Shadowing Practice: Photo Etiquette - Intermediate ESL Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video

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okay here's another thing it's a little bit impolite what about looking at other people's monitor over their shoulder

because you just mentioned the BTS one thing I have to admit is

because I don't have my phone out

and I am looking around I have a tendency to see

when I check and see what's on everybody's phone

and it's total intrusion it's creepy in a way but it's also

because in Asia I'm a little bit taller than the average person

so I'm looking down and I can see everybody's monitor

and um yeah do you ever find yourself doing

that too i do yeah but like you i think i think it's impolite right

so you gotta pull away i know

i shouldn't do it um do you know the worst thing

with phones these days um the worst thing from my point of view is the amount of pictures

that people take of themselves everywhere on the bts on the subway eating

i've been to s21 in cambodia where those poor people were slaughtered basically

and there are people in front of pictures of these people who were killed

and they are just literally taking selfies themselves you know this world isn't about you yeah it's sometimes just stop and look

and listen yeah the selfie thing i did a little bit

sometimes i would do it almost like it's sending a postcard yeah

you know what i mean like oh look i'm here

but i have to admit yeah i don't really like doing it yeah

and i take it the shot again the shot again i use selfies um in a group

because i think they're fun it's actually quite fun to see one person in the front

and the rest of the back yes

and it usually means i can get further back in the photograph

so that's that's always a good thing oh that's yeah that's true

so but you that's good

that you admit you do some selfies yeah yeah yeah with groups

and you know

if i'm taking a group in the class

i'll get one of them to take the photograph yeah what

about the mild pet peeve of mine not a pet peeve

but people taking photos of their food

i don't know why it's a thing eat it yeah exactly enjoy

it enjoy the memory you know it's been it's interesting you you said

that about cambodia um a woman a group of women once said something

that was really like uh just a spear in the heart really made me think

i was in cambodia this was years ago

and i was at um encore at batong bayong

or i can't say it right but where they have the beautiful face sculptures

and i'm like oh i gotta i gotta get a photo

and so there's a woman just sitting there relaxed she was maybe french

or something she was european and she's like oh you want me to take your photo

and i go yeah yeah yeah

so then she takes it she takes my photo this is before like cell phone cameras

and then i'm like okay

i have to reciprocate like oh would you like me to take a photo of you she's like no

i'm like you don't have a camera she goes no

and she just points at her head and she taps her head like this

and she goes it's all up here yeah

and i was like wow like she was really kind of like you know politely saying like just

i'm never gonna

and i've never forgotten how those things look i've never forgotten her sitting on the rock

when she said that so wise advice i think yeah i think

so now actually you are in photography do you think

that actually taking so many I'm sorry you have a photography business do you think

that actually taking so many photographs lessens the value of the art of photography

and really appreciating a good picture yes I think it does

and I think that a lot of the apps and the things

that you can use these days to improve photographs take away

the real skill of the photographer using the light using the

lines using what's in photograph to make a really good shot i think people miss

that these days yeah that is true

anyway and the uh so today no no no using your phone no i did hear it go

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Photo Etiquette - Intermediate ESL Listening”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: photograph, photo, selfie, cambodia, photography. This video has 64 sentences and 757 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:51. The speaker talks fast, about 197 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
photograph noun	/ˈfoʊ.təˌɡɹæf/	A picture created by projecting an image onto a photosensitive surface such as a chemically treated plate or film, CCD receptor, etc.
selfie noun	/ˈsɛlfi/	A photographic self-portrait, especially one taken manually (not using a timer, tripod etc.) with a small camera or mobile phone.
photography noun	/fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/	The art and technology of producing images on photosensitive surfaces, and its digital counterpart.
monitor noun	/ˈmɑ.nɪ.tɚ/	Someone who watches over something; a person in charge of something or someone.
skill noun	/skɪl/	A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
relax verb	/ɹɪˈlæks/	To make something loose.
photographer noun	/fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/	One who takes photographs, typically as an occupation.
mild adjective	/ˈmaɪld/	Gentle and not easily angered
subway noun	/ˈsʌbˌweɪ/	An underground railway, especially for mass transit of people in urban areas.
creepy adjective	/ˈkɹipi/	Moving by creeping along.
tendency noun	/ˈtɛn.dən.si/	A likelihood of behaving in a particular way or going in a particular direction; a tending toward.
sculpture noun	/ˈskʌlpt͡ʃɚ/	A three-dimensional work of art created by shaping malleable objects and letting them harden or by chipping away pieces from a rock (sculpting).
slaughter noun	/ˈslɔːtə/	The killing of animals, generally for food.
spear noun	/spɪə̯(ɹ)/	A long stick with a sharp tip used as a weapon for throwing or thrusting, or anything used to make a thrusting motion.
impolite adjective	/ɪmpəˈlaɪt/	Not polite; discourteous; not of polished manners; wanting in good manners.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
look around verb		To inspect a building or area.
look down verb		To lower one's eyes; to direct one's look downwards.
pull away verb		To move ahead.
take away verb	/ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/	To remove something and put it in a different place.

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 been · it's been · i've never forgotten
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were slaughtered · were killed

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: photography /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/, photographer /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/, reciprocate /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/

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 photograph, selfie, photography.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Photo Etiquette - Intermediate ESL Listening - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?