Shadowing Practice: OU 3MT 2018 Finalist: Subhashini Gamagedara - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Competitor number one, Subhashine Harith Gamageyadara,
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is a master's student in landscape architecture whose presentation is titled,
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Holistic Compassion, An Interdisciplinary Approach to Improving Human and Environmental Health.
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Imagine if you were to wake up one day and find out
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that the water available for you is not safe enough for consumption.
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This is the sad reality for many communities around the world, and you and I may not be far away from perhaps facing a similar situation.
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In fact, the number one cause of stream pollution in Oklahoma is the presence of harmful bacteria and viruses.
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Even more, Spring Creek, which drains into the city of Edmond's main source of water supply,
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has been affected by bacteria for the past 10 years.
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How do these pollutants get there?
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Stormwater.
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Stormwater carries pollutants into our water phase from diffuse sources spread all over the landscape, such as animal feces.
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This diffusion makes not only preventing pollution, but also purifying stormwater, very difficult at a large scale.
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In nature, water is purified as it moves through layers of soil and plants.
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This process can be replicated successfully using newer design solutions like rain gardens and bioswales.
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They are much environmentally healthier than traditional practices that mostly use concrete and steel.
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Based off my research, healthier solutions to water pollution need to function as a network in the landscape, which is very difficult to be accomplished.
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Therefore, a recently developed method in geographic information systems is very useful in this situation.
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This method considers factors like the directions of stormwater flow
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and the ability of soil to absorb water to determine the most optimal locations for implementing these design interventions.
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My approach is to design these solutions like rain gardens
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and bioswales to blend seamlessly into our neighborhoods and streets to create valuable green space for urban residents,
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to create hands -on learning experiences for children while also reducing atmospheric heat,
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recharging groundwater, and providing habitat for urban wildlife.
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However, none of these solutions will be effective if we do not change our thinking and behavior.
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This is why I will also conduct a sample workshop at
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an elementary school in Edmond where I will help young children to create digital stories
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that will capture their thoughts and ambitions on caring for our streams that are ailing.
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I want our future generations to know that if our streams die, we all die.
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Therefore, I want this vision, holistic compassion, to reach the tables where decisions are made about our future.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 31 sentences and 419 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:24. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- landscape /ˈlan(d)skeɪp/ (noun) — A portion of land or territory as defined by its landform, its geographical (and architectural) features.
- pollution /pəˈluʃən/ (noun) — Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc.
- soil /sɔɪl/ (noun) — A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth.
- compassion /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/ (noun) — Deep awareness of the suffering of others that people have to the point of them being motivated to relieve such states.
- successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/ (adverb) — In a successful manner; with success; without failing.
- concrete /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ (adjective) — Real, actual, tangible.
- architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/ (noun) — The art and science of designing and managing the construction of buildings and other structures, particularly if they are well proportioned and decorated.
- capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/ (verb) — To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem.
- virus /ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/ (noun) — A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and…
- layer /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ (noun) — A single thickness of some material covering a surface.
- resident /ˈɹɛzɪdənt/ (noun) — A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area.
- consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of eating, drinking or using.
- elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/ (adjective) — Relating to the basic, essential or fundamental part of something.
- wildlife /ˈwaɪldlaɪf/ (noun) — undomesticated animals, especially mammals, birds, and fish, which live in the wild.
- presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/ (noun) — The act of presenting, or something presented.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- care for (verb) — To attend to the needs of, especially in the manner of a nurse or personal aide.
- find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
- wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pollution /pəˈluʃən/, compassion /kəmˈpæʃ.ən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: successfully /səkˈsɛs.fə.li/, architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/, elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, intervention /ɪntɚˈvɛnʃən/, atmospheric /ˌætməsˈfɛɹɪk/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like landscape, pollution, soil.
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.