Shadowing Practice: My Psycho Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone - Learn English Speaking with Video

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280 sentences

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Hey friends, I'm Sia from Florida.

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I was born into a loving family that treated me like a princess.

Nah, just kidding.

Living with them was a nightmare because the apple of my parents' eye was my brother Danny.

Okay, it might seem like I'm complaining a lot, but hang on to know why.

Growing up, mom and dad were always busy with their jobs or would be fighting with each other.

While my parents did that, I pretty much had to fend for myself, and that's why I learned to cook early on.

But that made my brother demand me to fix him some snacks every time he was hungry.

And I wasn't gonna be bossed around.

Make yourself a sandwich, I'm not your nanny.

Oh, talking back to your brother?

Now face this!

Saying that, Danny picked his nose and chased after me.

Gross!

My brother loved to tease me all the time.

He would stick out his tongue at me, throw gum at me, and worse.

It was like his life's mission was to annoy me.

One time, I caught Danny stealing my trick -or -treat candies.

I knew mom would go crazy if she found out about him eating too many candies because of his braces.

So I did what every responsible sister does.

I blackmailed him.

I will keep my lips zipped if you let me have the PlayStation for the entire month.

Do we have a deal?

Deal?

In your dreams.

I'll just say you're lying.

Easy peasy.

Oh, that made me so mad.

Just then, I noticed his piggy bank on the desk and grabbed it.

But Danny tried to snatch it for me, and in doing so, it fell and broke.

Mom and Dad came running and were pretty pissed at what I'd done.

You are always bothering your brother.

But Mom, no buts.

Grandma gifted him this piggy bank on his test result day.

And look what you did.

I am so disappointed.

The school wasn't any different.

Although Danny was a year older than me, we went to the same class, and he was the star kid according to the teachers.

One time, we were having our fifth grade English exam, and I was so tense because I hadn't studied.

But when I saw Danny, the guy was writing like he was some scholar.

So, I focused on my question paper and answered it as best as I could.

But when the results came, I was called to the principal's office, and mom was also there.

Why, oh why?

Care to tell us what you were thinking when you wrote a song in an English exam?

Under my umbrella?

Really?

Um, because we had to write a poem about an umbrella.

Songs are also poems, aren't they?

That really got the teacher angry.

And the look mom gave me made me want to hide my head in a hole like an ostrich.

When I returned to the class, everyone was laughing at me and singing that song.

Dumbhead, I knew you would fail the subject, but failing so epically?

It's so hilarious.

I overheard the conversation, and I couldn't help but share it with everyone.

I so wanted to rip him to shreds, but instead, I just cried and promised myself to get even with him.

So the next day at home, I wore his favorite hoodie and paraded in front of him while he was busy playing on his PlayStation.

Ugh, this looks so nice on me.

What do you say?

The moment Danny saw me, he chased me, and I ran around the coffee table and took the PlayStation controller.

He came charging at me like a bull and pushed me onto the couch.

But I just kept screaming louder, even though I wasn't hurt.

Oh, God!

Mom!

Dad!

He smacked me!

Ah!

You liar!

Dad, she's totally lying!

I didn't touch her!

My parents believed me and grounded him for an entire weekend.

Finally, I felt happy.

As time passed, our bickering didn't seem to stop.

When we reached high school, I went on a date with the coolest guy in my class.

And Danny showed up!

I was furious!

What are you doing here?

Would you mind giving us some space?

Oh, you want some space?

I'll give you that.

Saying that, he pushed the guy off the bench and made him run off.

I was so mad at him.

I wanted to break his teeth.

But when he showed me his phone, my jaw dropped.

The guy was two -timing me.

What the heck?

I am such an idiot.

Yeah, you sort of are.

And that's why you're a jerk magnet.

Ugh, Danny was so annoying.

But I guess perhaps he wasn't all that bad.

After that day, he was at least bearable.

Things were good, but after I graduated high school, things went south for our family when Dad left us for his girlfriend.

Those were the hardest days for us.

Mom was sad, and we could barely make ends meet.

I knew Danny and I couldn't afford college.

It was then that for the first time, Danny and I landed on the same page and decided to find work so we could help Mom.

Danny found a job in just one month, while my search felt like it took an eternity.

After a long time, luckily, I got a job in a salon.

100

I was so excited about my first day at work that I woke up at 6 in the morning.

101

But when I went there, the owner handed me the scissors.

102

I felt scared.

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I might have lied on my CV about knowing how to style hair, because once or twice, I gave Danny a bowl cut.

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Just trim the hair and make it even, got it?

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Yes, ma 'am.

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Don't worry.

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You're in good hands.

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After I was done, I was so sure the client would love it.

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But she screamed, You ruined my hair, are you crazy?

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What?

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No, it looks good.

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What happened next wasn't a surprise.

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I was fired and banned from working at any salon ever.

