Shadowing Practice: One story a day - Book 4 - Story 19: Special paintings - Learn English Speaking with Video

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11 sentences
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Story 19 Special Paintings My mother saw a man sitting at the corner of the street.
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Beside him were his paintings.
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She talked to the man.
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He said that he used to be homeless.
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Painting gave him a new life.
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His paintings were actually very good.
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My mother bought two paintings.
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Each cost her $20.
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Later, my mom said to me, Why would anyone spend a million dollars on a painting?
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The money can give new lives to many people on the street.
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Painting gave me a new life.

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About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "One story a day - Book 4 - Story 19: Special paintings" 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.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer trueused to be

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 →