Shadowing Practice: NEW CONCEPT ENGLISH LESSON 1 UP TO 40 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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412 sentences
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Passage one.
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A private conversation.
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Last week I went to the theatre.
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I had a very good seat.
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The play was very interesting.
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I did not enjoy it.
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A young man and a young woman were sitting behind me.
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They were talking loudly.
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I got very angry I could not hear the actors I turned round I looked at the man
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and the woman angrily They did not pay any attention In the end,
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I could not bear it I turned round again I can't hear a word,
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I said angrily It's none of your business,
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the young man said rudely This is a private conversation Passage 2 Breakfast or lunch?
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It was Sunday I never get up early on Sundays I sometimes stay in bed until lunchtime Last Sunday,
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I got up very late I looked out of the window It was dark outside What a day,
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I thought It's raining again Just then,
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the telephone rang It was my Aunt Lucy I've just arrived by train,
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she said I'm coming to see you But I'm still having breakfast,
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I said What are you doing, she asked I'm having breakfast,
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I repeated Dear me, she said Do you always get up so late?
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It's one o'clock Passage three Please send me a card Postcards always spoil my holidays
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Last summer I went to Italy I visited museums and sat in public gardens
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A friendly waiter taught me a few words of Italian Then he lent me a book I read a few lines, but I did not understand a word
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Every day I thought about postcards My holidays passed quickly But I did not send any cards to my friends
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On the last day I made a big decision I got up early
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and bought 37 cards I spent the whole day in my room But I did not write a single card Passage 4
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An exciting trip
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I have just received a letter from my brother Tim He is in Australia He has been there for six months
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Tim is an engineer He is working for a big firm
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And he has already visited a great number of different places in Australia He has just bought an Australian car
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and has gone to Alice Springs, a small town in the centre of Australia.
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He will soon visit Darwin.
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From there, he will fly to Perth.
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My brother has never been abroad before, so he is finding this trip very exciting.
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Passage 5.
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No wrong numbers.
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Mr James Scott has a garage in Silbury and now he has just bought another garage in Pinhurst
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Pinhurst is only five miles from Silbury but Mr Scott cannot get a telephone for his new garage
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so he has just bought twelve pigeons
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Yesterday a pigeon carried the first message from Pinhurst to Silbury The bird covered the distance in three minutes.
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Up to now, Mr. Scott has sent a great many requests for spare parts
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and other urgent messages from one garage to the other.
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In this way, he has begun his own private telephone service.
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Passage 6.
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Percy Buttons.
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I have just moved to a house in Bridge Street.
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Yesterday a beggar knocked at my door.
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He asked me for a meal and a glass of beer.
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In return for this, the beggar stood on his head and sang songs.
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I gave him a meal.
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He ate the food and drank the beer.
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Then he put a piece of cheese in his pocket and went away.
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Later a neighbor told me about him.
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Everybody knows him.
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His name is Percy Buttons.
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He calls at every house in the street once a month and always asks for a meal and a glass of beer.
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Passage 7.
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Too late.
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The plane was late, and detectives were waiting at the airport all morning.
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They were expecting a valuable parcel of diamonds from South Africa A few hours earlier,
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someone had told the police that thieves would try and steal the diamonds When the plane arrived,
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some of the detectives were waiting inside the main building while others were waiting on the airfield
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Two men took the parcel off the plane and carried it into the customs house
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While two detectives were keeping guard at the door, two others opened the parcel.
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To their surprise, the precious parcel was full of stones and sand.
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Passage 8.
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The Best and the Worst Joe Saunders has the most beautiful garden in our town.
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Nearly everybody enters for the nicest garden competition each year But Joe wins every time
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Bill Frith's garden is larger than Joe's Bill works harder than Joe and grows more flowers and vegetables
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But Joe's garden is more interesting He has made neat paths and has built a wooden bridge over a pool
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I like gardens too, but I do not like hard work
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Every year I enter for the garden competition too
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And I always win a little prize for the worst garden in the town Passage 9 A cold welcome
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On Wednesday evening we went to the town hall It was the last day of the year,
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and a large crowd of people had gathered under the town hall clock.
