Shadowing Practice: No Partner? No Problem! (3 Ways to Practice Speaking Alone) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Is it possible to become a fluent English speaker all alone without anyone to speak with?

I'm going to say the answer is yes if you can follow the three tips from today's lesson.

If you're new here, hi I'm Vanessa from SpeakEnglishWithVanessa .com and this is one of our new chickens, Buddha.

And I have been teaching real life English here on my

YouTube channel for over the past 10 years to now more than 7 million of you.

I can't believe it.

Thank you so much for learning English with me and you.

So every single week I make a free PDF worksheet for you with everything you are about to learn today.

And there is a special bonus in today's worksheet, but I'm not going to tell you about it yet.

You'll have to wait just a moment.

this free worksheet, all you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and today's worksheet, voila, will land in your email inbox.

It is my gift to you.

Before I tell you my three tips, I have something important to tell you.

But first, let me put Buddha back.

- I'm sorry.

Do you need to use English for work?

If you do, this is the number one most stressful speaking situation in English.

You want to be professional.

You want to represent yourself and your company well.

But this is a high pressure situation.

So you should not start speaking English at work, especially if you are feeling nervous.

So you need to start with a less stressful situation.

What could that be?

Well, it could be speaking with a native English speaker.

But if you've ever visited the US and tried to speak with someone and then they spoke so fast, well, that was probably also stressful.

So let's go to a less stressful situation.

Speaking with other English learners.

This is a great way to have lots of speaking practice.

A lot of my students have found great success speaking with each other.

But what if you don't have other English learners to practice with?

Well, then we need to go to the foundation, the most basic of situations, and that is speaking speaking alone.

And that's what I'm going to help you with today.

We're going to talk about my top three tips to help you be able to speak English alone, even if you don't have anyone else to speak with.

Let's start with my first tip.

My first tip to help you become a fluent English speaker

all alone is to practice speaking about what is around you and using some sticky notes if you need

example as we walk into my house.

Here we have A sliding glass door.

Well, this might be new vocabulary for you, Sliding glass door.

Great.

And inside the door are some blinds.

Let's put a sticky note.

on the blinds.

Come on over here.

Here I have a fish tank?

This is not a fish home.

It is a fish tank.

Behind it, there is a little filter.

We'll put a little note here to remind us that this is a filter.

And inside the fish tank, there are even little shrimp.

They're little and yellow and very cute.

Let's go to up here.

Here are some hanging pots. And...

We can put a little note on here to help us remember But we have a little problem.

The soil is very dry.

I'm going to put my sticky note with a little note.

Don't forget to water the plants.

You can make a full sentence like this, especially if there is a word that seems simple, but maybe it's something that you just don't use frequently, like to water.

I'm sure you know about water the noun.

I drink water, but what about as a verb.

Don't forget to water the plants.

Well, I will just put this right here.

Don't forget to water the plants.

All right, here you see in front of me is a kitchen table.

This is not just any table.

We often call this the kitchen table.

Kitchen table. And...

chairs.

Now, if you are an advanced English learner, you might be thinking, why do I need to label the chairs?

Well, if you're anything like me, sometimes when you're having a conversation, those simple words just .

Go away from your mind and you cannot remember them.

It's kind of embarrassing because you feel like you should know them, right?

So don't be ashamed to label even simple words.

It will just help to reinforce what you already know.

All right, let's go into...

the A pantry is somewhere where you keep food that doesn't need to stay in the refrigerator.

Let's take a look inside.

Very exciting.

In here, I keep my slow cooker.

This is where we can cook meats for a long time.

And I also keep...

My...

rice cooker.

This isn't something that every American household has, but we use it all the time.

And I find it really handy.

You can see here on the door, There are some beans, some salsa, some coconut milk, some tuna.

These are all called dry goods.

So I am going to just put a little label right here.

to remind me that these are, if I can get it to stay, dry goods.

So this is a great way to be able to add to your vocabulary

and be able to talk about things around you.

But what if you don't know these words?

You're walking around your house, you're trying to talk about it, but you don't know blinds and filter and dry goods.

I have some good news.

I told you I have a bonus for you in today's free PDF worksheet,

I have added these to the free worksheet along with definitions and sample sentences so that when you walk around your house,

you have all the words you need to be able to describe what you see in English.

