Shadowing Practice: Phil and Claire Did Not Come to This Graduation to Lose (Clip) | Modern Family | TBS - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Another record month.
2
Well, thank you. You're the greatest butler on earth.
3
I gotta run.
4
Phil! Skip!
5
You son of a gun, how the hell are you?
6
Great, great. Business is better than ever.
7
How about you?
8
Did you finally get real cutouts?
9
I don't know what you're talking about.
10
Mine are so realistic and 3D, you must have been laughing at one of them like an idiot.
11
How crazy is that, we ran into each other's shopping?
12
Say, how are your kids?
13
Terrific. Yeah, June just took a job at the Container Store.
14
Impressive. I have a kid that's interested in space as well, considering a job at, at NASA, actually.
15
Yeah, he looks like he's got the right stuff.
16
No, I was talking about my daughter.
17
Hey, Dad, Dad guess what?
18
The twins started kicking the second I picked up booze.
19
They're my kids, right?
20
My other daughter.
21
Is it too much for Dylan to let me know where he is? My water could literally break any minute.
22
Am I okay sitting here, or am I in a SeaWorld Splash Zone situation?
23
Claire, your old high school nemesis, Ashley Walls, did she have a daughter?
24
I don't think so. Why?
25
Well, that woman over there looks just like Ashley. But it can't be. She looks happier.
26
Beauty. Ashley Walls.
27
She outdid me at everything.
28
Homecoming queen, field hockey captain, and the summer before we went away to college, she beat me out for an internship at Pritchett's Closets.
29
Claire? Hi.
30
I wanna say, Ashley?
31
Yes. How are you?
32
Hi, Ashley Walls Carnegie.
33
Philip Humphrey Dunphy.
34
So, what have you been up to Ashley?
35
Well, I'm a personal injury lawyer.
36
I have a buddy that makes bank for that.
37
He's not a lawyer, he just tries to get nice cars to hit him.
38
Yeah, he's just kidding.
39
- No, I'm not mom. In fact... - Here, have a candy.
40
Well, that was rude. I just ran into my old health teacher, and she said she always expected to see me pregnant at graduation.
41
Congratulations.
42
Oh, thanks, twins.
43
Sorry I'd be a lot happier about it if I could track their father down.
44
Candy. Look, it's your brother, Mitch.
45
Now he was always a little uptight, wasn't he?
46
Well, he was in high school, - but now he's just the most... - Look you have one job today, young lady, okay, to be supportive.
47
If your dad makes a joke, you will laugh. If he makes a speech, you will what? Applaud.
48
Right. I'm gonna go find my seat.
49
But it was great catching up with you, Claire.
50
No one would blame you if you mentioned you had a daughter graduating from Caltech today.
51
Honey, the moment has passed.
52
I need a pretty good reason to just go waltzing over there, and, she forgot her Program!
53
Yes! - Hey, Claire, you know how you're my go to gal? - Busy.
54
If mathematics doesn't matter, then no one can be certain of anything.
55
And then I've just wasted the last four no sixteen years of my life, and there's no point in me graduating.
56
Okay, I can tell that you're very upset, and you're probably really overtired from finals.
57
But you are gonna regret it if you don't go to graduation.
58
Look, I promise, whatever is bothering you, figure it out after the ceremony. - After?
59
Yes. After implies before.
60
But if one minute ago is the same as zero minutes ago, then before is now, and now is after.
61
Usually when I hear people talking like this are walking through a Taco Bell drive thru.
62
Sweetie, half your life is having your mind blown.
63
I remember when I heard there are more stars in the galaxy than grains of rice in a box of Uncle Ben's.
64
No, there are more galaxies than grains of sand on all the world's beaches.
65
Okay, I can't lose them both.
66
I got this, Alex.
67
I never knew true strength until I met a man with no feet.
68
Wait, no, these cards are not in order.
69
Wait, nobody help her right now!
70
Alex, you're a smart, confident girl.
71
I know that you're gonna make the right decision.
72
Did you just put this watch on me?
73
I have a problem.
74
I say if Alex doesn't want to go to her graduation, that's her decision.
75
Thank you. Luke.
76
As long as you know that whatever's going on here isn't about math.
77
Yeah, I think maybe you're afraid to leave school.
78
What? But your whole life, you've always known exactly what you're supposed to do.
79
Study, get good grades, repeat.
80
Now that's over, and it's scary.
81
Kind of like if zero equaled one.
82
Well, lucky for you, your dummy brother and sister have spent time in the real world.
83
And if we can handle it, you're gonna do just fine.
84
You think? Trust us.
85
Come on, let's go get you graduated!
86
Hold on, that door gets jammed.
87
I have to open it from the inside.
88
I got it. Legend Danner.
89
I still can't get over that commencement speech.
90
Not a single laugh.
91
I'll tell you one element he didn't discover.
92
Hilarioum. Alex Dunphy.
93
We don't want to brag, but, our kids did that.
94
Yeah.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This clip from Modern Family serves as a fantastic resource for English learners looking to improve their conversational skills. The interaction between Phil and his acquaintances showcases real-life speech that is relevant and relatable. By watching and repeating the dialogue, learners can engage in shadowing, where they mimic the speakers to enhance their ability to articulate thoughts clearly.

Practicing with this video can particularly assist in developing fluency and confidence in speaking English. Situations like these often arise in daily life, so familiarizing oneself with conversational nuances will help learners effectively navigate similar discussions. Additionally, it’s an excellent opportunity for IELTS speaking practice since the informal but structured dialogue reflects the kind of natural conversation that may be encountered in language proficiency tests.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the transcript, several key grammatical structures and expressions are utilized. Here are a few that English learners should pay attention to:

  • “Did you finally get real cutouts?” - This structure uses the past simple tense effectively to inquire about a change or achievement over time.
  • “That woman over there looks just like Ashley.” - This sentence illustrates how to make comparisons using the present simple tense, which is essential for descriptive conversations.
  • “I’ve got the right stuff.” - Here, the present perfect is used to convey possession, an important aspect of expressing personal feelings and thoughts.
  • “You will what?” - This example shows how to use the future simple tense to encourage someone to fulfill expectations, a useful expression for giving instructions.

By practicing these expressions, learners can improve their English speaking skills and apply them in various contexts, enhancing both their vocabulary and confidence in conversation.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you practice speaking along with the video, watch out for certain words and phrases that may offer challenges in pronunciation:

  • “Terrific” – Many learners may struggle with this word's initial syllable; emphasize the 'te' sound to avoid blending it with 'terr'.
  • “Congratulations” – This longer word often trips up learners; break it down into syllables to practice the flow and rhythm.
  • “Personal injury lawyer” – The linking of words in this phrase can be tricky; practice minimizing pauses between words to achieve a smoother pronunciation.

Using this video as part of a shadowing site practice, learners can focus on these aspects to improve English pronunciation significantly. Repetition and careful listening will make these tricky phrases more manageable over time, enhancing overall speaking performance.

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.