Shadowing Practice: Nothing changes if nothing changes. - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
I don't want to live in a hole anymore.
2
It makes me feel poor.
3
We are poor, but we're happy.
4
Come see, come saw.
5
Anyway, the views are better above ground.
6
Honey, I'm seven non-fox years old now.
7
My father died at seven and a half.
8
I don't want to live in a hole anymore.
9
And I'm going to do something about it.
10
You cannot change your life unless you change something.
11
If you always do what you always did, you'll always get what you always got.
12
No matter what it is.
13
Many times you say to yourself, I gotta lose weight, I gotta lose weight, I'm too fat.
14
And then you know what?
15
During the day you eat, you eat at night, and the next day you get mad at yourself.
16
Well, what do you want?
17
What do you want?
18
You gotta change something.
19
Fear is never reaching your potential.
20
That's it that always falling short, always quitting before you're done, always procrastinating, always not doing the right thing,
21
and then one day you're an old man, and you look back and go, God, I could have been great.
22
I could have been great.
23
You must get up.
24
Your journey is not over.
25
I can't fight him.
26
He has all my weapons.
27
I have nothing.
28
When you began your journey, you were determined.
29
Nothing could stop you.
30
And now that you are so close, are you willing to give up so easily?
31
It was easier at the beginning.
32
Beginnings are often easier.
33
But think of all that you have accomplished along your journey.
34
I'm gonna have setbacks, I know.
35
But if I'm feeling bad, that doesn't mean I'm doing bad.
36
That doesn't mean I am bad.
37
That doesn't mean that I can't still take some action.
38
Because yeah, nothing changes and nothing changes, man.
39
I'm always waiting for everything to be perfect before I live my life.
40
As soon as these things line up, I'm gonna live my life.
41
I'm never gonna get to that where everything's okay, where everything looks a certain way.
42
And in the meantime, I'm burning the best time I do have available.
43
I'm burning that candle up.
44
I'm burning this candle down and I'm saying as soon as it gets bright enough or warm enough in here,
45
I'm gonna show up.
46
But the candle's getting smaller.
47
What's the point of fighting my way up the mountain when someone else is just going to come up the easy way?
48
There is always going to be someone who does things the easy way.
49
But that should not stop you from doing things the right way.
50
It is your journey, young warrior.
51
Only you decide when it ends.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Nothing changes if nothing changes”. This video has 51 sentences and 452 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:59. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| candle noun | /ˈkæn.dəl/ | A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin. |
| honey noun | /ˈhʌni/ | A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans. |
| warrior noun | /ˈwɔɹi.ɚ/ | A person who is actively engaged in battle, conflict or warfare; a soldier or combatant. |
| accomplish verb | /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/ | To finish successfully. |
| meantime noun | /ˈmiːntaɪm/ | The time spent waiting for another event; time in between. |
| procrastinate verb | /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/ | To delay taking action; to wait until later. |
| setback noun | /ˈsɛtbæk/ | An obstacle, delay, disadvantage, or blow (an adverse event which slows down, or prevents progress towards a desired outcome). |
| journey noun | /ˈd͡ʒɝni/ | A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage. |
| burn verb | /bɝn/ | To cause to be consumed by fire. |
| hole noun | /hoʊl/ | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; a dent; a depression; a fissure. |
| determine verb | /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/ | To set the boundaries or limits of. |
| bright adjective | /ˈbɹaɪ̯t/ | Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant. |
| quit verb | /kwɪt/ | To leave (a place). |
| weapon noun | /ˈwɛp.ən/ | An instrument of attack or defense in combat or hunting, e.g. most guns, missiles, or swords. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| line up verb | /laɪnˈʌp/ | To align; to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running. |
| look back verb | To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight). | |
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I don't want to live in a hole anymore.
- We are poor, but we're happy.
- Honey, I'm seven non-fox years old now.
- What do you want?
- I'm gonna have setbacks, I know.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to do · gonna have · gonna live |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is never reaching · I'm doing · I'm always waiting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like candle, honey, warrior.
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.