Shadowing Practice: New Headway Pre-Intermediate 5th Edition - Unit 2: Let's Get Together || Student's Book - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
Hello.
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Welcome to Unit 2.
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My name's Alex and I'm a teacher in Bristol, England.
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This unit is all about interacting with other people.
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Family, friends, neighbours.
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You'll practice talking about the people you know using present tenses.
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I have a brother Tim.
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He's a student.
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He's studying law at Bristol University.
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We'll also look at the differences between have and have got, and you'll practice using them to talk about possessions.
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I've got an iPhone, but I haven't got an iPad.
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Vocabulary and speaking focuses on free time activities for your perfect day.
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What do you like doing in your free time?
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What's your idea of a perfect day?
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My perfect day would be having breakfast at home and going for a walk in the mountains.
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My perfect day is a day that I can sleep as long as I want
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and the weather is like cloudy and not hot.
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My perfect day would be to go to the sea with my friends and stay there until the sunset.
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How independent are you?
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Do you worry too much about what other people think?
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Do you like spending time alone?
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In reading and speaking, you'll complete an independence quiz to find out how independent you really are.
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In Everyday English, you'll look at how to have successful conversations in English.
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You'll learn what to say to show interest in the other person,
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and how to answer questions with more than just a yes or a no. Do you need more skills practice?
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Go online to improve your reading, listening, speaking or writing. Have fun.
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See you soon.
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Chloe and Leah are identical twins aged nine.
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They have an older brother and sister, Luke, 11 and Jessica, 13.
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We've got similar personalities and we're very different from Luke and Jessica.
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We're both shy on our own, but we feel much braver when we're together, don't we, Leah?
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Yeah, I always want to be with Chloe.
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I never feel sad when I'm with her.
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Well, not really sad.
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I feel so lucky that I've got a best friend who is always there.
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We usually wear the same clothes.
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I love it when we look identical.
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People say we're starting to look more different now and I hate that.
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I don't like it when I'm not with Leah, but I think it's a good idea to spend a bit more time apart now.
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We're getting older and we can't live together when we're grown -ups.
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Why not?
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2 .2 Liam and Dylan Clark Liam and Dylan are twenty.
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They don't have any other brothers or sisters.
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I don't really like being a twin.
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People see identical twins as special, but they don't see what's different and special about you on your own.
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I find I often try to be different from Liam.
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I sometimes want the same thing as him in a restaurant, but I never order it.
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I think we are different from most twins because we spend more time apart.
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We were in different classes at school and now we're at different universities.
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Dylan's studying drama in Manchester and I'm doing physics in Leeds.
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We don't feel so competitive now that we're living very different lives, but I still really want to beat him at sports.
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I'm happy we're more independent now.
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I've got a lovely girlfriend in Manchester and I don't talk to Liam about her.
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I think he's jealous.
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2 .3.
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Being a twin.
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Chloe and Leah.
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1. How do they feel when they're together?
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Much braver.
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2 Why does Leah always want to be with Chloe?
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Because she never feels sad when she's with her.
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3 Do they always wear the same clothes?
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No, not always, but they usually do.
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4 Are they starting to look different now?
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Yes, they are.
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Five How does Leah feel about that?
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She hates it.
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Six Why does Chloe think it's good to spend more time apart?
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Because they're getting older.
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Liam and Dylan Seven Why doesn't Dylan like being a twin?
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Because people don't see what's special about you.
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8. What does Dylan never order in a restaurant?
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The same thing as Liam.
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9. Where are Liam and Dylan living?
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Liam is living in Leeds and Dylan is living in Manchester.
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Ten What are they studying?
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Liam is studying physics and Dylan is studying drama.
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Eleven Why don't they feel so competitive now?
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Because they're living different lives.
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12. Which twin has got a girlfriend?
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Dylan.
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2 .4.
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Talking to Chloe and Leah.
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So, you both say that having a twin sister stops you feeling nervous about things.
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Yes.
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We're practising for a school play at the moment and I don't like speaking in front of lots of people.
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But when I see Chloe, I feel braver.
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Do you both sometimes know how the other person is feeling?
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Yes.
