Shadowing Practice: Out There: Jack O'Grady - Learn English Speaking with Video

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155 sentences

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In September 2023, I fractured my patella on my right knee, like pretty bad

and I couldn't skate for like six months you know

I started skating again I didn't have to get surgery all my bone like lined up fine with my cartilage and stuff.

I mean put that story and all these

Americans would be like see dude fucking Ozzy's crazy got all those spiders and snakes.

It's chill.

Yeah I was in a brace for like a month

and a half and then I could start skating again after like six months

and I was doing like a lot of PT

and getting back into it

and then I went on my first trip at like 10 months from injury

and I felt like confident at skate parks and stuff

but not like really like outside of them

and then yeah I just sort of went on this trip

that I wasn't really planned to like go on yeah I guess I just got excited

and tried this trick I sort of bailed this like head high drop just

because I didn't have the confidence there I just got scared

and put all the weight on my good leg and I tore my ACL on my other knee

being injured for like 10 months

and then like first trip back first trick trying back to like be injured for almost a year

and then just be like all right shit i tore my acl

it's like i'm at least gonna be injured for like another year like

that it was pretty like soul crushing for sure

i mean it's a love -hate relationship to be honest

i guess i was like pretty uneducated with like what you have to do with like a torn ACL

and it's like I don't know some people that don't really know that

or know what's going on like this is like my my

nine to five like this is like my day job

and it has been for like the last year but yeah

and then I pretty much just do like a couple a couple rounds of

that fuck you gotta like want it every day because like

if you're over it

and you come to the gym like you gotta like you gotta be hungry for it every day

which hard because like some days you're so over it and off it.

I don't know, I hate being in here.

Like I hate, I don't want to be surrounded by gym bros and jocks every day,

like it's shit but I just have to come here and do what I got to do.

It's like, I hate it.

around this uh sydney opera house

and the harbour bridge there's new year's every year there's just like fireworks all around like the bridge

and the opera house i was like oh i was like i just wanted to make something colorful

but i was like maybe i could make the opera house i would just go

and get like tiles from like different places i was like this factory in like bushwick

and then i went and bought like the blue tiles from like this lady in like Yonkers

and then sort of outline with a pencil where I'd want to go

and then just you sort of get the broken pieces

and then like place them and I think

that was like the bit

I really enjoyed where I was just like a sort of

like you're just like a kid like making like puzzles again like in preschool or some shit

yeah when I first moved to America my mom like my mom like sent me this

which was like I mean she sent me like all this other stuff

but she just she just made this mug for me from like the night I turned pro

and then like put all my thrasher covers on it

but it's just like real like pixelated pics from like Google

or some shit it's real funny I definitely wouldn't be where I am today

if it wasn't like for my parents yeah it was like

so supportive like when I first started skating

and I don't know I started playing like rugby league from when I was five until when I was seven

My cousin and his stepdad would always go to this indoor skate park every Thursday night.

And I skated a couple times but because I played rugby league, I thought it was really fun.

And then they would go over Thursday night and be like, you want to go again?

I just told my dad when we were coming back, I was just like, I don't really like this anymore.

I was like, I want to skate.

Because I couldn't do both, you know?

Pulled me out of rugby league and then instead of taking me to the footy field, that would just like take me to the skate park.

My first sponsor was like pig wheels and ruckus trucks

so I like we made like this little like street part for them

when I was like 14 and then that got posted on Slam magazine website

which is like an Australian skate magazine saw like a message

it said like Chris Middlebrook wants to send you a message on Facebook

and I was like who the fuck's Chris Middlebrook

I just saw your video on Slam magazine like oh

I work with Nike I want to like give you some shoes like here's my number

and then I just showed my dad and we were like, we were just like, what?

And then we like called him like together.

I mean, I think when you just like, don't know anything about skating and then you don't really like understand like how it works

or like how like people make like a career of it.

And like when you're like a kid and you know, I'm like the youngest of four siblings and then like, everyone's like, what?

Like they're Nike sending like

Jack shoes for free.

Like what?

Dude.

You're all good.

You have to crack it first.

Oh, he's great.

Drinking age in Australia is 18 and I was 17

so I used like a fake ID to like get into the pub.

It was like the after party after the premiere

but then I guess like I didn't know but then upstairs they just like, they made me like a big cake

and then like they had like this like passport robe and stuff and everyone like surprised me and they're like,

oh like welcome to the team but i think like it was funny

because i never got asked you know what i mean

but george knew what i wanted to do but

that i just like walked upstairs like this cake

and then there was just like all my friends are there and stuff and my parents and it was sick

i feel like this is a nice backdrop with all the graph and the bull

slowly started skating again and i'm not there yet i'm like yeah i wouldn't say i'm a hundred 100%.

