Shadowing Practice: My Scary Older Brother - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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So I've come to the realization that I don't really talk about my family much, so let's change that today with a story that happened years ago involving my oldest brother, John.
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Except we're not going to call him John because he actually goes by Sim, since he thought the name John was a little too bland and didn't suit him.
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To all the Johns watching this, I'm sorry, I'm sure you're all lovely people.
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Except you, John.
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You're kind of lame.
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You know who you are.
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I have a second older brother named Josh, and the thing about the three of us is the fact that we're nothing alike.
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Like at all.
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We hardly even look related.
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Sim was the athletic one, Josh had the brains, and I...
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I liked to draw.
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I was also the only one who had a weeb face, so both of them thought I was a total weirdo growing up.
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Although come to think of it, they probably still think I'm a weirdo.
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They really wanted me to be the cool tomboy little sister who could play basketball with them, but I ended up being the complete opposite.
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Actually, you know what?
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I really wanted to take Taekwondo when I was like nine, but my dad never let me take classes because he was scared it'd make me too boyish.
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Now I suck at defending myself.
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Thanks a lot, Dad.
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I'm just kidding, Dad, I love you.
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My brothers and I do have one thing in common, though.
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We're all not very good at speaking in Korean.
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Like, we can hold a conversation pretty okay, but we struggle with grammar and picking the right words.
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This little tidbit will be evident later.
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Now, my oldest brother's appearance can best be described as.. intimidating.
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He was never afraid of confrontation, liked wearing leather jackets, and after glass shards got stuck in his hair following a car accident in 2004,
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he had to shave his head and he actually liked it enough to continue doing it to this day.
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He also looks slightly irritated, like, all the time.
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You know those people who just normally have a pissed off
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looking resting face even though they're probably just thinking about the weather or what to eat for dinner or something?
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He's one of those.
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And on top of all this, he's athletic and muscular.
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So at first glance, he doesn't look all that approachable.
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So in 2012, when he landed a job as a strength and conditioning coach for the US Army base in South Korea, he stuck out like a sore thumb.
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A scary thumb.
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I'm mentioning this because this story happens to take place in South Korea.
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So one evening during his first month there, he was out hanging out with some friends of his at a little cafe that they frequented, with these two girls working behind the counter.
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And in the middle of this pleasant, relaxing evening, this middle-aged man staggers in and he's clearly had a little too much to drink.
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Instead of going up to the counter to order like you're supposed to, he sits down and barks from his seat.
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Hey, give me a coffee!
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This was all in Korean, by the way, but I don't trust myself to accurately translate it
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so just keep in mind none of this was in English.
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Uh, what kind of coffee?
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Just.. get me a coffee!
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So already this dude isn't giving off any good vibes, and everyone can tell he's probably gonna be kind of an ahole.
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And they were right!
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While waiting for the coffee he so rudely demanded, the man pulled out a cigarette and started lighting it.
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Uh-um, sir, you can't smoke here.
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Screw you!
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If I wanna.. if I wanna smoke, then I'm gonna smoke!
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Sir, you.. you really aren't allowed to smoke in here!
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Bleh.
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How hard do I have to hit this guy to knock him out, but not injure him?
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So the man continues to smoke, completely ignoring the cafe employees, who can't really do anything because it's not like they have any sort of security to assist them,
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and I guess they didn't think it was worth it to call the cops.
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But my brother wasn't having any of it.
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He wasn't gonna just let this old crusty creature disrespect the cafe employees and smoke up the place like he lives there.
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So without a word, Sim gets up, walks up to the man, and yanks the cigarette out of his mouth.
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Except he yanked it too quickly, so half of it was still in the guy's mouth.
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At this point, he's already committed to this confrontation, so he walks out of the cafe to toss the half cigarette, walks back into the cafe, yanks out the rest of it,
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and goes back outside to toss it.
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Maybe it made less of an impact that way, but he got the job done, and that's all that matters here.
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Just go with it." In an attempt to be a helpful citizen, he walks over to the counter to ask the cafe girls if they wanted him to take the guy outside.
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Now the message my brother was trying to convey was, "'Ma'am, would you like for me to remove this belligerent,
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intoxicated gentleman from the premises so that he and his prohibited tobacco use are outside?
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Or in short, do you want me to get rid of him?' But he, with his very limited Korean skills,
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instead said, Which translates to, do you want me to erase him?
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Or, should I make him disappear?
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Or pretty much anything that suggests the possibility of murder?
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So, in their perspective, this random cafe patron who looks like he's possibly affiliated with the Korean mafia just suggested
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that he'd be willing to make someone cease to exist if they just say the word.
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So they respond how any normal person would respond.
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N-NO!
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No!
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Wait, really?
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Yes, that really won't be necessary!
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I mean, it really wouldn't be difficult, I was just gonna take him outside and- PLEASE DON'T DO THAT!
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Okay, shoot yourself then.
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No pun- What did you just say?
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His friends urged him to sit back down and that starting a fight with an old drunk guy wasn't worth it.
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So he did, preparing himself to retaliate if the man tried to throw hands with him.
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So what happened next?
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Did the guy throw a punch his way?
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Did my brother block it and Omaewa mo Shindeiru him into the afterlife, dazzling the cafe girls with his manly charms?
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No, the guy just called up his designated driver to come pick him up and went on his way.
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BOOOOO!
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That's boring!
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Bad ending!
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Well, that's what happened.
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I don't know what to tell you.
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It wasn't until after they'd left when he realized...
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Oh, I definitely didn't word that question right.
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Oops.
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He's been living in Korea for about six or seven years now, so I'm pretty sure his Korean has improved significantly since then.
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And despite how he appears on the outside, my brother is actually really nice and is currently married with two kids, believe it or not.
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Since he's so much older than me, he's always had to take care of me and he's taught me so much since I was a little kid,
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which I really appreciate him for because now I know how to make really bomb scrambled eggs.
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Among other things, of course.
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I know this story has nothing to do with me, but after hearing about it, I knew I had to illustrate it.
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So thank you to my brother for granting me permission to draw this whole mess out.
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I, uh, I hope I did it justice. So, it's finally 2019.
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I was supposed to finish this video in December, but I got caught up in the holiday frenzy and finished it kind of late.
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I hope everyone had a good New Year.
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I started off my New Year with food poisoning, so that's fun.
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Actually, as I'm recording this last bit, I've vomited like four times already, so I'm not exactly in the best condition right now, but it'll pass quickly, so I'm not too worried.
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By the way, I'll be attending Anime Los Angeles all four days next week, so if you're also going and you happen to see me walking around, feel free to say hi.
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I'll be posting updates on Twitter about what I'll be doing and or wearing.
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I'm really looking forward to spending all my money at the artist alley.
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Thank you to everyone who drew me fan art, and I'll see you again soon.

