Shadowing Practice: Phone manners - Intermediate ESL Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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so I'm here with Angela and in a previous interview we were talking about kids
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and technology and devices and how these days often people look at their device
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when they're with another person how do you feel about
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that like if you're eating with somebody you're at dinner is it okay to check your phone
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We have a rule in our house, no phones at the table.
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Very nice.
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Absolutely no phones.
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Because you know, you see people, they meet in restaurants, they sit around a table, the food comes, but everybody's looking into their phone
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and engaging with whatever they're doing on their phone and not talking to the people who have met them.
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And you see people walking on the subway, the street, head in their phone.
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It's, you know...
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It is crazy.
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It's really sad.
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And if you think about it, we used to have, you know, manners, things you couldn't do.
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For example, no elbows on the table, no hats inside the house I mean it sounds silly
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but I remember those rules as a kid you know the one
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that was really hard was the no elbows on the table yeah
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so it's interesting
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that we don't have new rules like we should reinvent them
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like you can't have your phone on during the plane
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when it takes off so your rule is a really good idea yeah
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so you're an English teacher what do you think about phones in the classroom
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if they're on a break I always call it their text break
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because when I'm teaching English out here I find
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that people have got their phone to their hand
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and maybe they're googling a word or something
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so it's not not too much of a distraction but
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when you stop them for a break as soon as you
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say let's have a break now they're all out with their phones
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and they're sitting individually looking at their phones and it's silence I know you mean like I'll I'll teach.
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And it used to be you would say, okay, take a break.
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And it would be really loud.
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They would start talking with each other.
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And these days, it's just silence.
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They just go and they do that motion of just flicking with their finger as they're scrolling down.
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And I know I just sound like some old guy.
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Hey, get off my lawn.
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And I have the same problem.
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I want to check my phone all the time.
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But I have to admit, it's strange, I think.
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Yes, yes.
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And now you need to even check your phone.
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You can just look at your Apple Watch or your watch on your wrist.
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It's going to tell you if your phone needs your attention.
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Well, it used to be where I would say things like, you know, as a teacher, you're teaching, and you can see if a student's looking down at their phone.
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Yes.
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And I would say, hey, don't check your phone.
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But now these days, kids actually call me on it.
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They're like, oh, I'm looking up a word, or oh, I'm checking something.
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And they literally are checking something.
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And the kids are good at using their phone as a learning tool.
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Yes, I think that's fine.
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So it's a gray area these days.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So when you're with somebody, you never pop out your phone.
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I would admit that I would be guilty of checking my phone in my bag, but I would never get it out and go on Facebook or Instagram and stop Instagramming.
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I would just look at it and put it away.
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Yeah.
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There's other things I've done.
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I mean, it could be because I'm getting older.
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But, for example, I try not to listen to my iPod so much anymore or my phone, radio, music, whatever.
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I actually just try to listen.
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I notice that when I'm always listening to everything, I kind of tune the world out and I might miss things.
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You will miss things.
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And, you know, you see people, I've been quite tempted some days to put my earphones in and walk to the BTS.
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But actually I think, no, you'd miss the traffic noise, you'd miss the tuk-tuks, you'd miss a dimension of the world that's happening around you.
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And then you get on the BTS and everybody in the carriage is head down in the same position on their phones.
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yeah
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and actually I don't do it just for that reason
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because I notice that I'm missing out it's so tempting but I might see something
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 71 sentences and 772 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:00. The speaker talks fast, about 193 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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:
- silence /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ (noun) — The absence of any sound.
- elbow /ˈɛlboʊ̯/ (noun) — The joint between the upper arm and the forearm.
- finger /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ (noun) — A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other…
- gray /ɡɹeɪ/ (adjective) — Of a color between black and white, having neutral hue and intermediate brightness.
- silly /ˈsɪl.i/ (adjective) — Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance.
- engage /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied.
- tune /tjuːn/ (noun) — A melody.
- classroom /ˈklɑːsɹʊm/ (noun) — A room, often in a school, where classes take place.
- subway /ˈsʌbˌweɪ/ (noun) — An underground railway, especially for mass transit of people in urban areas.
- dimension /daɪˈmɛn.ʃən/ (noun) — A single aspect of a given thing.
- wrist /ɹɪst/ (noun) — The complex joint between forearm bones, carpus, and metacarpals where the hand is attached to the arm; the carpus in a narrow sense.
- lawn /lɔːn/ (noun) — Ground (generally in front of or around a house) covered with grass kept closely mown.
- individually /ˌɪndɪˈvɪd͡ʒ(u)əli/ (adverb) — As individuals, separately, independently.
- scroll /skɹoʊl/ (noun) — A roll of paper or parchment; a writing formed into a roll.
- carriage /ˈkæɹɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — The act of conveying; carrying.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
- get off (verb) — To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it.
- get on (verb) — To board or mount (something), especially a vehicle.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- look into (verb) — To investigate, explore, or consider.
- look up /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To have better prospects.
- miss out (verb) — To miss an experience or lose an opportunity, etc. that should not be missed.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 32 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dimension /daɪˈmɛn.ʃən/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/
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 silence, elbow, finger.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to have · used to be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have met · I've done · I've been |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might miss · might see |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | start talking · stop Instagramming |
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.