Shadowing Practice: One-on-One: Talking About Your Workload - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Thanks for coming in, Megan. How's everything going?
2
Honestly, I've been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately.
3
I'm sorry to hear that. What's been going on?
4
I've been given three major projects at the same time.
5
On top of that, I'm still covering for Jason.
6
Right, I'd forgotten he's out until next month.
7
I've been staying late almost every night to keep up.
8
That's not sustainable, and it's not what I want.
9
Which of the three projects is the most demanding?
10
The data migration, by far.
11
It requires my full attention, and I keep getting interrupted.
12
Then let's see what we can take off your plate.
13
Could the client survey be handed over to someone else?
14
It could. Most of the groundwork has already been done.
15
Good. I'll ask Priya to pick it up from here.
16
That alone would free up about a day a week.
17
What about Jason's tasks? Are they all urgent?
18
Not really. Half of them could be put on hold.
19
Then put them on hold. I'll back you up on that.
20
Thank you. I wasn't sure I had the authority.
21
In the future, please raise this kind of thing sooner.
22
I will. I didn't want to seem like I couldn't cope.
23
Asking for help isn't a weakness. It's good judgment.
24
I appreciate you saying that. It means a lot.
25
So, the survey goes to Priya, and Jason's tasks wait.
26
Let's check in again in two weeks.
27
That works for me. I feel better already.
28
Glad to hear it. Now go home on time tonight.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 28 sentences and 256 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:35. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| judgment noun | /ˈd͡ʒʌd͡ʒ.mənt/ | The act of judging. |
| sustainable adjective | /səˈsteɪnəbəl/ | Able to be sustained. |
| weakness noun | /ˈwik.nɪs/ | The condition of being weak. |
| urgent adjective | /ˈɜː.d͡ʒənt/ | Requiring immediate attention. |
| migration noun | /maɪˈɡɹeɪʃ(ə)n/ | An instance of moving to live in another place for a while. |
| interrupt verb | /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpt/ | To disturb or halt (an ongoing process or action, or the person performing it) by interfering suddenly, especially by speaking. |
| groundwork noun | /ˈɡɹaʊndˌwɜːɹk/ | The foundation; the basic or fundamental parts that support or allow for the rest. |
| overwhelm verb | /ˌoʊ.vɚˈwɛlm/ | To engulf, surge over and submerge. |
| survey noun | /ˈsɝˌveɪ/ | The act of surveying; a general view. |
| task noun | /tæsk/ | A piece of work done as part of one’s duties. |
| plate noun | /ˈpleɪ̯t/ | A slightly curved but almost flat dish from which food is served or eaten. |
| client noun | /ˈklaɪ.ənt/ | A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. |
| take off verb | To remove. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been feeling · I've been staying |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | I've been given · be handed · been done |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been given · has already been done |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, I'll, I'm. 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 lately, judgment, sustainable.
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.