Shadowing Practice: Natural English on a British Bus · Listening Practice (Intermediate) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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152 sentences
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1
Did you pick up one of the three maps?
2
No, did you?
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Never mind, we'll get one when we get off.
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I'll have to sit down now, because the usses go.
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Have you ever seen the Hollywood movie The Fast and the Furious?
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Yes, a long time ago.
7
Well this is where they shot it.
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My brother's just said it's gonna rain, so we should go inside.
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We call that being a wuss.
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Today you're coming with me on one of these Liverpool City Sites bus
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so that you can hear real natural English as we travel around the city.
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Let's do this!
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Because the nice people at City Sites have given us free tickets, I've decided to bring some family with me.
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Let me introduce you.
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This is my sister-in-law, Janice.
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Hi.
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So sister-in-law means she's married to my brother and unfortunately he's had to come too.
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This is John.
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Hi, I'm the good looking one.
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People say we look alike, I can't see it.
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Let me know in the comments if you think we look alike.
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And also we've got Auntie Jackie.
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Say hi Auntie Jackie.
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Hi.
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There you go.
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Now let's get on the bus.
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This is a double-decker bus and the best view is from the top deck.
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So let's just climb up these steps.
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So we've managed to snag the back seat.
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When I was a kid, the back seat was reserved for the cool kids.
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So that must mean we're all cool.
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Maybe not.
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Our first stop is the cruise terminal.
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where we take on tourists who've arrived here by cruise liner.
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And this one, as you can see, is mind-bogglingly huge.
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Here come more passengers for the bus.
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So up here on the top deck will soon be packed.
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We don't have an actual guide on the bus with us, but there's a very good commentary which comes out of these speakers,
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which will tell us all about what we're seeing.
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If you would like to alight at any point during the tour, please notify the driver by using the button.
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Did you hear that word?
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Alight.
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The very formal way of saying, get off.
44
What on earth is that?
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It's a brand new statue.
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I think it's only here for a short while. Where are they going?
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So those people are getting off because this is called a hop on, hop off bus.
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Which means you can get on when you want, get off when you like as well.
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Really good.
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Hop on, hop off.
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It's great seeing things from the top of a bus as you see them from a different point of view.
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Just pulling up outside this small street, where the most famous pop band ever, The Beatles, performed, ages ago.
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And this building is a Beatles-themed hotel.
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Have you ever stayed there?
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Yes, only once.
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It was fantastic.
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Chock a block with the band's memorabilia.
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Another quick stop for passengers to get off.
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And more to get on.
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The lady in front is taking a snap with her phone.
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Now we're heading down a street where there used to be an old castle.
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You can find out all about it in a video I made.
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There's a full free guide to all the vocabulary that I've used today.
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They're yours by just clicking the link in the description.
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Check out this ornate white building.
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It used to be Liverpool's main post office.
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I'm old enough to remember buying stamps here.
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I'm happy to say that I don't because as you know I'm a spring chicken.
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But a few years back it was converted to a proper high-end shopping spot, complete with one of the best cinemas in the city.
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At the roundabout, look to your left and you will see the entrance to the Queensway or Mersey Tunnel.
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Have you ever seen the Hollywood movie The Fast and the Furious?
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Yes, a long time ago.
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Well, this is where they shot it.
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I'm flabbergasted.
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This museum has no admission fee.
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You can't say further than that.
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I know.
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It's such a good day out.
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This is the library.
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Have you ever been in there?
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No, the outside looks beautiful though.
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Trust me, the inside will blow your mind.
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The front is space age.
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At the back, well, it's like something out of Harry Potter.
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I'll have to give it a go.
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You'll never guess what this lovely park used to be.
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Go on then.
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It was a pauper's grave.
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Really?
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Where poor people were buried?
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So now, underneath all that grass, are thousands of dead bodies.
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Oh my god, I've eaten my sandwiches in there.
93
Considered to be the greatest neoclassical building in Europe.
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I was chatting to my friend in Japan the other day, and she couldn't believe that most people in this country don't have air conditioning.
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I don't know anyone who does.
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And yet this old building was the first in the world to have it.
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You're just full of trivia.
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I always think it's a shame about this hotel.
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It used to be one of the best in the world, and now it's gone right down the pan.
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I know.
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Hopefully they'll refurbish it.
102
Did you pick up one of the three maps?
103
No, did you?
104
Never mind.
105
We'll get one when we get off.
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My brother's just said it's going to rain, so we should go inside.
