Shadowing Practice: Pathways - Unit 1: Living for Work (PartA) - The Interview with Annie Griffiths - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
62 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Welcome back, viewers.
2
I'm your host, Ray Bellows.
3
Today, we have the opportunity to talk with Annie Griffiths.
4
She's a photographer for the National Geographic Society, and she travels the world to places such as Africa,
5
Australia, the Middle East, and North and South America.
6
The photos you'll see throughout the interview were all taken by Annie.
7
Sometimes her work takes her to dangerous places like on top of mountains, under the water or in jungles,
8
but she says her experiences in places where there are wars going on are more frightening than any wild animals
9
or faraway places.
10
Welcome to the show, Annie.
11
Thank you, Ray.
12
I'm glad to be here.
13
Now, you travel a lot.
14
What's your favorite part of the world?
15
Well, I love Southern Africa.
16
I like the energy of the people and the wildlife.
17
I also love the Galapagos Islands and Mexico.
18
You know, actually, I love so many places that it's hard to choose a favorite.
19
I can understand that.
20
And why do you like to travel and explore the world so much?
21
Oh, I love to travel because it allows me to learn about different cultures and, you know, different views of the world.
22
I spend most of my time with ordinary people and I get to experience how people in different places live their lives.
23
I also love taking pictures of wildlife and landscapes.
24
Well, your job really is an adventure.
25
My job keeps me sitting in this room day after a day.
26
Now, I've read that you've traveled with your children.
27
Why did you take them with you?
28
Oh, I took my children along on my travels for many reasons.
29
My assignments were often two or three months long, and I couldn't bear to be away from them for so long.
30
Also, I wanted them to be able to see the world themselves.
31
They have become great travelers and have a great perspective now on the world.
32
What was their favorite place?
33
My children loved the Middle East.
34
They had so much fun being part of the Bedouin community there.
35
They rode camels and donkeys and learned to milk goats.
36
They also loved Australia because they got to go to the beach almost every day.
37
Those do sound like wonderful experiences, but how do you communicate with people in so many places?
38
Say, if you don't speak the language, for example, how do you make friends?
39
I think the key is to get over my own shyness.
40
I start, you know, by smiling and talking to people, even if I don't know the local language,
41
I'll gesture or smile and be a little silly so that people feel more relaxed around me.
42
And that helps you to get your amazing pictures, I'm sure.
43
So, what advice do you have for someone who wants to become a photographer?
44
Do they need any special skills?
45
I actually think the most important thing a photographer needs is curiosity.
46
You've got to wake up every morning wanting to experience something new or learn more about something familiar.
47
It's also important to love being creative and to enjoy seeing things in new ways.
48
That makes sense.
49
Viewers, does that sound like you?
50
Could you be a photographer?
51
Okay, one last question, Annie.
52
What's your favorite photo and what's the story behind it?
53
My favorite photo is of a man standing on top of Victoria Falls in Zambia.
54
The light is so beautiful
55
and it brings back memories of an unforgettable day at one of the most amazing places on earth.
56
That is a beautiful photo.
57
It's one of my favorites, too.
58
Well, that's all the time we have.
59
Thanks very much for being here today, Annie.
60
No problem.
61
Nice talking to you, Ray.
62
Thank you.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B14
63 sentences
Unit 1: An Interview with Annie Griffiths
Interview EnglishTravel EnglishUniversity Students
B12
41 sentences
ngày 30 tháng 8, 2026
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B1162
17 sentences
Luyện nghe tiếng anh về những câu chuyện hằng ngày cùng imleafsun - Section 12 | English Corner
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B13
51 sentences
Food and animals
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
166 sentences
LUYỆN NGHE TIẾNG ANH GIAO TIẾP - NÓI VỀ CHỦ ĐỀ GIA ĐÌNH BẰNG TIẾNG ANH - ENGLISH PODCAST
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B17
106 sentences
Unit 4 ASEAN and Viet Nam - Tiếng anh 11 Global success
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B14
21 sentences
Speaking Sample _ Topic: Travel
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B13
28 sentences
READING EXPLORER FOUNDATIONS UNIT 3 3B GETTING THE SHOT
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
B133
63 sentences
Working while travelling the world – B1 English Listening Test
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B220
48 sentences
Interview - HD
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B15
47 sentences
Cải thiện trình nghe Tiếng Anh siêu hiệu quả #1 | I'm Mary 📚
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
105 sentences
LISTENING B1 - PART 2 - TEST #25
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 62 sentences and 629 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:50. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- photographer /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/ (noun) — One who takes photographs, typically as an occupation.
- wildlife /ˈwaɪldlaɪf/ (noun) — undomesticated animals, especially mammals, birds, and fish, which live in the wild.
- viewer /ˈvju.ɚ/ (noun) — Someone who views a spectacle; an onlooker or spectator.
- adventure /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ (noun) — A feeling of desire for new and exciting things.
- ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/ (adjective) — Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases.
- skill /skɪl/ (noun) — A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
- silly /ˈsɪl.i/ (adjective) — Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
- landscape /ˈlan(d)skeɪp/ (noun) — A portion of land or territory as defined by its landform, its geographical (and architectural) features.
- explore /ɪkˈsploɹ/ (verb) — To examine or investigate something systematically.
- relax /ɹɪˈlæks/ (verb) — To make something loose.
- communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ (verb) — To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell.
- assignment /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ (noun) — The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks.
- jungle /ˈd͡ʒʌŋ.ɡ(ə)l/ (noun) — A large, lush, undeveloped, humid forest, especially in a tropical region, thick with vegetation and wildlife; a tropical rainforest.
- goat /ɡoʊt/ (noun) — Any ruminant of the genus Capra.
- curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ (noun) — Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- bring back /ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/ (verb) — To fetch something.
- fall in (verb) — To collapse inwards.
- get over (verb) — To overcome.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- sit in (verb) — To attend a class, educational presentation, meeting, etc. for one time, as a visitor.
- stand on (verb) — To continue following the same course.
- wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: photographer /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/, ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/, unforgettable /ˌʌnfə(ɹ)ˈɡɛtəbəl/
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 photographer, wildlife, viewer.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've read · have become |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most important · the most amazing |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | love taking · love being |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | you'll see · I'll gesture |
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.