This is an extremely useful and practical way to be able to add to your vocabulary.

So, how can you get that worksheet plus the 100 free household item vocabulary words?

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All you need to do is click the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and it will be sent directly to your email inbox.

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All right, let's go on to tip number two, the second way to be able to become a fluent English speaker all alone.

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Let's go.

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My second tip to become a fluent English speaker all alone is to read articles.

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Yes, you could read books, but I think articles like news articles are easy to access and they're short.

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So if you're like me and you're really busy, or maybe you just have a short attention span, news articles are a great way to practice your speaking.

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I'd like to show you So I've got my phone here.

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Let's go to a news website like npr .org.

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Well, here we can choose in the top corner different categories.

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I don't really want to read about all of the sad things happening around the world this morning, maybe later today.

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So instead, I'm going to click on culture.

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And I can also choose different cultural topics.

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Let's choose books.

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I love books.

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Thank you.

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Oh, NPR staffers share their favorite fiction reads.

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Yes, I would love some book recommendations.

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So let's take a look at this article.

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Ooh, they have something interesting that we'll take a look at in just a minute.

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But first, I want to show you the first way that you can use a news article.

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What you can do is simply read the article out loud.

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Now remember, No one is listening to you.

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No one is judging you.

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You can go as slow as you need to.

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And if you make mistakes, it's okay.

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Let's give it a try.

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Facts by day, fiction by night.

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At the end of a long day in the newsroom, many of our journalists head home and escape into novels of all types.

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All right, we can read it out loud like this, but some news websites, including NPR, have an interesting second option that I think is Great for learning English.

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At the top here, Do you see it says three minute listen?

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Ooh, what you can do is click on transcript.

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And inside here, you can listen and read at the same time.

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Oftentimes the transcript is different than the news article because the article is meant for reading and the transcripts meant for listening.

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But when you listen and speak at the same time, this is the number one most proven way to improve your pronunciation.

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And you're doing it all alone, which is great.

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So let's click listen, and we're going to try to read at the same time.

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Let's give it a shot.

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with all that extra daylight.

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You could read some great books that came out last year, the NPR books seem as you covered.

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It's pretty fast, right?

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So another option, what you can do is you can listen to a sentence and then try to repeat it.

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Let's do that.

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26 reads our staff has loved so far and it Okay.

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So we could say the NPR books team has you covered.

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They're out today with a list of the 2026 reads our staff has loved so far.

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Okay.

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So you're getting to listen to the intonation, listen to the pronunciation.

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And if there are any words that are new for you, maybe the word fiction, you're able to listen to it and also repeat out loud.

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And what I have done is in the free PDF worksheet, I have added a link to NPR.

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this article and three other articles of various types that you can use to practice this second technique.

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It's a great way to have structured speaking practice and be able to hear your own voice using English.

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This is really great for building your confidence.

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All right.

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Are you ready to go to tip number three?

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Let's go back outside and talk about it.

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My third tip to help you become a fluent English speaker will help you to continue those conversations smoothly,

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without hesitation, because you will have already had a lot of speaking practice.

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How is that possible?

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Well, I would love to introduce you to my app, the Speak with Vanessa AI app.

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If you freeze when you want to speak or you just forget the words you want to say, this is the solution for you.

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It is so cool.

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You can have unlimited conversations 24 /7,

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judgment -free with no embarrassment with my AI clone who has been trained on my voice

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and my teaching style so that you can have so much speaking practice that when you go out into the real world, you will be ready.

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Vanessa AI will even correct you when you make mistakes with vocabulary or grammar, because let's be real, when you're in the workplace,

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your coworkers will never correct you if you make a mistake.

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They'll probably just be polite and smile and nod,

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and you'll never know if you made a mistake and if give you great common vocabulary to use.

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Correct your grammar in your sentence structure so that you can improve with every single conversation.

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Let me show you how it works.

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My Italian friend Davide is going to try Vanessa AI for the first time.

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Let's see.

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Okay, let's try this out.

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Speak natural disasters.

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Yeah, that sounds like me.

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What do you think it means to be a resilient person?

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Might be interesting.

