Shadowing Practice: Practice Speaking & Reading Out Loud With This English Shadowing Exercise - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hello everyone and welcome!
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Hello everyone and welcome!
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The goal of this video is to help you practice listening in English.
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And if you want, you can also practice shadowing.
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That means you repeat along with me.
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Pause the video after each phrase and say it out loud.
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Today I have a short and funny story for you.
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It is about a girl who just arrived in Los Angeles, California.
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She wants to study English and live new experiences,
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but one day, something unusual happens when she takes the bus.
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Do you want to know what happened?
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Listen carefully to this story.
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Are you ready?
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Let's begin.
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I am in Los Angeles,
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and I have only been here for a few days.
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Everything feels new, and every day brings a new challenge.
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I am here to study English,
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and I feel both excited and nervous.
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My brother tells me that life here is fast,
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and I must learn quickly.
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He usually drives me to my English school and takes me back home after class.
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That makes me feel safe because I do not know the city very well yet.
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But today is different.
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My brother calls me in the morning and says, I am sorry.
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I cannot pick you up after class.
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I have to work late.
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I say yes, but inside my mind I think,
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what do I do now?
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I have never gone home alone and I do not know the streets.
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My classmates tell me, take the bus, it is easy.
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Easy?
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Maybe for them, but not for me.
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Still, I tell myself I must be brave.
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I repeat again and again, I can do this.
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When class finishes, I walk outside and look for the bus stop.
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The bus comes, and I get on.
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At first, I feel proud.
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I think this is my first real step alone in this city.
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I listen to the stops,
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and I count them in my head.
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One stop, two stops, three stops.
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My heart beats fast because I do not want to miss the right one.
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Suddenly I think, is this my stop?
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I'm not sure, but I decide to trust my guess.
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I step out.
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The bus leaves.
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I look around and then I realize something is not right.
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Where am I?
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Did I get off too early?
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My mind fills with questions.
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I feel a mix of fear and excitement.
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Maybe this will be easy.
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Or maybe this will be a big mistake.
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What do you think happens next?
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I stand on the street and I try to understand where I am.
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I say to myself, this is not the right place.
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I think maybe I get off too early,
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but I do not want to believe it.
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I start walking and I tell myself that the house must be close.
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One minute passes, then two minutes, then five.
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The houses look the same to me in my mind,
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but the street names are not the ones I remember.
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I stop and think, maybe the next corner will be familiar.
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I continue walking, but nothing changes.
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I whisper, am I lost?
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I think about waiting for another bus,
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but I do not know which bus number to take.
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I imagine myself waiting for hours and then still not finding the way home.
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I say, no, I must keep going.
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Walking is better.
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So I continue and I start counting the blocks.
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One block, two blocks, three blocks.
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Each block feels longer than the last.
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My feet begin to feel heavy and I laugh to myself because I remember when my brother said,
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the bus is the easiest way.
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Easy?
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Not today.
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Suddenly, I hear my phone ring.
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It is my brother.
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He says, where are you?
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I just finished work early.
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I can meet you.
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My face feels hot, even if he cannot see me.
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I answer, I got off the bus too early.
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I thought it was the right stop, but it was not.
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I am walking home now.
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He laughs and says, why did you not wait for another bus?
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I do not know what to answer.
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I only say, I thought it was faster.
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But deep inside, I know the truth.
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I am lost and I do not want him to know how lost I really am.
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I end the call and keep walking.
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Will I finally see something familiar or will I keep walking forever?
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I keep walking and I try to remember the map in my mind.
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I think the house is close,
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but every street I pass feels strange.
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I count again.
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10 minutes walking, 15 minutes walking.
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I start to feel that I am not going home,
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but going in circles.
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I say to myself, this cannot be true.
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Did I really make such a big mistake?
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Then another thought comes.
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Maybe I passed the house already.
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Maybe I am now even farther away.
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I stop and feel a little panic.
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Should I call my brother again?
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If I call, he will know I am completely lost.
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I do not want him to think I cannot do something so simple.
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I tell myself, no, I must solve this alone.
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I continue, and finally I see a sign with a name that looks familiar.
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My heart jumps, but when I read it again,
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I notice it is not the same name.
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It only looks similar.