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It would strike twelve in twenty minutes' time.
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Fifteen minutes passed, and then at five to twelve, the clock stopped.
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The big minute hand did not move.
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We waited and waited, but nothing happened.
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Suddenly, someone shouted, It's two minutes past twelve.
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The clock has stopped.
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I looked at my watch.
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It was true.
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The big clock refused to welcome the new year.
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At that moment, everybody began to laugh and sing.
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Passage ten.
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Not for jazz.
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We have an old musical instrument.
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It is called a clavichord.
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It was made in Germany in 1681.
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Our clavichord is kept in the living room.
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It has belonged to our family for a long time.
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The instrument was bought by my grandfather many years ago
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Recently it was damaged by a visitor She tried to play jazz on it She struck the keys too hard
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And two of the strings were broken My father was shocked
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Now we are not allowed to touch it It is being repaired by a friend of my father's.
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Passage 11 One good turn deserves another.
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I was having dinner at a restaurant when Harry Steele came in.
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Harry worked in a lawyer's office years ago, but he is now working at a bank.
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He gets a good salary, but he always borrows money from his friends and never pays it back.
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Harry saw me and came and sat at the same table.
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He has never borrowed money from me.
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While he was eating, I asked him to lend me two pounds.
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To my surprise, he gave me the money immediately.
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I have never borrowed any money from you,
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Harry said So now you can pay for my dinner Passage 12 Goodbye and good luck
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Our neighbour, Captain Charles Allison will sail from Portsmouth tomorrow We shall meet him at the harbour early in the morning
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He will be in his small boat, Top Sail.
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Top Sail is a famous little boat.
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It has sailed across the Atlantic many times.
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Captain Allison will set out at eight o'clock, so we shall have plenty of time.
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We shall see his boat, and then we shall say goodbye to him.
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He will be away for two months.
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We are very proud of him.
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He will take part in an important race across the Atlantic.
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Passage 13.
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The Greenwood Boys.
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The Greenwood Boys are a group of popular singers.
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At present, they are visiting all parts of the country.
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They will be arriving here tomorrow.
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They will be coming by train, and most of the young people in the town will be meeting them at the station.
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Tomorrow evening they will be singing at the workers' club The Greenwood boys will be staying for five days
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During this time they will give five performances As usual the
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police will have a difficult time They will be trying to keep order It is always the same on these occasions
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Passage 14 Do you speak English?
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I had an amusing experience last year.
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After I had left a small village in the south of France, I drove on to the next town.
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On the way, a young man waved to me.
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I stopped, and he asked me for a lift.
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As soon as he had got into the car, I said good morning to him in French, and he replied in the same language.
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Apart from a few words, I do not know any French at all.
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Neither of us spoke during the journey.
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I had nearly reached the town when the young man suddenly said very slowly,
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Do you speak English?
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As I soon learnt, he was English himself.
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Passage 15 Good News The secretary told me that Mr. Harmsworth would see me.
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I felt very nervous when I went into his office.
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He did not look up from his desk when I entered.
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After I had sat down, he said that business was very bad He told me that the firm could not afford to pay such large salaries
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Twenty people had already left I knew that my turn had come Mr. Harnsworth,
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I said in a weak voice Don't interrupt,
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he said Then he smiled and told me I would receive an extra hundred pounds a year Passage 16
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A polite request
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If you park your car in the wrong place A traffic policeman will soon find it
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You will be very lucky if he lets you go without a ticket However,
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this does not always happen Traffic police are sometimes very polite During a holiday in Sweden,
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I found this note on my car Sir, we welcome you to our city This is a no-parking area
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You will enjoy your stay here if you pay attention to our street signs This note is only a reminder
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If you receive a request like this, you cannot fail to obey it.
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Passage 17 Always young My Aunt Jennifer is an actress.
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She must be at least 35 years old.
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In spite of this, she often appears on the stage as a young girl.
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Jennifer will have to take part in a new play soon
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This time she will be a girl of 17 In the play she must appear in a bright red dress
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and long black stockings Last year,
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in another play she had to wear short socks and a bright orange-coloured dress
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If anyone ever asks her how old she is, she always answers, My dear,
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it must be terrible to be grown up.