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Let's see.

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What do you think it means to be a resilient person?

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Well, a resilient person, in my opinion, is somebody who can...

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bounce back from Hardship.

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- Oh, bounce back from hardship.

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Yes.

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Can you give one example of a hard time you or someone Sometimes you have to, No?

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To go through radical change.

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I see.

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Big change is hard.

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What one small change could you try this week?

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Yeah, Vanessa, you really ask good questions.

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I mean, this is getting very deep.

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I have to say, it's even better.

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You're even better than Real human Vanessa.

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Wait, excuse me?

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Did you say?

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Yeah, I'm just talking to my phone.

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Well, okay, okay, that sounds pretty cool, right?

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But there's still a little problem.

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Let's say you join the app and you are ready to start speaking.

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what do you speak about?

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You don't want to just talk about the same conversations again and again, right?

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How was your day?

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What are you doing this weekend?

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What's your job?

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That's.. too basic and boring.

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Well, I wouldn't be your teacher if I wasn't helping you.

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So let me show you how you can have amazing, diverse conversations every single day.

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Right now, inside the Vanessa AI app, you have access to my 30 -day challenge.

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30 days.

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30 conversations.

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In this challenge, you will have a different conversation question every single day,

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including my sample answer and some key vocabulary if you would like to use that.

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And this way you will be able to have diverse conversations about various topics,

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and you will be ready to go into the real world and talk about anything.

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Let's take a look inside Vanessa AI to see how this 30 day challenge works.

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Let's open Vanessa AI and here you see right on the home screen, 30 days, 30 conversations.

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Let's click on the first day.

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What?

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I'd like to talk about the first job I ever had.

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Okay.

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So this is our first topic, talking about the first job you ever had.

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Hmm, what was my first job?

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All right, I'm going to talk about this.

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Well, the first job I ever had was working at a fast food chicken restaurant.

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All right, it's transcribing.

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That sounds like a busy first job.

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Mmm.

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Chicken restaurants can be so fast and hectic.

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What was the hardest part for you?

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All right, so we're getting little reminders that we are leveling up by having conversations.

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What was the hardest part for me?

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Honestly, the hardest part was just learning how to interact with my coworkers, because I had never had a relationship like that before.

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- Thank you.

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That makes total sense.

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A first job can feel more about people than the work itself.

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How did you start getting more comfortable with your coworkers?

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All right, so do you see how this is beginning to become a conversation?

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Vanessa AI is very good at continuing the conversation.

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But what happens if you don't know a word or you don't know what to say?

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Let's give it a try.

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I'm going to pretend like I don't know what to say.

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Well, I'm not really sure the word for it, but Sometimes I would say I would prepare something funny.

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What's that called?

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See if it can know the word.

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You were preparing something funny.

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Thank you.

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People usually say you were planning a joke or a funny line That's kind of sweet, honestly.

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Did it help you feel more relaxed with them?

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Yes, it did.

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All right, so it knew the word joke, but let's click on the word joke.

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All right.

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It can translate that joke.

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So if you have added your native language to this app, I have added English.

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So it's translating from English to English, a little silly, right?

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But if you add your native language, it will make a translation for you.

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And you can even see here this little magic wand button.

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Let's click that.

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It's going to break down the vocabulary and give you some options for what you can say instead

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or tell you that you did use indeed correct vocabulary.

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And of course on the app as well, let's go out of this conversation.

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There are some very fun features like the leaderboard.

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I love this.

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You can see how many new vocabulary words you have unlocked.

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And if you are on the leaderboard, and you can also use our flashcard system here.

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to be able to test yourself.

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So every word that you have clicked on, like the word joke, will land in your flashcards

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and you can practice these out loud and be able to grow your vocabulary.

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This is an It's an excellent proven way to be able to remember what you've learned.

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Not only are you using it, but you're repeating it as well.

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No stress.

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No embarrassment just English speaking practice.

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After using Vanessa AI for 30 days in this challenge, many students saw that their speaking skills dramatically improved.

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I love to read you what a few students said.

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My student Judy said, "I spent less time worrying about making mistakes and more time focusing on communicating my ideas.

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Over time, speaking English started to feel more natural instead of stressful." That is the goal.