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Sometimes I'm going to say, let's go to the park.
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But before I can say it, Chloe says, shall we go to the park?
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And I see you're wearing the same clothes today.
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Yeah.
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Do you like doing that, Chloe?
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Not all the time.
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Leah likes wearing dresses, but sometimes I want to wear jeans.
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2 .5.
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Talking to Liam and Dylan.
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So, you don't like being a twin, Dylan?
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Well, sometimes it's good, but I often think people only see me as a twin.
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They don't see me as me.
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You say you're not as similar as other twins, Liam.
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Why is that?
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Well, we weren't always in the same class at school because we did different subjects.
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And we have very different interests now.
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I like science and Dylan prefers arts and drama.
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And we're living in different cities, so we have different friends.
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And do you think you're not so competitive now, Dylan?
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Well, I always want to do things better than Liam.
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But you can't be competitive when you're doing completely different things.
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I'm no good at science.
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And he's rubbish at acting.
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I'm not rubbish, I just don't like it.
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It's always a challenge bringing up children.
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Teaching them how to be independent and look after themselves is not easy.
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But how does that work when you are bringing up twins who have someone to depend on right next to them?
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The Department of Twin Research at King's College London has a
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database of over 12 ,000 twins who are taking part in a fascinating research programme
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Throughout their lifetimes, the twins regularly visit
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St Thomas' Hospital in London to have a range of medical tests
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The two sides of your face and they will capture.
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So this one's your 3D photos.
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It's interesting.
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Today, hundreds of pairs of twins taking part in the program have come to a summer party at the hospital.
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It's a chance to meet other twins and share their experiences.
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So why are all these twins so important to scientists?
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All identical twins like Zand and Chris share 100 % of their genes.
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They are genetically identical.
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This is quite peculiar, isn't it?
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Amazing.
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Twins usually look exactly the same, and they often have very similar abilities, interests and personalities.
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Chris and I are similar in that we enjoy the same things, we both have a lot of the same friends.
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We both did medical degrees, we did exactly the same A -levels, we got more or less the same grades.
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But identical twins can also be good at different things.
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I think I am different to you.
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I think I do have some free choice.
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There are differences in our personalities.
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I remember when we were ten and I failed, you know, I came bottom of the class in every single exam and everyone said,
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oh, you know, why don't you just work a bit harder like your brother and you do a bit better.
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So if two people are genetically identical, why is one loud and independent and the other quiet and shy?
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Or why does one get an illness and the other doesn't?
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It is these differences between identical twins that are so important to researchers.
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They give us a clearer picture of the influence of nature, our genes, and nurture, how we live,
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on the development of our personality and health.
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And scientists hope that this can help them to identify and prevent health problems in the future.
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Runyararo and Ruffaro Mapfumo are twins.
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They live together in East London.
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My name is Ruffaro Mapfumo.
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I'm 20 years old.
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I'm 23 minutes older than my twin sister and I study biomedical science at Middlesex University.
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I'm Runyararo Mapfumo, also 20 years old and I'm studying film and visual effects at Sheffield Hallam University.
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For Afaro and Runyararo, there are many more advantages to being twins than disadvantages.
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Having a double wardrobe is great as a twin.
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One of the advantages about being a twin is getting to play tricks on people.
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When we were younger we swapped classes a few times, which was interesting.
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I went to her math class and she went to my English class
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and we swapped because we thought we'd be really funny.
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We never got caught though.
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We used to look even more similar.
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When they were teenagers, the Mapfumo twins did some acting.
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They learnt new skills.
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But, as at school, they were still able to take each other's place when necessary.
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Because they were twins, they once had the chance to work on a Harry Potter film.
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They would give us one role and divide that between us.
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So I would go on set for three hours
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while Runuara was in school and then once I'd finished
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and I'd had my time on set they used to swap us over.
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So I suppose that's good because even though we got to do what we loved,
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we still had enough time to go to school and get a really good education as well.
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Ruffara's a bit more of a joker she likes to make everybody laugh whereas I could possibly be seen as more serious.
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Ronyo Aro has a lot of patience and I think
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when you do film you need to have a lot of patience
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and kind of speak to the people you're working with
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and artists and be able to guide them patiently whereas I kind of want things done then
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and there I have a little bit less patience.
