Shadowing Practice: Personal Best A2 Learning Curve Unit 11 pt. 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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79 sentences
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So today I'm making reservations.
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My colleagues from Learning Curve
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and I are going to a big social media meeting in a small town about 300 miles from New York.
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There's only one hotel there.
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It's called the Lucky Penny.
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I just bought my airline ticket, so now I'm going to book my hotel room.
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The standard room is very cheap.
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Penny didn't like the name of this hotel very much.
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Well, the hotel's website is down today, so I have to call them to book my room.
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Here goes.
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Good afternoon.
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This is the Lucky Penny Hotel.
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How can I help you?
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Hello.
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I'd like to make a reservation, please.
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One standard room for two nights.
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Arriving on May 11th.
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Sure.
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Could I have your name, please?
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Ethan Moore.
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That's M -O -O -R -E.
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Okay.
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Thank you.
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Did you say one room for one night?
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No. One standard room for two nights.
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Oh, right.
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Sorry.
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Okay, you're booked for May 11th, checking out on May 13th.
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Is that correct?
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Yes, thank you.
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Oh, um, do you have a pool?
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Yes, we do.
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Our pool opens at 6 a .m and closes at 9 p .m.
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Great.
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And, um, is breakfast included?
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No, I'm sorry.
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You have to pay for breakfast, but we serve it from 6 .30 to 10 .30 in our dining room.
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Thank you very much.
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Um, I'm with the social media group.
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Is there a discount for that?
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Yes, there is.
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We have a great discount for the deluxe rooms.
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Oh, that's okay.
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The standard room is fine.
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That's great.
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Okay, you have a reservation for May 11th.
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See you then.
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Well, that was easy.
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Let's just hope the Lucky Penny is a good place to stay.
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Welcome to the Lucky Penny Hotel.
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Checking in?
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Hello, yes.
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I booked a room under the name of Abernathy.
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Penny Abernathy.
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Sorry, did you say
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Penny like this hotel?
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Yes, Penny.
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Could you spell your surname, please?
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A -B -E -R -N -A -T -H -Y.
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Thank you.
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Could I have your identification and credit card please?
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Here you are.
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And could you sign this form please?
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Right here.
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Do you have a pen?
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Sure.
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And here is your credit card and passport.
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That's with the discount, right?
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Yes.
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You use the code?
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Discount for you, May 11.
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OK.
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Here's your room key.
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You have a deluxe room, room 704.
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Great, thank you.
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And that's on...?
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The seventh floor.
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Right.
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Thanks.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Personal Best A2 Learning Curve Unit 11 pt. 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Penny, hotel, discount, Lucky, standard. This video has 79 sentences and 404 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:20. The speaker talks at a steady 121 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 16 of its 79 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| discount noun | /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ | A reduction in price. |
| reservation noun | /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/ | The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back. |
| deluxe adjective | /dəˈlʌks/ | Very fine in quality or luxurious. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| spell noun | /spɛl/ | Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. |
| seventh adjective | /ˈsɛvənθ/ | The ordinal form of the number seven. |
| identification noun | /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/ | The act of identifying (i.e., which one, which thing). |
| passport noun | /ˈpæspɔɹt/ | An official document normally used for international journeys, which proves the identity and nationality of the person for whom it was issued. |
| airline noun | /ˈɛɹˌlaɪn/ | A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| dine verb | /daɪn/ | To eat; to eat dinner or supper. |
| surname noun | /ˈsɝˌneɪm/ | The portion of a person's name that is generally hereditary or treated as an indicator of a person's family, which may be shared with other members of the… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How can I help you?
- Could I have your name, please?
- Did you say one room for one night?
- Could you spell your surname, please?
- Could I have your identification and credit card please?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, identification /aɪˌdɛn(t)ɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/
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 discount, reservation, deluxe.
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.