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I feel both hope and disappointment at the same time.
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I laugh nervously and whisper, why me?
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Then my phone rings again.
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It is my brother.
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This time his voice is serious.
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He says, Tell me where you are right now.
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I look around and try to find a clue.
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I see a small store with a big number.
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I read the number to him.
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He is quiet for a moment.
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Then he says, You are still two stops away from home.
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You got off much too early.
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I close my eyes and cannot believe it.
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Two stops?
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That means a long walk.
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He offers to pick me up,
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but I shake my head even if he cannot see me.
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I answer.
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No, I want to continue walking.
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I need to learn.
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Inside, I wonder if I am brave or just stubborn.
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The walk feels endless now.
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Will I make it home on my own?
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Or will I finally ask for help?
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I keep walking and I try to stay positive.
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I tell myself, just a little more, just a little more.
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But every step feels like 10 steps.
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My feet feel heavy and I start to imagine that they are no longer feet,
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but two big stones.
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I laugh alone because the situation is so strange.
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I think, I only wanted to go home.
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Why is this so difficult?
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After what feels like forever,
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I finally see the right street.
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My heart feels lighter and I almost want to shout, Yes!
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I made it!
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I walk faster and at last I see the house.
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I cannot believe it.
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I am home.
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My brother is already waiting at the door.
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He looks at me and asks,
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Why did you not wait for me?
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Why did you not take another bus?
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I do not know what to say.
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So I simply answer, I thought I could do it alone.
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He starts laughing and says,
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Now you will never forget the right stop.
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I laugh too, because it is true.
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That night I sit down and think about the day.
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I feel tired, but I also feel proud.
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I did not give up,
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even when I was lost.
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I learned that mistakes are part of learning.
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I tell myself, today I learned two lessons.
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First, always check the bus stop.
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Second, do not be afraid of mistakes because they make you stronger.
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I smile and whisper, next time I will get it right.
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When I think about this story, I realize something important.
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In the story, I get off the bus too early.
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I feel lost, but I decided to keep walking.
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That is the same with English.
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Sometimes we feel lost when we listen to a conversation.
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We hear many words, but we do not catch them all.
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Still, we must keep listening.
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Sometimes we feel lost when we try to speak.
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The words do not come fast and our sentences feel slow.
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Still, we must keep talking.
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The important thing is to keep moving forward.
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At the end of the story, I finally arrive home.
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I am tired, but I feel proud.
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In the same way, when we practice English,
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Maybe we feel tired, but every small step makes us stronger.
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We learn new words, new expressions,
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and little by little we become more confident.
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The message is simple, so do not stop.
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Keep listening, keep repeating, keep speaking.
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Your home is your English goal and you will get there.
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Language Takeaway Vocabulary from today's story.
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Alright, my friend, let's take a little more time with today's words and phrases.
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The goal is simple.
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Understand them, remember them, and use them in real life.
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The first one is, I have only been here.
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This is an example of the present perfect tense.
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We use it to talk about something that started in the past and continues until now.
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When I say, I have only been here,
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I mean my time in this place is short,
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and it is still happening.
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The action is not finished.
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For example, I have only been here for one week.
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That means, one week ago I arrived and I am still here now.
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Another example, I have been here since Monday.
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That means from Monday until now, I am still here.
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Repeat after me.
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I have only been here.
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Say it again.
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I have only been here.
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Next phrase.
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He usually drives me to my English school.
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The key part here is drives me.
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The verb drive means to control a car.
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When I say he drives me,
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it means he takes me in the car to a place.
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So, he drives me to school means he uses the car and I go with him.
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This is something we use a lot in daily life.
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For example, my mom drives me to the supermarket.
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Or, my friend drives me to work every morning.
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You can also use it with other subjects.
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I drive my brother to the gym.
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Repeat after me.
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He drives me.
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Say it again.
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Drives me to school.
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Another phrase is, I cannot pick you up after class.
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The phrasal verb pick up is very common.
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It means go somewhere and take a person or a thing with you.
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For example, if I say,
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I will pick you up at the airport,
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it means I go to the airport,
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meet you there, and take you home in my car.
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Or if I say, can you pick me up at the bus stop?
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It means please come and take me from that place.
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You can also use it with objects.