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It's always nice having somebody that you have a close connection to and having a twin, I don't think there's a stronger bond.
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It's like living with your best friend really.
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I love that.
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That's nice seeing that.
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Yeah.
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Us dressed the same with our jackets.
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I think that's probably when we looked most similar actually.
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Yeah.
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Rachel Mapfumo is the mother of the Mapfumo twins.
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For our audition, our first audition as twins.
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I remember buying those t -shirts in Max and Spencers.
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So what's it like raising identical twins?
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I had to rely a lot on my parents because having two babies, they had different times of feeding.
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That was one of the difficulties.
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Different times of sleeping and so you'll find if you didn't have any help then you'll be up 24 7.
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Another difficulty is the cost.
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Everything you pay for is double.
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Not so much when they're young but when they're older it becomes very costly.
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The girls bonded right from the first day.
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I used to keep them more or less together.
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They had different cribs, they had separate chairs,
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but for some reason they always used to reach out for each other or look out for each other.
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Yes.
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Oh yes.
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Oh very nice.
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I remember that.
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We were in Wimbledon.
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The problem I found was that the teachers could not differentiate between the two girls who was Rufaro and who was Runyalaro.
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Yeah, very nice.
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Smiling at the back garden.
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Your teddy making its way into every picture.
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Is that you or Runyararu?
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Oh wait, that's not you.
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That's your sister.
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Sometimes it seems the girls can communicate without talking.
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We didn't go startling for a long time.
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I can't even tell you sometimes as a mother what they do, but I know they have a silent way of communicating.
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If Runyalaro is say at Sheffield and Rufaro is in London and if something is happening to Runyalaro that she's not happy,
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Rufaro can pick it up.
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She was in the library and she left to go to the toilet
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and when she got back her laptop had been stolen
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and she was quite upset she hadn't rang me
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or she hadn't rang her sister but at the moment
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when she was so desperate her sister rang her from London to say
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if she was alright because she just felt something was going on
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so it's things like that as well even when there are parts
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that they can still communicate they know if one is in trouble
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or if one is not happy or if one is happy for them for that matter
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They've got a very close bond.
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I don't worry so much about them because I know they've got each other.
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They talk to one another
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and the most interesting is at the moment to see them grow up to be very confident and individual young ladies.
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2 .6.
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Talking about you.
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1. Do you have a car?
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Yes, I do.
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No, I don't.
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2. Have you got a big flat?
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Yes, I have.
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No, I haven't.
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3 I don't have a camera.
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I haven't got an iPhone.
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2 .7.
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State verbs.
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1. Is this the way to the bus station?
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I don't know.
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Sorry.
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2. I love your dress.
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Where did you get it?
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Three.
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I'm not good at being on my own.
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I need to be with people.
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Four.
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I think grammar is really boring.
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I don't agree.
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I find it interesting.
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Five.
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I'm sorry.
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I don't understand.
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I don't speak French.
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Six.
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He's very rich.
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He owns three houses in London.
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You look sad.
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What's wrong?
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Sorry I'm late.
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Don't worry.
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It doesn't matter.
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It's my 70th birthday tomorrow.
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I don't believe you.
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You don't look a day over 60.
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10. I don't know that word, solitary.
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What does it mean?
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2 .8 Things I like doing A.
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Play games on my phone
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Do puzzles Go to the gym
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Have a lie -in B.
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Meet friends for a drink
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Watch dramas on TV B.
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Chat on the phone.
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Go out for a meal.
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C. Listen to music. Do nothing.
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Take photos.
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Read magazines.
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D. Have a barbecue.
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Go for a long walk.
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Visit other cities.
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Shop for clothes.
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I don't feel like cooking tonight.
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Shall we go out for a meal?
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I always listen to music on headphones when I'm on the train to work.
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I never shop for clothes online.
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I like to try things on first.
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4. I sometimes do nothing all day on Sundays.
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I'm so busy the rest of the week.
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5. On Saturdays I have a lie -in.
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I stay in bed till 11 sometimes.
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6. It's a lovely day.