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Passage 18 He often does this.
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After I had had lunch at a village inn, I looked for my bag.
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I had left it on a chair beside the door.
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and now it wasn't there.
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As I was looking for it, the innkeeper came in.
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Did you have a good meal? he asked.
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Yes, thank you, I answered.
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But I can't pay the bill.
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I haven't got my bag.
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The innkeeper smiled and immediately went out.
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In a few minutes he returned with my bag and gave it back to me I'm very sorry,
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he said My dog had taken it into the garden He often does this Passage 19 Sold Out
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The play may begin at any moment, I said It may have begun already,
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Susan answered I hurried to the ticket office May I have two tickets please,
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I asked I'm sorry, we've sold out, the girl said What a pity,
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Susan exclaimed Just then, a man hurried to the ticket office Can I return these two tickets,
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he asked Certainly, the girl said I went back to the ticket office at once Could I have those two tickets please?
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I asked Certainly, the girl said But they are for next Wednesday's performance Do you still want them?
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I might as well have them, I said sadly
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Passage 20 One man in a boat Fishing is my favourite sport I often fish for hours without catching anything
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But this does not worry me Some fishermen are unlucky Instead of catching fish,
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they catch old boots and rubbish I am even less lucky I never catch anything,
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not even old boots After having spent whole mornings on the river I always go home with an empty bag.
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You must give up fishing, my friends say.
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It's a waste of time.
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But they don't realise one important thing.
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I'm not interested in fishing.
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I am only interested in sitting in a boat and doing nothing at all.
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Passage 21 Mad or not?
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Aeroplanes are slowly driving me mad I live near an airport and passing planes can be heard night and day
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The airport was built during the war but for some reason it could not be used then Last year, however, it came into use
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Over a hundred people must have been driven away from their homes by the noise
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I am one of the few people left
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Sometimes I think this house will be knocked down by a
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passing plane I have been offered a large sum of money to go away But I am determined to stay here
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Everybody says I must be mad And they are probably right Passage 22 A glass envelope
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My daughter Jane never dreamed of receiving a letter from a girl of her own age in Holland
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Last year we were travelling across the Channel
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and Jane put a piece of paper with her name
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and address on it into a bottle She threw the bottle into the sea
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She never thought of it again But ten months later She received a letter from a girl in Holland
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Both girls write to each other regularly now However,
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they have decided to use the post office Letters will cost a little more But they will certainly travel faster
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Passage 23 A new house I had a letter from my sister yesterday She lives in Nigeria
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In her letter, she said that she would come to England next year If she comes,
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she will get a surprise We are now living in a beautiful new house in the country
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Work on it had begun before my sister left.
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The house was completed five months ago.
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In my letter, I told her that she could stay with us.
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The house has many large rooms and there is a lovely garden.
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It is a very modern house so it looks strange to some people.
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It must be the only modern house in the district.
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Passage 24.
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It could be worse.
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I entered the hotel manager's office and sat down.
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I had just lost 50 pounds and I felt very upset.
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I left the money in my room, I said, and it's not there now.
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The manager was sympathetic, but he could do nothing.
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Everyone's losing money these days, he said.
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He started to complain about this wicked world, but was interrupted by a knock at the door.
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A girl came in and put an envelope on his desk.
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It contained 50 pounds.
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I found this outside this gentleman's room, she said.
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Well, I said to the manager, there is still some honesty in this world.
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Passage 25.
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Do the English speak English?
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I arrived in London at last.
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The railway station was big, black and dark.
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I did not know the way to my hotel, so I asked a porter.
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I not only spoke English very carefully, but very clearly as well.
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The porter, however, could not understand me.
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I repeated my question several times, and at last he understood.
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He answered me, but he spoke neither slowly nor clearly.
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I am a foreigner, I said
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Then he spoke slowly But I could not understand him My teacher never spoke English like that
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The porter and I looked at each other and smiled Then he said something and I understood it You'll soon learn English,
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he said I wonder, in England each man speaks a different language.