About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice listening to conversational English through a captivating story about family dynamics and personal experiences narrated by a speaker reflecting on their older brother's adventures. This particular episode combines humor with family anecdotes, providing context for learning informal expressions and everyday vocabulary. As you engage with the content, you will enhance your understanding of spoken English, improve your pronunciation, and develop an ear for natural sentence rhythm. This is an excellent opportunity to learn English with YouTube while honing your speaking skills.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Intimidating: Causing fear or apprehension.
  • Confrontation: A hostile or argumentative situation.
  • Weeb: A slang term for someone who is very enthusiastic about anime and manga.
  • Resting face: The natural expression on someone's face when they are not actively smiling or frowning.
  • Demand: To ask for something forcefully or insistently.
  • Vibes: A slang term referring to the feeling or atmosphere of a situation.
  • Screw you: A rude way to dismiss someone or their authority.
  • Café: A small restaurant selling light meals and drinks.

Practice Tips

To fully benefit from this lesson, consider using a shadowing app to practice your speaking skills. Read along with the transcript as you listen to the video, mimicking the speaker's tone, speed, and pronunciation. Pay close attention to the speaker's use of informal language and expressions, which can enhance your conversational skills. Start with short segments, repeating them several times and gradually increasing the length as you become more comfortable. This technique, known as shadow speak, will help solidify your understanding of the language and improve your fluency.

If you find the pace of the narration fast, don’t hesitate to slow down the video playback to a manageable speed. This is particularly useful for pronunciations and intonations that can be challenging. By focusing on the speaker's tone, you'll not only learn how to form sentences but also how to convey feelings and attitudes in conversation. Be sure to engage with other language learners on a shadowing site for additional practice and feedback, making your learning experience even richer.

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.