or should I ask Sasha?

206

No, it's not what you think.

207

It is.

208

It's exactly what you think.

209

I'm sorry, Eloise.

210

I won't do it again.

211

We'll leave.

212

You think I'm going to let you run off after this?

213

Then all of a sudden, Nicola started crying and Sasha hugged her tight.

214

What was happening?

215

It's me who stole all this stuff.

216

Sasha, honey, you don't have to take the blame for it.

217

Eloise, I've had this problem for so long.

218

I just can't resist.

219

I keep taking things without asking.

220

It's something I can't control, no matter how hard I try.

221

I'm so ashamed of myself.

222

We're gonna get through this, Mom.

223

No need to be ashamed.

224

Eloise, Mom's got this thing called kleptomania.

225

She didn't do any of this on purpose.

226

me.

227

I didn't want to believe her, but their expression said it all.

228

I knew they weren't lying.

229

So, you're the one who took my earrings?

230

Hmm.

231

But I still don't get why you were acting so strange, copying my every move and everything else.

232

What was that about?

233

Because I want to be like you.

234

Since I was a kid, Mom would talk about how adorable you were when she saw you at the zoo, so when I finally met you, I wanted to be the one Mom would love the most.

235

Oh, but I love you both "Oh my god, you were the lady I met at the zoo!

236

You remembered!

237

That day I saw how happy you were, and I knew I could never give you the luxuries your adopted parents were giving you, so I walked away.

238

But when I had Sasha, I promised myself to be a better mom to her, but mom, you're the best.

239

Eloise, now you know the whole thing.

240

I know what mom did was wrong, but she's all I got.

241

Mom's already on the run because of her problem.

242

Please, just don't tell your parents about all this.

243

I promise.

244

We'll leave first thing tomorrow." hadn't been trying to hurt me, she was just trying to keep our mom safe.

245

I felt awful forever suspecting her.

246

I knew I had to step in somehow.

247

The next day, when Sasha and Nicola were about to leave the house, my parents stopped them.

248

"You… you told them?

249

Why?" "Because…I can't let you go.

250

I just got my sister and mom back, and I'm not gonna lose you again.

251

Nicola, we want to help.

252

You gave us the most beautiful gift we could ever ask for.

253

The moment Eloise came into our life, we became family, and families don't leave each other Nicola, you need to get better for your daughters.

254

My parents arranged for Nicola to get the help she needed, and while she was away, Sasha stayed with us.

255

We had lots of time to get to know each other better, and it was wonderful.

256

We had movie nights, went on picnics, and even helped each other with our studies.

257

Over time, the bond between us was so strong that I never felt jealous when my friends gathered around us.

258

I was just grateful that I had my sister by my side to share all these happy and healthy,

259

and I loved seeing her this way.

260

That day, I realized what a special bond a family can have.

261

We may have different beginnings, but we would always be connected by our shared love and care for each other.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

FOR YOU

Recommend Video

483 sentences

My Mom Went Back To School

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

24 sentences

Matthew's Foster Care Adoption Story

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

175 sentences

I Was Raised By My Sister | Non-Biological Mothers | Cut

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

71 sentences

Bailing Meemaw and Georgie Out of Jail | Young Sheldon

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

265 sentences

DAD WON'T Let TEEN WEAR CROP TOPS, What Happens Next Is Shocking | Dhar Mann

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

182 sentences

Life As A Mom | moving on, home reset, my son is five!

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

1248 sentences

WE #theparenttrap #movie #foryou #film

KidsTeensDaily Conversation

135 sentences

Biological Mother Exploited Her For Money...But Stepmother Truly Loved Her | Slow English (Level A2)

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

457 sentences

I Got Pregnant At The Age Of 19 | MAS - My Animated Story

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

339 sentences

My Big Brother’s SECRET Put Our Whole Family In DANGER

TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students

About This Lesson

In this lesson, learners will practice their English speaking skills through an engaging and emotional story shared by Eloise from Sydney. As she recounts her journey of discovering her birth mother, students will encounter a variety of vocabulary and phrases that capture feelings of surprise, excitement, and family dynamics. This lesson will not only enhance your vocabulary but also improve your pronunciation and fluency. Utilizing the shadowing technique, learners will mimic Eloise’s speech patterns, tone, and pace, making this exercise particularly valuable for those preparing for IELTS speaking practice or simply wishing to learn English with YouTube.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Adopted - legally taken as one’s own child.
Birth mom - the biological mother of a child.
Lucky girl - someone who feels fortunate.
Enormous love - a great amount of affection.
Surrounded by support - having people who are caring and helpful.
Head spinning - feeling confused or overwhelmed.
Identical - exactly alike, very similar.
Crazy - used for something unbelievable or surprising.

Practice Tips

To effectively use this lesson for your speaking practice, follow these targeted practice tips:

Listen and Repeat: First, watch the video to grasp the context and emotions Eloise expresses. Afterwards, use the shadowing site and play segments of her story repeatedly. Pause after each sentence to mimic her intonation and rhythm.
Focus on Pronunciation: Pay close attention to how Eloise pronounces key vocabulary words. Repeat them slowly, then speed up to match her normal pace, ensuring you capture her natural speech sounds.
Embrace the Emotion: When practicing, try to embody the feelings she conveys. This will help you connect more deeply with the language and improve your delivery during actual speaking scenarios.
Record Yourself: Utilize a recording tool to capture your shadow speech. Listening back can help you identify areas for improvement, particularly in tone and clarity.
Engage with Others: Share your reflections on the story with a language partner or in a speaking group. Discuss how you felt during your practice, using vocabulary from the lesson to reinforce your learning.

Using the above strategies, you'll find yourself gaining confidence in your English speaking abilities, all while preparing yourself for IELTS speaking practice or simply improving your conversational skills. Engage with this story, and let the vocabulary and emotions enrich your learning experience!

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	you've grown · have been · I've always dreamed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	wasn't allowed · was surrounded · be connected
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was spinning · were giving · was still trying
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the luckiest · my earliest · the warmest

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 Mom Gave Me Back to My Real Mom - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

I Was Not Ready For What My Boyfriend Said About My Sister

I'm a Famous Singer But No One Sees My face

My Bully is Obsessed with ME!

My BF is Too Protective

School's Most Annoying Girl Competes With Me On everything

I'm the Weird Sister

I'm Turning Into A Vampire - Season 2 Episode 2 - Trailer

5,000 Miles For 10 Million Dollars, The Journey Begins

A homeless woman stole me when I was a baby

I Was Hired to Protect a Clumsy Billionaire

it's not you, it's her

Video

Mom Looks like a 10 year old

I’m too rich I get everything I want

Step Mom Made Dad Hate Me

I Keep Failing School Because Of Math

I Became A Millionaire and Went to College at 14!

I Got The Worst Fake BF To Make My Crush Jealous

She Called Us Poor

My Experience As A Female Soccer Player

My Mom Went Back To School

Matthew's Foster Care Adoption Story

I Was Raised By My Sister | Non-Biological Mothers | Cut

Bailing Meemaw and Georgie Out of Jail | Young Sheldon

DAD WON'T Let TEEN WEAR CROP TOPS, What Happens Next Is Shocking | Dhar Mann

Life As A Mom | moving on, home reset, my son is five!

moms

WE #theparenttrap #movie #foryou #film

Biological Mother Exploited Her For Money...But Stepmother Truly Loved Her | Slow English (Level A2)

I Got Pregnant At The Age Of 19 | MAS - My Animated Story

My Big Brother’s SECRET Put Our Whole Family In DANGER

About This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?