Yeah.

100

But yeah, I'm definitely like getting there.

101

I would just say just like, yeah, just like listen to your body and just like feel it out

102

and like just don't put pressure on yourself and you're like coming back.

103

But yeah, I guess like with injuries, like people like, oh, you're going to change the way you skate.

104

Maybe you got to like tone it down.

105

That bummed me out a lot because I was like, if I don't, if I can't skate the way I want to skate,

106

then like, I don't really want to skate.

107

Like that's what I was like thinking.

108

Yeah.

109

I don't know, just remember that the human body heals over time and it's only a period of time.

110

So just keep ticking away at it and don't be too hard on yourself.

111

I feel like skaters are naturally really hard on themselves.

112

Fucking come on!

113

Fuck!

114

Fuck not bad guys.

115

I guess I'm just going to go back to Australia in a little

116

while and I'm just looking forward to like yeah just being in Oz going swimming and just like hanging out and stuff.

117

It'll be nice.

118

Be good to talk shit with my mates.

119

Unfortunately I lost a very close friend of mine back in Sydney, someone I grew up with.

120

And he passed away probably just less than a month before tearing my ACL.

121

So it was a lot of emotions.

122

I was like dealing with the injury then getting through it

123

and being like alright I can skate again

124

and then my really close friend like passing away

125

and there was all this sort of stuff going on everyone was like grieving

126

and then I was like okay I'll go on this trip with all my friends

127

we're gonna all sort of like grieve together

128

and like you know skate for him and dealing with that

129

and then to get hurt again I was just

130

it was just like a very like scary like mind place to like being

131

and i couldn't even like and imagine like where he was

132

or like how he felt and that

133

that was like i think i don't know

134

it was just like a real like wake -up call

135

i was just like fuck like i almost gotta like you know like live for

136

that person in the way because like although

137

that i'm like in like a crazy place right

138

now it's like i can you know i i have to like do these things

139

because like he can't you know what i mean

140

so it was like it was a it was a motivation for me

141

i am like lucky to like be here

142

and like even like you know just like yeah just talk to my family

143

and like tell them that that i love them

144

and like you know i'm i'm able to like do that which is like a blessing for sure.

145

No, front block wouldn't work on that, bro.

146

Taking it.

147

You know, when I get older and I can't skate the way I want to skate,

148

it's like that transition I feel like is going to be a lot easier for me now.

149

There's way more to life than skating.

150

And it's a really beautiful thing to realise that.

151

Because when you don't have something like this happen, it's hard for you to see that.

152

Because I felt so removed from skating for a long time.

153

For the first time in my life, I felt like just a normal pedestrian going. and getting a coffee.

154

And when you're like going through it, like you don't really believe it and it's hard to believe,

155

but like you're gonna skate again and you're gonna be 100%, you're gonna be fine.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Out There: Jack O'Grady”. This video has 155 sentences and 1827 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:08. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
skate noun	/skeɪt/	A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice.
tear verb	/tɛɹ/	To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
rugby noun	/ˈɹʌɡbi/	A form of football in which players can hold or kick an ovoid ball; rugby football. The ball cannot be handled forwards and points are scored by touching the…
opera noun	/ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/	A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance.
trick noun	/ˈtɹɪk/	Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle.
knee noun	/ni/	In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
shoe noun	/ˈʃu/	A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
upstairs adverb	/ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/	Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level.
tile noun	/ˈtaɪ.əl/	A regularly-shaped slab of clay or other material, affixed to cover or decorate a surface, as in a roof-tile, glazed tile, stove tile, carpet tile, etc.
tone noun	/ˈtəʊn/	A specific pitch.
naturally adverb	/ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/	In a natural manner.
bone noun	/boʊn/	A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
transition noun	/tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/	The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another.
hungry adjective	/ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/	Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
cousin noun	/ˈkʌz(ə)n/	Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come back verb		To return to a place.
pass away verb		To die.
get through verb	/ɡɛt ˈθɹu/	To overcome; to endure.
go back to verb		To stem from; to originate in.
go over verb		To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
line up verb	/laɪnˈʌp/	To align; to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running.
look forward to verb		To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I don't know, I hate being in here.
It's like, I hate it.
Because I couldn't do both, you know?

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	wasn't really planned · being injured · be injured
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	started skating · start skating · started playing
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was doing · were coming
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming	gonna be · you're going to change · I'm just going to go

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/
Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, uneducated /ʌnˈɛd͡ʒəkeɪtɪd/

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 skate, tear, rugby.

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: Out There: Jack O'Grady - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?