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The English understand each other, but I don't understand them. Do they speak English?
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Passage 26 The Best Art Critics I am an art student and I paint a lot of pictures.
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Many people pretend that they understand modern art.
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They always tell you what a picture is about.
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Of course, many pictures are not about anything.
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They are just pretty patterns.
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We like them in the same way that we like pretty curtain material.
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I think that young children often appreciate modern pictures better than anyone else They notice more
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My sister is only seven But she always tells me whether my pictures are good or not
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She came into my room yesterday What are you doing? she asked I'm hanging this picture on the wall,
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I answered It's a new one Do you like it?
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She looked at it critically for a moment It's all right, she said But isn't it upside down?
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I looked at it again She was right It was Passage 27 A wet night
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Late in the afternoon the boys put up their tent in the middle of a field.
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As soon as this was done, they cooked a meal over an open fire.
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They were all hungry and the food smelled good.
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After a wonderful meal, they told stories and sang songs by the camp fire.
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But But sometime later, it began to rain.
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The boys felt tired, so they put out the fire and crept into their tent.
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Their sleeping bags were warm and comfortable, so they all slept soundly.
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In the middle of the night, two boys woke up and began shouting.
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The tent was full of water.
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They all leapt out of their sleeping bags and hurried outside.
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It was raining heavily, and they found that a stream had formed in the field.
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The stream wound its way across the field and then flowed right under their tent.
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Passage 28.
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No parking.
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Jasper White is one of those rare people who believes in ancient myths.
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He has just bought a new house in the city, but ever since he moved in, he has had trouble with motorists.
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When he returns home at night, he always finds that someone has parked a car outside his gate.
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Because of this, he has not been able to get his own car into his garage even once
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Jasper has put up no parking signs outside his gate But these have not had any effect
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Now he has put an ugly stone head over the gate
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It is one of the ugliest faces I have ever seen I asked him what it was
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and he told me that it was Medusa, the Gorgon.
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Jasper hopes that she will turn motorists to stone but none of them has been turned to stone yet.
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Passage 29.
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Taxi.
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Captain Ben Fawcett has bought an unusual taxi and has begun a new service.
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The taxi is a small Swiss aeroplane called a Pilatus Porter This wonderful plane can carry seven passengers
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The most surprising thing about it, however, is that it can land anywhere On snow,
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water, or even on a ploughed field
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Captain Fawcett's first passenger was a doctor who flew from Birmingham to a lonely village in the Welsh mountains Since then,
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Captain Fawcett has flown passengers to many unusual places
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Once he landed on the roof of a block of flats
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and on another occasion he landed in a deserted car park
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Captain Fawcett has just refused a strange request from a businessman
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The man wanted to fly to Rockwall a lonely island in the Atlantic Ocean
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but Captain Fawcett did not take him because the trip was too dangerous Passage 30 Football or polo
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The whale is a small river that cuts across the park near my home.
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I like sitting by the whale on fine afternoons.
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It was warm last Sunday, so I went and sat on the river bank as usual.
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Some children were playing games on the bank, and there were some people rowing on the river.
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Suddenly, one of the children kicked a ball very hard, and it went towards a passing boat.
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Some people on the bank called out to the man in the boat but he did not hear them.
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The ball struck him so hard that he nearly fell into the water.
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I turned to look at the children but there weren't any in sight.
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They had all run away.
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The man laughed when he realised what had happened.
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He called out to the children and threw the ball back to the bank.
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Passage 31, success story.
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Yesterday afternoon, Frank Hawkins was telling me about his experiences as a young man.
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Frank is now the head of a very large business company, but as a boy, he used to work in a small shop.
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It was his job to repair bicycles, and at that time he used to work 14 hours a day.
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He saved money for years, and in 1938 he bought a small workshop of his own.
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During the war, Frank used to make spare parts for aeroplanes.
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At that time he had two helpers.
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By the end of the war, the small workshop had become a large factory which employed 728 people
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Frank smiled when he remembered his hard early years
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and the long road to success He was still smiling when the door opened and his wife came in
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She wanted him to repair their son's bicycle Passage 32.
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Shopping made easy.