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Let's invite some friends round and have a barbecue in the garden.
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Seven I often meet friends for a drink in the pub near my office after work.
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Eight Let's go for a long walk in the countryside this afternoon.
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Nine You take really good photos.
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Do you use a camera or just your phone?
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Ten I like doing crossword puzzles with my wife.
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I try to get the answers first.
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2 .10 Mrs Crumble There's a young man living in the flat below me at the moment.
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I think his name's Alfie Smith.
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I once got one of his letters by mistake.
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I gave it back to the postman the next day.
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I don't talk to Alfie.
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He never says hello to me.
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He hasn't got a job.
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Well, he doesn't go out to work in the morning like most people, that's for sure.
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He doesn't get up till the afternoon.
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And he's never dressed for work.
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He never wears a suit or anything smart.
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He wears jeans and a T -shirt all the time.
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Goodness knows where he gets his money from.
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But he seems to go out every night.
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He goes to bed very late.
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I never see him come home.
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It's all fun and no work for young people these days
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There are people coming in
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and out of his flat all day long I've no idea how many people are staying there Four, five?
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Have none of them got jobs to go to?
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He's got a girlfriend, she's very pretty
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Blonde hair, dyed
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She's living with him I know young people often live together nowadays, but I don't like it.
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Living together and not married, it's not right.
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And why does he make so much noise?
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It's because he doesn't think about me upstairs.
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Listen, there it goes now.
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He's listening to loud music again.
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He listens to it all the time.
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Oh, young people these days, they live in their own world and they just don't care about anyone else.
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They don't even notice old people like me.
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He probably doesn't even know who I am.
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2 .11 Alfie Things are going well right now.
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I've got this great new flat.
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I love it.
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The only thing is, it's below an old lady, and that's a bit difficult.
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Her name's Mrs Crumble.
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I always say hello when I see her in her garden.
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Hello Mrs Crumble, how are you?
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Or, nice day Mrs Crumble.
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But she never answers.
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I think she's a bit deaf.
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She probably thinks I'm unemployed, because I don't go out to work in the morning, and I don't wear a suit or anything.
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Just jeans and a t -shirt usually.
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You see, I'm a musician.
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I play the saxophone, and at the moment I'm playing in a band in a jazz club.
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I don't start till eight o 'clock at night, and I don't finish till two in the morning, so I sleep from three till eleven.
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There's only me living here, but some of the other guys in the band are using my flat to keep their instruments in,
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so they come in and out a lot.
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I've got a lovely girlfriend, she's the singer in the band.
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She lives on the other side of town, but she comes here a lot, obviously.
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I know I make quite a bit of noise practising my saxophone, and I'm giving saxophone lessons here at the moment to make some more money.
353
I'm sorry, but what can I do?
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You can't play the saxophone very quietly.
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I know Mrs Crumble watches me all the time.
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It's sad, really.
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She's got nothing else to do.
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I'd like to get to know her and maybe offer to help if she needs it.
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But she's so suspicious of young people.
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I'm sure she thinks we're all lazy and sit around taking drugs.
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Ha!
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I work really hard.
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2 .12 1.
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First Days of School John and Maria Hello.
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My name's John.
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I teach here.
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What's your name?
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Maria Hi, Maria.
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Where are you from?
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Italy Ah, OK.
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Where in Italy are you from?
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Florence Ah, Florence.
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I love Florence.
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It's beautiful.
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So, what do you do in Florence?
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I'm a student
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Ah, I see.
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What are you studying?
379
Psychology That's interesting.
380
And, er, are you enjoying being in London?
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Yes.
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Well, I've got some work to do before I teach my next class.
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So, nice to talk to you, Maria.
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See you around, I'm sure.
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Bye.
386
Maggie and Jean -Jacques Hello, my name's Maggie.
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I'm a teacher here.
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What's your name?
389
Hi, I'm Jean -Jacques.
390
Nice to meet you, Maggie. And you.
391
Where are you from, Jean -Jacques?
392
I'm French.
393
I live in Paris.
394
Paris, as you say in English.
395
But I'm from the south, from Provence.
396
Do you know the south of France?
