Shadowing Practice: NEVER TOO SMALL 24sqm/258sqft Micro Apartment - Boneca - Learn English Speaking with Video
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33 sentences
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1
This apartment's located in Rushcutters Bay, which is a suburb in walking distance of the city, as well as Sydney Harbour.
2
This apartment building was built in the 1960s and there's about 40 studio apartments in the block.
3
This apartment's 24 square metres.
4
When we first got the apartment it was completely different to what it currently is.
5
When you walked in the original apartment you entered through a corridor
6
which contained the kitchen and the living space was combined with the bedroom.
7
We completely demolished everything within the existing apartment.
8
We decided it was really important to have a strong divide between what's sleeping and what's living.
9
so we contained the amenities of the apartment
10
and the sleeping space to the smallest possible area so the living area could be as big as possible.
11
So the design idea was to have a sliding screen that could determine the function of the apartment at any one time.
12
During the day the timber screen creates a visual separation from the bedroom to the living area
13
while still allowing light to pass through
14
when the bedroom space is closed at night
15
it can slide over the kitchen opens up a sleeping space there's a little open shelf
16
which acts as a bedside table and includes integrated lighting the beds raised up
17
and includes drawers underneath it or extra storage one thing unique about the apartment is is the full width windows.
18
And we wanted to make that obvious from the moment you walk in.
19
We angled the joinery unit next to the bed so that you can pick up light and a sense of space.
20
The material palette was kept to a minimum.
21
The black butt timber screen is the same as a black butt timber floor that it added a softness to the apartment.
22
The bathroom and walk -in robe are accessed via a hidden door.
23
Combining the bathroom and your walk -in robe makes the whole space feel much bigger.
24
The grey tiles in the bathroom complement the timber floor, gives the whole apartment a really earthy feel.
25
And combined with concealed lighting create a luxurious feel as well.
26
as soon as you walk through
27
that door there's a full -length mirror beyond gives
28
you a sense of a larger space the kitchen was really carefully considered it includes a fridge an oven a dish drawer
29
and a narrow cutlery drawer the kitchen also integrates a little appliance cupboard incorporate a full -height pantry staff.
30
With the minimal material pallet, our bench top and splash back are also a great concrete.
31
Cities like Sydney have some amazing old housing stock that's been solidly built and isn't going anywhere. and repurposing
32
that amazing housing stock to bring it up to the way we want to live our life now
33
or you know just given a refresh is one of the most sustainable ways we can continue to grow our it is.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “NEVER TOO SMALL 24sqm/258sqft Micro Apartment - Boneca”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: apartment, space, timber, kitchen, walk. This video has 33 sentences and 488 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:57. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| timber noun | /ˈtɪmbɚ/ | Trees in a forest regarded as a source of wood. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| combine verb | /kəmˈbaɪn/ | To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite. |
| drawer noun | /dɹɔɹ/ | An open-topped box that can be slid in and out of the cabinet that contains it, used for storing clothing or other articles. |
| slide noun | /ˈslaɪ̯d/ | An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again. |
| butt noun | /bʌt/ | Body; self. |
| integrate verb | /ˈɪn.tɪ.ɡɹeɪt/ | To include as a constituent part or functionality. |
| robe noun | /ɹoʊb/ | A long loose outer garment, often signifying honorary stature. |
| grey adjective | /ɡɹeɪ/ | Commonwealth standard spelling of gray. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| concrete adjective | /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ | Real, actual, tangible. |
| bench noun | /ˈbɛnt͡ʃ/ | A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools. |
| narrow adjective | /ˈnæɹəʊ/ | Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth. |
| angle noun | /ˈæŋ.ɡəl/ | A figure formed by two rays which start from a common point (a plane angle) or by three planes that intersect (a solid angle). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| open up verb | To open. |
| pass through verb | To go through, to travel through, to transit or lie across a place or from one place to another. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/, width /ˈwɪtθ/, earthy /ˈɝθi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, separation /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, shelf /ʃɛlf/, splash /splæʃ/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: sustainable /səˈsteɪnəbəl/, separation /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, amenities /əˈmɛn.ə.tiːz/
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 timber, bedroom, combine.
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.