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People are not so honest as they once were.
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The temptation to steal is greater than ever before, especially in large shops.
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A detective recently watched a well-dressed woman who always went into a large store on Monday mornings.
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One Monday, there were fewer people in the shop than usual when the woman came in, so it was easier for the detective to watch her.
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The woman first bought a few small articles.
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After a little time, she chose one of the most expensive dresses in the shop
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and handed it to an assistant who wrapped it up for her as quickly as possible
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Then the woman simply took the parcel and walked out of the shop without paying When she was arrested,
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the detective found out that the shop assistant was her daughter The girl gave her mother a free dress once a week.
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Passage 33 Out of the Darkness Nearly a week passed before the girl was able to explain what had happened to her.
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One afternoon, she set out from the coast in a small boat and was caught in a storm.
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Towards evening, the boat struck a rock and the girl jumped into the sea
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Then she swam to the shore after spending the whole night in the water During that time,
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she covered a distance of eight miles Early next morning,
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she saw a light ahead She knew she was near the shore because the light was high up on the cliffs
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On arriving at the shore, the girl struggled up the cliff towards the light she had seen.
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That was all she remembered.
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When she woke up a day later, she found herself in hospital.
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Passage 34.
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Quick work.
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Ted Robinson has been worried all the week.
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Last Tuesday he received a letter from the local police In the letter he was asked to call at the station
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Ted wondered why he was wanted by the police
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But he went to the station yesterday
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And now he is not worried anymore At the station he was told by a smiling policeman
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That his bicycle had been found Five days ago,
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the policeman told him the bicycle was picked up in a small village 400 miles away.
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It is now being sent to his home by train.
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Ted was most surprised when he heard the news.
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He was amused too, because he never expected the bicycle to be found.
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It was stolen 20 years ago, when Ted was a boy of 15.
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Passage 35 5.
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Stop Thief Roy Trenton used to drive a taxi.
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A short while ago, however, he became a bus driver, and he has not regretted it.
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He is finding his new work far more exciting.
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When he was driving along Catford Street recently, he saw two thieves rush out of a shop and run towards a waiting car.
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One of them was carrying a bag full of money.
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Roy acted quickly and drove the bus straight at the thieves.
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The one with the money got such a fright that he dropped the bag.
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As the thieves were trying to get away in their car, Roy drove his bus into the back of it.
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While the battered car was moving away, Roy stopped his bus and telephoned the police.
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The thieves' car was badly damaged and easy to recognize.
350
Shortly afterwards, the police stopped the car and both men were arrested.
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Passage 36.
352
Across the Channel.
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Erna Hart is going to swim across the English Channel tomorrow
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She is going to set out from the French coast at five o'clock in the morning
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Erna is only 14 years old
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and she hopes to set up a new world record She is a strong swimmer
357
and many people feel that she is sure to succeed
358
Erna's father will set out with her in a small boat Mr Hart has trained his daughter for years
359
Tomorrow he will be watching her anxiously as she swims the long distance to England
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Erna intends to take short rests every two hours She will have something to drink
361
but she will not eat any solid food
362
Most of Erna's school friends will be waiting for her on the English coast
363
Among them will be Erna's mother Who swam the channel herself when she was a girl Passage 37 The Olympic Games
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The Olympic Games will be held in our country in four years' time
365
As a great many people will be visiting the country, the government will be building new hotels,
366
an immense stadium, and a fine new swimming pool.
367
They will also be building new roads and a special railway line.
368
The games will be held just outside the capital, and the whole area will be called Olympic City.
369
Workers will have completed the new roads by the end of this year.
370
By the end of next year, they will have finished work on the new stadium.
371
The fine modern buildings have been designed by Kurt Gunter.
372
Everybody will be watching anxiously as the new buildings go up.
373
We are all very excited and are looking forward to the Olympic Games
374
because they have never been held before in this country.
375
Passage 38 Everything except the weather.
376
My old friend Harrison had lived in the Mediterranean for many years before he returned to England.
377
He had often dreamed of retiring in England and had planned to settle down in the country.