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Yes, I do.
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It's beautiful.
399
It's true, it is.
400
So, Maggie, where are you from?
401
I'm from Scotland.
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Oh, really?
403
That's interesting.
404
I want to go there while I'm here.
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Scotland's a beautiful country too, isn't it?
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Oh, yes, very.
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Lots of mountains and lakes.
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And what do you do in France, Jean -Jacques?
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I'm an architect.
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I design very expensive houses for rich people.
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Wow, that's an interesting job.
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Are you enjoying being in London?
413
Lots of art galleries to look at here.
414
Absolutely.
415
I'm having a really good time.
416
There's so much to see here in London and I want to see more of the UK too.
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So what do you do when you're not teaching, Maggie?
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I like going for long walks.
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There are some lovely ones around here.
420
You should try them.
421
I will.
422
What class are you teaching?
423
4 F.
424
Oh, brilliant.
425
That's my class.
426
You're my teacher.
427
Oh, that's nice.
428
Well, it's nearly 9 .30.
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Let's go to class.
430
I'll follow you.
431
2 .13.
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Keeping a conversation going.
433
1. What a lovely day it is today.
434
Yes, beautiful, isn't it?
435
It's certainly a lot nicer than yesterday.
436
2. Are you having a good time in Edinburgh?
437
Yes, I am.
438
It's a really interesting city and there's so much to do.
439
I love the shops.
440
Three.
441
Have a good weekend.
442
Thanks, you two.
443
Are you doing anything interesting?
444
Four.
445
Did you have a nice weekend?
446
Yes, I did, despite the weather.
447
We stayed in and watched nearly all of Netflix.
448
What did you do?
449
Five.
450
What are you doing tonight?
451
Nothing special.
452
I'm a bit tired, so I think I'll have an early night.
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What about you?
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6. How's your mother these days?
455
She's OK, thanks.
456
She's feeling a lot better.
457
Thanks for asking.
458
7. Did you watch that new crime drama last night?
459
No, I didn't.
460
I was out.
461
But I've recorded it, though.
462
Was it good?
463
Eight.
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I like your shoes.
465
Thank you.
466
They're new.
467
I got them last week in a sale.
468
I like your skirt, too.
469
Nine.
470
If you have any problems, just ask.
471
Thanks.
472
That's very kind of you.
473
I will.
474
I'm sure you're very busy, though.
475
Thank you.
476
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “New Headway Pre-Intermediate 5th Edition - Unit 2: Let's Get Together |”. This video has 469 sentences and 3640 words to shadow. The speech runs for 34:10. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 72 of its 469 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| twin noun | /twɪn/ | Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same time; one who was born at the same birth as a sibling. |
| identical adjective | /ɪˈdɛntɪkl̩/ | Bearing full likeness by having precisely the same set of characteristics; indistinguishable. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| brave adjective | /bɹeɪv/ | Strong in the face of fear; courageous. |
| communicate verb | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ | To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell. |
| patience noun | /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/ | The quality of being patient. |
| jeans noun | /d͡ʒiːnz/ | A pair of trousers made from denim cotton. |
| swap verb | /ˈswɑp/ | To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else). |
| bind verb | /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ | To tie; to confine by any ligature. |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| whereas | /(h)wɛɹˈæz/ | In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although. |
| physics noun | /ˈfɪz.ɪks/ | The branch of science concerned with the study of the properties and interactions of space, time, matter and energy. |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| difficulty noun | /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ | The state of being difficult, or hard to do. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring up verb | To mention. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
| sit around verb | To spend time sitting idly, not doing anything important. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What do you like doing in your free time?
- What's your idea of a perfect day?
- Do you like spending time alone?
- I'm sorry, but what can I do?
- How's your mother these days?
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 look · used to swap · used to keep |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have come · I've recorded |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be seen · had been stolen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | friend who is · times, which was |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 145 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cloth /klɒθ/, mathematics /mæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪks/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, rubbish /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/, audition /ɑˈdɪʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, possession /pəˈzɛʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, difficulty /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/, genetically /d͡ʒəˈneɾɪkli/, psychology /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
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 twin, identical, cloth.
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.