Shadowing Practice: New headway series 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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The End
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This is my house.
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It's not big and it's not small, but I like it.
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Three people live here.
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This is Matt.
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Hi, I'm Matt.
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This is David.
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Hello, my name's David.
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And that's me.
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Hi, Helen.
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Pleased to meet you.
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So there are three people, but there are four bedrooms.
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So today is interview day.
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What's your job?
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I'm a jazz musician.
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Really?
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What do you play?
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The drums. But he's very quiet. And friendly.
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No dogs.
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Sorry.
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£150 a month.
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Great.
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No. £150 a week.
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Sorry. Where are you from?
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Edinburgh.
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But my job's in Oxford.
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Good.
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This is a nice house.
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Thanks.
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We're happy here.
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OK.
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OK, I'm...
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Cigarettes?
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I don't smoke.
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We don't smoke. Do we?
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Uh, no. We don't smoke.
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Oh.
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Sorry.
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This is terrible.
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Who's next?
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Her name's Jane.
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My name's Jane.
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She's number eight.
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She's the last.
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So, Jane, tell us about yourself.
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Tell you what?
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Anything.
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I'm from Brighton.
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I'm a drama teacher.
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I don't smoke.
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I like films.
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Good food.
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Good food?
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Yeah.
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Italian, French, Chinese. Do you cook?
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Yes, I'm a very good cook.
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Do you have a dog?
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No. Cat?
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No. No animals.
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Do you play the drums?
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No. The trombone?
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violin saxophone nothing that's great
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Jane it's your room fantastic
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when can you move in next week this week tomorrow sure welcome to 53 Blackwood Road thank Thank you.
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Thanks a lot.
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So now, there are four of us.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "New headway series 1" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →