Shadowing Practice: Quit before it ruins you... - Learn English Speaking with Video

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50 sentences

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I hate fucking social media.

In 2013, people wanted me to write my book.

I did it in 2018.

Took five years.

And the reason why I didn't do it, I sat at the table and Jennifer was there.

This is before she started working for me.

I started dating or whatever.

And all these people were there.

And they're like, man, you gotta go on social media.

And I was like, fuck you, man.

Like, I'm not, it's poison.

it's poison because i knew what i did to get where i am

and i'm gonna have these people these normal everyday people fat lazy is exactly who i was judging me

because i know it

because i was once them all my hard work all my dedication

i'm gonna have some normal dude get his little brownies little ding -dong ho -ho Twinkie sit

there with his coffee picking me apart oh

he must be unhappy he's do you know how hard

it is to put these shoes on every damn morning i don't have you pick me apart

so yeah there's there's a there's so much that goes into this that i was like this

i never want anything to do with it video games video games guys this is

One more thing is like right now in the world, like killing our young generation.

You know why, guys?

Because they spent hours and hours with video games.

This is kill your brain, you know, like...

like maybe this year maybe this year 2022

i play maybe one hour in all one maybe two hours okay let's say two hours

but i like i like video games but i say no

because because you you kill your time most important thing okay you can buy whatever video game around the world

but you're never gonna buy time you know and like for young guys

when you're 14 15 every minute every minute is important

you know this is like it's very very important like don't spend like time like hours

and hours with video games that's why people love to go on there

because they want to show you the good side of life I'm not teaching good side of life

so I had to figure out a way

when I came out in 2016 of teaching you what life really is for the majority of us is hell.

And so while people love to show you the cars and the house and the vacations and shit, all that's good, all that's happy,

I'm going to show you this side that I know most you're going through.

And people hide very well.

I don't want to hide anymore.

I hid for 24 fucking years.

so that's why now i told you we can talk about whatever you want

because as human beings the one the first thing we have to learn i also started real bad growing up

so if you hear me stutter every now and then it's

because that was part of my life also

so it's funny human beings want to show you the best side

and they want to hide the worst side for me i'm going to teach you how to be vulnerable

because that's the only way you fix yourself you don't fix yourself by coming out here

and me selling you some fucking books

that's what people need people need to believe there's a hope for a better life out there

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Quit before it ruins you..”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: hour, hide, whatever. This video has 50 sentences and 573 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:44. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
poison noun	/ˈpɔɪ.zən/	A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
everyday adjective	/ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/	Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions.
vacation noun	/veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/	An extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure.
lazy adjective	/ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/	Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion.
shoe noun	/ˈʃu/	A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
vulnerable adjective	/ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/	More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally.
unhappy adjective	/ʌnˈhæpi/	Not happy; sad.
dedication noun	/ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/	The act of dedicating or the state of being dedicated.
dong noun	/dɔŋ/	The currency of Vietnam, 100 xus. Symbol: ₫
brownie noun	/ˈbɹaʊni/	A small square piece of rich cake, usually made with chocolate.
stutter noun	/ˈstʌtɚ/	A speech disorder characterized by stuttering.
teach verb	/ˈtiːt͡ʃ/	To pass on knowledge to.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
come out in verb		to be afflicted by (a visible disruption of the body)
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
grow up verb		To mature and become an adult.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, dedication /ˌdɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/

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 poison, everyday, vacation.

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: Quit before it ruins you... - Learn English Speaking with Video

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