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We call that being a wuss.
108
In other words, not very brave.
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It's hardly spitting.
110
It's known locally as Paddy's Wigwam due to its shape with a tall central tower known as a lantern.
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The original design by Sir Edmund Lutjim...
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It's incredibly ornate inside an house with grade one listed urinals made of pink marble.
113
Did you catch what he said about this pub?
114
Yeah, it's famous for having very elaborate blues.
115
Then we'll definitely have to pop in and spend a penny in there.
116
These scooters are everywhere.
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Do you not fancy bobbing around on one?
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Not likely.
119
I'd probably break my neck.
120
I'm not religious, but this cathedral is very impressive.
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One of the biggest in the world, I'm told.
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Now we're turning into a street that's full of doctor's surgeries.
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I wish I could afford to come here.
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Me too.
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Here's the bombed out church.
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Hard to believe that a bomb fell onto it during the war and it's still standing.
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I come here some weekends because they have a market in the grounds.
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Looks like there's something going on today as well.
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In the grounds of St Luke's you can see the truce statue officially called all together now.
130
Oh that's right.
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So behind me is one of the busiest streets in the whole of Liverpool.
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It's called Bold Street.
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I'll have to sit down now because the buses go.
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What's all this?
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It looks like they're filming something.
136
It looks like something retro.
137
then you can guarantee it'll be about the Beatles.
138
Don't you live around here?
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Yes, just down that road.
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Ah, the River Mersey.
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It looks lovely now the sun's come out.
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Indeed it does.
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I think we're just about back now.
144
How long was that?
145
Nearly an hour in total.
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Let's hop off and get a spot of lunch.
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That sounds like a plan.
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So what did you think?
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I think it's fair to say we've all had a great time.
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If you want to travel on this very bus, then check out the details below in the description.
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And for another real-life English lesson around the city, click here and I'll see you there.
152
Ta-ra!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Natural English on a British Bus · Listening Practice”. This video has 152 sentences and 1279 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:46. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| alight verb | /əˈlaɪt/ | Often followed by from or off: to get off an animal which one has been riding; to dismount; to descend or exit from a vehicle; hence, to complete one's… |
| ornate adjective | /ɔɹˈneɪt/ | Elaborately ornamented, often to excess. |
| statue noun | /ˈstæt͡ʃu/ | A three-dimensional work of art, usually representing a person or animal, usually created by sculpting, carving, molding, or casting. |
| alike adjective | /əˈlaɪk/ | Having resemblance or similitude; similar; without difference. |
| bogglingly adverb | In a stupefying manner or to a stupefying degree. | |
| decker noun | /ˈdɛkə(ɹ)/ | Something having a certain number of levels. |
| flabbergast verb | /ˈflæbɚˌɡæst/ | To overwhelm with bewilderment; to amaze, confound, or stun, especially in a ludicrous manner. |
| memorabilia noun | /ˌmɛm(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪə/ | Objects that are connected to or remind their owner of past events. |
| neoclassical adjective | Of pertaining to a style of architecture based on classical models, especially such a style of the 18th century. | |
| refurbish verb | /ɹiˈfɝbɪʃ/ | To rebuild or replenish with all new material; to restore to original (or better) working order and appearance. |
| roundabout noun | /ˈɹaʊndəˌbaʊt/ | A road junction at which traffic streams circularly around a central island. |
| trivia noun | /ˈtɹɪvi.ə/ | Insignificant trifles of little importance, especially items of unimportant information. |
| urinal adjective | /ˈjʊɹɪnəl/ | Synonym of urinary. |
| truce noun | /tɹus/ | A period of time in which no fighting takes place due to an agreement between the opposed parties. |
| scooter noun | /ˈskuːtə(ɹ)/ | A kick scooter or push scooter; a human-powered land vehicle with a handlebar, deck and wheels that is propelled by a rider pushing off the ground. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| pull up verb | /ˌpʊl ˈʌp/ | To lift upwards or vertically. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Did you pick up one of the three maps?
- Did you hear that word?
- Have you ever stayed there?
- Have you ever been in there?
- Don't you live around here?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever seen · have given · we've managed |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was reserved · be packed · is called |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cathedral /kəˈθiːdɹəl/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: refurbish /ɹiˈfɝbɪʃ/, admission /ədˈmɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: memorabilia /ˌmɛm(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪə/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, elaborate /ɪˈlæb.ə.ɹeɪt/, commentary /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like alight, ornate, statue.
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.