Shadowing Practice: Part 2: Using Photography to Inspire Young Learners - Learn English Speaking with Video

You know, I think photos can help inspire all kinds of emotions.

You know, they can be beautiful.

They can also help inspire wonder in people.

So this is a photo of a tiny chameleon from the island of Madagascar.

Do we have anybody from Madagascar here today?

That would be really neat.

This is a chameleon that is a fully grown adult.

So it's really, really small and I put it on a human finger so you can see just how tiny it is.

Amazingly, it's not even the smallest species in Madagascar.

The smallest one can actually fit on the head of a match.

Photos can also make us care about species and places that are really far away from our homes.

Like this photo of a Sulawesi crested black macaque from Indonesia.

And I saw earlier that we had somebody from Indonesia on this webinar, So that's wonderful to see.

Photos can also make us aware of environmental issues, like the overfishing of sharks and other big fish that are found in our oceans.

And this is an issue that's happening worldwide.

So it was really this understanding of the power of photographs that inspired me to apply to National Geographic

for a Young Explorers Grant to go to the country of Peru to photograph conservation efforts in the Amazon rainforest.

I actually, I just got a great question.

Do I get scared?

Yeah, sometimes I get a little nervous when I'm out in the forest, but it's absolutely worth it every time.

But I really love being out there in the forest.

And in this case, I spent 10 months in the Amazon rainforest.

And I was photographing these conservation efforts from the high Andes Mountains,

seen here, all the way to the lowland Amazon rainforest.

To make photos like this one, I would have to get up at 4 o'clock a.m in the morning

and drag myself out of bed

and go into the dark forest in the middle of the night

and to climb a radio tower that was about 60 meters high

or 180 feet high so I could be above the canopy at dawn.

But I wanted to do those things to really show how beautiful these landscapes are and to make people care about them.

And Peru is full of adventures.

In this case, we had to trek for a couple of hours through the forest.

We crossed rivers 11 times, and then we camped in the forest for 10 days in Peru.

I was working with these park rangers who were monitoring wildlife, but we went out there so that we could really show some of the animals that were living in this forest.

I got to photograph some pretty cool critters like mustache monkeys in the Peruvian Amazon on,

scarlet macaws soaring above the canopy, and even some smaller creatures,

because I really love to not just show the big charismatic animals, but the more rare creatures, the ones that are overlooked.

So like monkey frogs, these really cute little frogs that are found in the understory and are a little bit camouflaged.

And I'm telling you about Peru because it was a really great learning experience for me.

Of course, it was an adventure, but more than that, it was a learning experience because I got to work with students.

As part of my project in Peru, I was able to give presentations and photo workshops to students in schools.

And these are some of those students out bird watching in one of the forests.

And as I shared my photos of wildlife with these students, like the mustache monkey or the scarlet macaw,

what I realized is that these students had almost never heard of these animals.

They actually knew more about elephants and giraffes

in faraway Africa than they did about the incredible animals that are found essentially in their backyards.

And that was a very important moment for me as a photographer,

because I really realized that we have to connect kids with nature in the places where they live.

Kids are not going to care about protecting wildlife if they don't even know that these species exist.

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Why This Video Is Perfect for English Speaking Practice

This video is a goldmine for english speaking practice because it blends storytelling with vivid descriptions, making it easy to follow and engaging. The speaker uses conversational language—like "You know" and "I'm telling you"—that sounds natural in everyday speech, helping you learn how to connect ideas smoothly. Plus, the mix of personal anecdotes and factual details (about animals, travel, and conservation) gives you a chance to practice describing both real experiences and information, which is key for fluent communication. It’s also a great example of how to use emotion in speech—words like "wonder," "nervous," and "love" show how to convey feelings, making your own speaking more dynamic. If you’re looking to learn english with youtube, this video checks all the boxes: it’s relatable, varied, and full of practical phrases.

Breaking Down Natural Speech: 3 Key Phrases

Let’s look at a few lines that sound authentic and why they work:

"You know, I think photos can help inspire all kinds of emotions." The phrase "You know" is a casual filler that makes speech feel less formal. It’s a great example of how native speakers soften statements to connect with listeners. Practice saying this to sound more conversational.
"Amazingly, it's not even the smallest species in Madagascar." "Amazingly" is a transition word that adds emphasis and surprise. Using such adverbs helps your speech flow and keeps listeners engaged. Try replacing it with "Surprisingly" or "Interestingly" to expand your vocabulary.
"But I really love being out there in the forest." The repetition of "really" and the casual "out there" make this line sound heartfelt. Native speakers often use these small additions to stress their feelings. Mimic this to make your own speech more expressive.

A Simple Shadowing Routine to Try

Shadowing—repeating speech aloud as you hear it—is one of the best ways to improve pronunciation and fluency. Here’s a quick routine using this video, perfect for a shadowing site or shadowing app:

Watch a 30-second clip of the video without sound. Read the transcript (if available) and note pauses and intonation.
Play the clip again, pausing after each sentence. Repeat it aloud, copying the speaker’s pace, stress, and tone. Focus on "shadow speech"—matching their rhythm as closely as possible.
Record yourself repeating the clip. Compare it to the original. Notice differences in pronunciation (like "chameleon" or "macaque") and adjust.
Do this daily for 5-10 minutes. Over time, you’ll start to naturally use the speaker’s phrasing and flow in your own speech.

Remember, the goal is to practice regularly, not perfectly. This video’s warm, conversational style makes it easy to stay motivated—so hit play and start shadowing today!

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	are found · are overlooked
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was photographing · was working
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the smallest
Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary	have to get · had to trek · have to connect

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 →

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