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Um, to set the record straight, that hairstyle is totally in fashion these days.

115

After losing that job, I was a bit disappointed, and one day, I was just lazing around the house, Danny came over to me.

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Hey, Couch Potato, what do you have planned for Mom's birthday?

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Oh, it just slipped my mind.

118

How about I cook the food and you take care of the rest?

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The party we threw was awesome.

120

When it was time for dinner, everyone praised my cooking skills.

121

Mom and all the guests loved the food.

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Oh, yum!

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Honey, you made snacks and a whole Italian meal?

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I'll give you 10 out of 10.

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I never had time to cook these fancy things for you.

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Where did you learn this from?

127

Really?

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Yay!

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Mom, I learned it from YouTube and sort of gave my own touch to the recipes.

130

It was the first time I'd felt so happy in a while.

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Come on, it's just food.

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What's the big deal?

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Anyone can cook.

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Really?

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Then you won't mind ordering food for yourself, will you?

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Okay, okay, I was just kidding.

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I must say that it's good.

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But please, don't be one of those people who constantly puts their food pics on Instagram.

139

For the first time in years, Danny had a good point. So, I did the opposite of what he said and made a Facebook page

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and an Instagram account where I posted pictures of everything I cooked.

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One day, I got a call from a lady who was at mom's party.

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She told me she wanted me to cook for her son's birthday.

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OMG, are you serious?

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Um, I mean, thanks a lot.

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I'm glad you liked my cooking that much.

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It was something new, but I gave it my best shot.

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And the whole thing turned out great.

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It was a couple of weeks later that I found out

149

that she was some big -time influencer who reviewed my food on her Instagram account.

150

And because of that, I started getting orders for my food.

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While I focused on my home business, I hoped that one day I'd have my own restaurant.

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Meanwhile, Danny got married to a girl way out of his league.

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Back in high school, Kyla used to be the most popular girl and was always mean to me for some reason.

154

But since she and Danny soon moved out and I got his huge room, I was ecstatic.

155

Things were going great until I was scammed by a customer.

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He gave me a big order, didn't pay me, and worse, vanished.

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It was a big loss for me.

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Even though I was getting orders, I didn't have much to buy ingredients.

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So reluctantly, I asked Danny for a loan and promised to pay him back.

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But the moment his wife heard me, her face twisted.

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What?

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No, we don't even have enough to pay our bills.

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Why don't you look for a job?

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You'll definitely get one.

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It's been long enough since you've been sitting at home, and it's not like your cooking is so perfect.

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Thank you so much, Kylie.

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Next time I want unwanted advice, I know where to go.

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Danny, I'm talking to you.

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I waited for Danny to respond, but he said nothing.

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So I just left out of embarrassment.

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Sometime later, there was a hurricane in our town, and the roof of Danny's house collapsed.

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So he had no choice but to move in with us.

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I was fine with it.

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But one day, Danny's wife demanded that I give him his room back.

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While I was totally against it, Mom kept nagging about it, and I had had enough.

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No, Mom, it's mine now.

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He left, remember?

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See ya.

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Don't talk to her that way.

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I'd never talk to you like that, Mom.

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If I wanted to hear from a butt, I'd fart.

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Do not butt in next time.

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That really had pissed her off.

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But in the end, I had to do what

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Mom asked me to do.

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While Danny and his wife were at our place, it was getting harder and harder to stay at home.

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I decided to look for jobs again, and I interviewed for many jobs at restaurants,

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thinking my experience as a home cook would help but it didn't.

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After another unsuccessful interview, I was in the elevator when someone tapped on my shoulder.

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Oh my god, it's really you.

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You're Sia.

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I followed your Instagram account.

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I'm a regular customer.

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A fan, probably.

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Creepy?

196

Um, okay.

197

Just as the elevator stopped, I wanted to run, but what the guy said made me stop.

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Hey, look, I'm Carter.

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Um, I run an event management company, and we are looking for someone who can make food for our events.

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I know you must be busy, but maybe think about it.

201

Okay, I'll let you know.

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The moment I was home, I called Carter and landed the contract.

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I was jumping with joy.

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I put my all in and the event went amazingly.

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Soon, I started to work with Carter more often.

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Carter and I had amazing chemistry, and every time he was around, I would be giggling at his jokes.

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We soon started dating, and a couple of months later, he proposed to me, and I said yes.

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The very next day, I invited

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Carter to meet my family, but what happened next? shook me.

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The moment Carter entered the house, Danny's wife started acting weird.

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Carter?

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Ah, it's nice to see you after a long time.

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I missed you.

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Did you miss me?

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Please, don't flatter yourself, Kylie.

216

What is she talking about?

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Wait a minute, do you two know each other?

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Turns out, Carter and Kylie had dated a long time ago, until he found out she was cheating on him and then dumped her.