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More natural instead of stressful, right?

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My student Kong says, "I was always afraid to speak." Is that you?

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"I was worried about making mistakes." Is that you?

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So most of the time I stayed silent.

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Maybe that's you too.

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This 30 day practice really changed that for me.

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Step by step, I became less afraid of speaking English and now I actually enjoy it.

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Thanks to this challenge, speaking English no longer feels scary to me.

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I would love that for you.

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I would love for a speaking English to no longer feel scary for you to have confidence to go into any conversation,

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because you know you have had so much speaking practice that you can do it.

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You can speak English fluently.

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So I hope that you have the courage to practice speaking English alone with all three of these tips.

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And if you would like to join me in Vanessa AI,

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right now I This means one year of every year unlimited English speaking practice with me,

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with my clone, every single day, as much as you want for 70 % off.

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This is a great chance to join with no risk.

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So if you want to join me and get 70 % off and speak better English than you ever have before,

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all you need to do is click the link in the description to join Vanessa AI.

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Give it a try.

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There's even a seven day free trial when you choose the annual plan.

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See if it can work for you.

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And I can't wait to see how amazing your English is after you get unlimited speaking practice.

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Well, thanks so much for learning English with me.

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And don't forget to download today's free PDF worksheet with all 100 common household words

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so that you can describe everything around you in your house.

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All you need to do is click on the link in the description, enter your name and email address, and voila, the free It's a very good thing.

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It is my gift to you.

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Well, thanks so much for learning English with me today, outside here in my home and with my chicken Buddha.

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Thank you Buddha for participating.

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And I hope to see you again next Friday for a new lesson here on my YouTube channel.

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Bye.

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But wait, do you want more?

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I recommend watching this video next where you will be able to learn three more tips to help you speak English alone.

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If you don't have a speaking partner, these are the videos for you.

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Plus in that video, you will see some beautiful scenery of the mountains near where I live.

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This is a great way to grow your vocabulary, grow your speaking skills, and have fun along the way.

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I'll see you there.

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Why Practice Speaking Alone? Boost Fluency Without a Partner!

Ever felt stuck because you don’t have a language partner? The video proves you can still master English speaking—no conversation needed! Practicing alone builds confidence, helps you think in English, and turns daily moments into learning opportunities. Plus, it’s low-stress: no pressure to “sound perfect” means you’ll take more risks and progress faster. Whether you’re prepping for work or just want to chat, these tips turn solo time into a supercharged fluency tool.

Grammar & Expressions in Context: Speak Like a Pro

The video is packed with real-life language. Let’s break down 3 key structures:

Describing surroundings: “Inside the door are some blinds” uses inversion for emphasis—great for painting a picture. Try it: “On the table is a mug” instead of “A mug is on the table.”
Clarifying vocabulary: “This is not a fish home. It is a fish tank” teaches contrast with “not…it is” to avoid confusion. Use it when defining new words: “That’s not a ‘sofa’—it’s a ‘couch.’”
Adding details: “Behind it, there is a little filter” uses prepositions (“behind”) to show location. Practice with “Next to the window, there’s a plant” to make descriptions vivid.

Common Pronunciation Traps: Avoid These Tricky Words

Don’t let these words trip you up! The video highlights:

Sliding glass door: “Sliding” has a soft “d” sound—don’t over-pronounce it. Say “SLY-ding” (not “SLY-ding-guh”).
Filter: The “t” is silent here—say “FILL-er,” not “FILL-ter.”
Shrimp: The “mp” blends into a soft “m” sound—“SHRIM” (not “SHRIMP-puh”).

For extra practice, try shadow speak: repeat the video’s lines out loud, mimicking tone and speed. Tools like a shadowing app or shadowing site can help you match rhythm. Even 5 minutes a day with shadow speech (or “shadowspeaks”) will make your pronunciation sound more natural.

Ready to start? Grab sticky notes, describe your room, and hit play—solo speaking just became your new fluency secret!

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've ever visited · have found · have added
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	will be sent · is simply read · is meant
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	alone, which is · somebody who can
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	wasn't helping · was working · was just learning

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 →

Shadowing Practice: No Partner? No Problem! (3 Ways to Practice Speaking Alone) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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