378
He had no sooner returned than he bought a fine house and went to live there
379
Almost immediately he began to complain about the weather For even though it was still summer,
380
it rained continually and it was often bitterly cold After so many years of sunshine,
381
Harrison got a shock He acted as if he had never lived in England before In the end,
382
it was more than he could bear He had hardly had time to settle down
383
When he sold the house and left the country The dream he had had for so many years ended there
384
Harrison had thought of everything except the weather passage 39 am I all right
385
while John Gilbert was in hospital he asked his doctor to tell him whether his operation had been successful
386
but the doctor refused to do so the following day the patient asked for a bedside telephone when he was alone
387
he telephoned the hospital exchange and asked for Dr Millington.
388
When the doctor answered the phone Mr Gilbert said he was inquiring about a certain patient a Mr John Gilbert.
389
He asked if Mr Gilbert's operation had been successful and the doctor told him that it had been.
390
He then asked when Mr Gilbert would be allowed to go home
391
and the doctor told him that he would have to stay in hospital for another two weeks.
392
Then Dr Millington asked the caller if he was a relative of the patient.
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No, the patient answered.
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I am Mr John Gilbert.
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Passage 40.
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Food and talk.
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Last week, at a dinner party, the hostess asked me to sit next to Mrs. Rumbold.
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Mrs. Rumbold was a large, unsmiling lady in a tight black dress.
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She did not even look up when I took my seat beside her.
400
Her eyes were fixed on her plate, and in a short time she was busy eating.
401
I tried to make conversation.
402
A new play is coming to the globe soon, I said.
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Will you be seeing it?
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No, she answered.
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Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?
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I asked.
407
No, she answered.
408
Will you be staying in England?
409
I asked.
410
No, she answered In despair,
411
I asked her whether she was enjoying her dinner Young man,
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she answered If you ate more and talked less, we would both enjoy our dinner
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A25
99 sentences
(Reading Practice (Improve your pronunciation in English
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “NEW CONCEPT ENGLISH LESSON 1 UP TO 40”. This video has 412 sentences and 4853 words to shadow. The speech runs for 43:44. The speaker talks at a steady 111 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| passage noun | /ˈpæsɪd͡ʒ/ | A paragraph or section of text or music with particular meaning. |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| telephone noun | /ˈtɛləˌfoʊn/ | A telecommunication device which converts data or sounds (usually speech) into electrical signals which are then transmitted to enable two or more people to… |
| detective noun | /dɪˈtɛktɪv/ | A police officer tasked with collecting evidence and information in order to solve a crime; an investigator. |
| garage noun | /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/ | A building (or section of a building) used to store a car or cars, tools and other miscellaneous items. |
| thief noun | /ˈθiːf/ | One who carries out a theft. |
| parcel noun | /ˈpɑɹsəl/ | A package wrapped, as for shipment or transport. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| twelve noun | /twɛlv/ | A group of twelve items. |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| tent noun | /tɛnt/ | A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, used for sheltering people from the weather. |
| bicycle noun | /ˈbaɪsɪk(ə)l/ | A vehicle that has two primary wheels, one behind the other, a steering handle, and a saddle seat or seats and is usually propelled by the action of a rider’s… |
| porter noun | /ˈpɔɹtɚ/ | A person who carries luggage and related objects; (historically) one who carried luggage or did manual labour in the transloading of cargo. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| put up verb | To place in a high location. | |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. | |
| sold out adjective | Completely sold; of which no more is in stock. | |
| turn round verb | To revolve or rotate around a centre. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| cut across verb | To take a shortcut over or through (a place). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Did you have a good meal?
- I haven't got my bag.
- I'm not interested in fishing.
- Will you be seeing it?
- Will you be spending your holidays abroad this year?
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 work · used to make · used to drive |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've just arrived · have just received · has already visited |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · was made · is kept |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who believes · woman who always |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thief /ˈθiːf/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, grandfather /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/, sympathetic /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, shore /ʃɔɹ/, shock /ʃɔk/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, continually /kənˈtɪnjuəli/, critically /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/, sympathetic /ˌsɪm.pəˈθɛt.ɪk/
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 passage, meal, telephone.
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.