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Wow, talk about a small world.

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Well, when Danny learned this, he was bent on having me break things up with Carter.

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Do you think it's that easy?

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If so, why don't you leave Kylie?

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I love him a lot.

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I can't just leave him.

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Danny just got so angry.

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Carter and I got married a month later.

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Danny and Kylie didn't attend the wedding, and that was fine with me.

228

Soon we both moved to another city where we were living our best life.

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One time, I called mom and she told me how Kylie was sick, so Danny was struggling to meet expenses.

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I felt sad and just wished things would turn out well for him.

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As for my work, it only got better and better.

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And my dream to one day have my own restaurant was soon going to be a reality.

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I so wanted to share this with mom, so I visited her.

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But to my shock, Danny and Kylie were also there.

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I hadn't seen them since I left the city with Carter.

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I was surprised to see that Kylie was expecting, and I was so happy for them.

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Even though Kylie gave me the cold shoulder, I put on a smile and greeted her.

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As we were having lunch, mom asked me how I was doing and I told her all about my plans of expanding the business.

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I'm now going to buy a place for my own restaurant.

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I'm so nervous, but also excited because I worked so hard for this.

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Show off.

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Everyone knows you have a rich husband and can afford anything.

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So what hard work?

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Her words really pissed me off.

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Jealousy is a disease, honey.

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I hope you get well soon.

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Jealous of you?

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Someone who left her mom the moment she got married?

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You are just like your dad.

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That did it.

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But before I could say anything, Danny snapped.

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Just cut it out.

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You have no idea.

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Just keep your mouth shut.

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You didn't even let me attend her wedding.

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She even...

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I kicked his leg under the table to stop him.

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Don't try and stop me, Sia.

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She needs to know about your kindness.

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About how you helped us in our time of need.

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Kylie, Sia paid all your medical bills and even paid for the renovation of our house after the hurricane.

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I'm so sorry for all the times I picked on you and for being a bad brother.

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You helped us out despite all of this.

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I owe you big time.

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Saying that, Danny hugged me tightly.

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Kylie, if you love me, you gotta respect my family.

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Hearing all this, Kylie looked so shocked and stormed out.

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We stayed at my mom's place for a week, and when it was time for us to go, Kylie entered my room and apologized.

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I am sorry, Sia.

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I thought about everything, and I realized how wrong I was.

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How badly I treated you right from the start.

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You were so kind all the time.

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Well, I am glad you realized it.

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Maybe let's give our relationship another try?

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I am kind of thankful to you for taking my brother off our hands.

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Gosh, he can be so annoying.

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True that.

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Kylie, we're sister -in -laws by chance, but perhaps we can be friends by choice?

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What do you think?

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Oh, that's a pretty good idea, and I hope my daughter will grow up to be as strong and kind as you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “My Psycho Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Danny, mom, Kylie, Carter. This video has 280 sentences and 2608 words to shadow. The speech runs for 13:20. The speaker talks fast, about 196 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 43 of its 280 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
shock noun	/ʃɔk/	A sudden, heavy impact.
chase verb	/t͡ʃeɪs/	To follow at speed.
disappointed adjective	/ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/	Defeated of expectations or hope; experiencing disappointment; let down.
honey noun	/ˈhʌni/	A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
candy noun	/ˈkæn.di/	Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup.
butt noun	/bʌt/	Body; self.
examination noun	/ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/	The act of examining.
poem noun	/ˈpoʊ.əm/	A literary piece written in verse.
couch noun	/ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/	An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
scream verb	/skɹiːm/	To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek.
hurricane noun	/ˈhʌɹɪkeɪn/	A severe tropical cyclone; an intense storm rotating around a central eye.
elevator noun	/ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/	Anything that raises or uplifts.
snack noun	/snæk/	A light meal.
umbrella noun	/ʌmˈbɹɛl.ə/	A cloth-covered frame used for protection against rain or sun.
salon noun	/ˈsælɒn/	A large room, especially one used to receive and entertain guests.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
turn out verb	To end up; to result.
find out verb	To discover, as by asking or investigating.
grow up verb	To mature and become an adult.
move out verb	To leave one's present location; to leave somewhere for another place.
run around verb	To be very busy doing many different things.
run off verb	To flee or depart quickly.
show off verb	To exhibit the best attributes of something.
show up verb	To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

Sentences worth repeating

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

Do we have a deal?
What are you doing here?
Why don't you look for a job?
Do you think it's that easy?
Maybe let's give our relationship another try?

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 born · be bossed · was called
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who constantly · someone who can · Someone who left
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have planned · It's been
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	were having · was writing · were thinking

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 55 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, thankful /ˈθæŋkfəl/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, renovation /ɹɛnəˈveɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, elevator /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/

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 shock, chase, disappointed.

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 Psycho Brother Won’t Leave Me Alone - 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?