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I pick up the package from the post office.
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Repeat after me.
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Pick you up.
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Say it again.
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Pick me up.
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Now listen.
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I have never gone home alone.
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This is also present perfect.
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The word never makes it strong.
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It means not one time,
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zero times in all my life until now.
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So if I say, I have never gone home alone,
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it means it has not happened before.
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Not even once.
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Other examples, I have never eaten sushi.
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That means in all my life until now,
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I have not tried sushi.
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Or, she has never traveled by plane.
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That means she has not had that experience.
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Repeat after me.
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I have never gone home alone.
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Say it again.
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I have never gone home alone.
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Here is a question from the story.
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Did I get off too early?
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The phrasal verb get off means to leave a bus,
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a train, or a plane.
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If you are on the bus and the bus stops when you go out of the bus,
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you get off.
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For example, I get off the bus at the last stop.
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Or, he gets off the train at the station.
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You can also ask, where do you get off?
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That means, what is your stop?
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Repeat after me.
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Get off.
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Say it again.
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Did I get off too early?
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And the last one is,
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you got off much too early.
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Here, the important part is much too early.
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When we say too early,
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it means before the correct time.
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But when we say much too early,
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it means really, really early.
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Not just a little mistake, but a big one.
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For example, I arrived much too early for the party.
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That means maybe the party starts at 7,
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but I came at 5.
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Or, she finished the test much too early.
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That means she stopped quickly, probably before everyone else.
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Repeat after me.
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Much too early.
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Say it again.
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You got off much too early.
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Challenge for you.
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You… try to use at least two or three of these phrases today.
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You can tell a friend,
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pick me up after work,
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or you can say, I have never gone to that restaurant.
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Remember, every time you use them,
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they become part of your English.
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And that's it for today, my friend.
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You now know some useful phrases from our story,
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phrases you can practice and use in real life.
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But we are not stopping here,
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because in the next video,
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I'm going to share more phrases that look simple, but can be tricky.
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Sometimes they sound very normal,
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but if you use them in the wrong way,
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people might get confused or even laugh.
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Trust me, you don't want that to happen.
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In fact, there is one phrase that many English learners use almost every day.
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But in some situations, it can sound a little… strange.
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Do you want to know what it is?
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Click on the next video right here and find out.
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I promise, after you watch it,
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you will feel more confident and you will avoid some funny misunderstandings.
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See you there!
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About This Lesson
Welcome to your English speaking practice session! In this lesson, you'll engage in a shadowing exercise based on a relatable story. Shadowing is an effective technique where you repeat phrases after the speaker, which helps enhance your listening skills and improve English pronunciation. By the end of this exercise, you will feel more confident as you tackle real-life scenarios, just like the girl navigating her new experiences in Los Angeles. Get ready to listen, repeat, and practice speaking out loud!
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Excited: feeling very happy and enthusiastic.
- Nervous: feeling anxious or apprehensive.
- Bus stop: a designated place where buses pick up and drop off passengers.
- Count: to determine the total by saying numbers in order.
- Trust your guess: to believe in your own judgment or intuition.
- Challenge: a difficult task or situation that requires effort to overcome.
- Proud: feeling deep pleasure or satisfaction from one’s own achievements.
- Reality: the state of things as they actually exist.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this shadowing exercise, here are some tailored tips:
- Listen Carefully: Pay close attention to the speaker's tone and rhythm. The way you hear words can greatly influence your own pronunciation. Focus on mimicking the way phrases are articulated.
- Pause and Repeat: Use the built-in pause feature after each phrase. Give yourself a moment to repeat what you heard. This practice will help you maintain pace and improve your fluency naturally.
- Slow It Down: If the story feels fast, don’t hesitate to adjust the playback speed. Slowing down can provide better clarity as you practice shadowing.
- Record Yourself: Try recording your voice while you practice speaking. Listening back to your recordings will help identify areas for improvement and build your confidence.
- Immerse Yourself: Use shadowing apps or tools that enable you to practice with various audio materials. The more you expose yourself to different English accents and styles, the better your pronunciation will become.
Remember, regular practice is key. Each time you shadow, you take a step towards fluently expressing yourself in English. Let’s get started and enjoy the journey together!
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.
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