Shadowing Practice: Rachel's First Associate Case | Suits - Learn English Speaking with Video

Enjoy the show.

Wow.

Rachel.

Lewis, hi.

I'm at the ballet.

Are you, uh, an aficionado?

Since I was a girl, yes.

Oh, me too.

I mean, uh, a boy.

I-I-I got that.

So you, um, you here with someone?

You know, Donna was supposed to come with me, and then she canceled at the last minute.

Well, you talked to her.

How is she?

No, I haven't.

I keep calling, but she just won't.

Can't answer.

I know.

I tried.

You tried?

Yeah.

Are you here with someone?

I'm alone.

I feel it's a better way to experience the dance, you know?

Too distracting to have to talk about it.

I just want to...

To feel it.

No, I...

I know.

Yeah.

Um, uh, I should probably get going.

Wait.

I have an extra ticket, third row.

Yeah, I'd like to buy a seat to my right, just as a precaution.

Yeah, I would love to.

Great.

Yeah, okay.

Magnificent.

Superb.

Riveting.

Outrageous.

Insulting.

Disgusting.

Don't let it ruin your evening.

I mean, I won't.

No. I won't.

Yeah.

Hey, asshole.

Why don't you have a little more respect for the...

Oh, my God, it's you.

Yes.

It is I.

Sergei Vascov.

I profaned at you.

I am so sorry.

No, no, no, please.

You're defending the ballet.

I was defending the ballet.

Our rehearsal space.

Two ballerinas sprained their ankles.

Well, that's why Kanye didn't dance tonight.

Sadly, yes.

The Royal Hall is beautiful, magnificent, but behind the scenes, they look with a blind eye.

Well, if I may be so bold, please, it would be my honor to right this wrong for you.

Oh, I could not impose.

Thank you so much.

Tenant disputes are my forte.

Please, allow me to be your nutcracker and join in the battle against the Mouse King.

The Mouse King?

Well, in that instance, then, I would be in your death, Mr. White.

It's actually Mr. Griffin.

Wonderful, thank you.

I need a list of everything that's wrong with the rehearsal space.

For example, the creaky floorboards that are affecting certain dancers' attitudes.

Well, you shouldn't let that get them down.

Attitude is a pose.

Oh, yeah, like striking an attitude.

Whatever, I do that all the time.

Okay, I also need a list of the ballet company principles.

Okay, integrity, fidelity, patriotism.

Not that kind of principle.

Okay, we're done.

How am I supposed to know?

Rachel, you've just been drafted.

Oh, but she's not even a- Not what?

She's not what, Harold.

Mrs. Zane not only knows more about ballet than you do, she also knows more about law. But...

Zip it.

My mind's been racing ever since we met Sergei yesterday, so I've dictated a to-do list for you to handle.

I'm on it.

Okay.

I did.

You wouldn't tell me.

Exactly, because if you had, I wouldn't know one anymore.

Mr. Spector, I'm Cameron, your assistant. Where are my...

Messages.

Urgent to ignoreable, top to bottom.

I also took it upon myself to fan the folders on your desk on your desk in alphabetical order.

100

Wow, look at that, Harvey.

101

He fanned your folders in an order of some sort.

102

I also reorganized your filing system and redid your calendar.

103

Ha, that is not gonna be a problem at all because Harvey loves change.

104

It was a train wreck.

105

Yep.

106

He's in mourning over your predecessor, her filing system, her calendar.

107

It's probably best that nothing else is different than the other this morning, okay?

108

Uh-oh.

109

Mike?

110

Yeah.

111

You might want to take an early lunch.

112

Yeah.

113

Oh, wow.

114

Harold, can I get the rest of the files on the ballet case?

115

Sure.

116

Let me grab them for you.

117

Thank you.

118

What is it about ballet?

119

I just, I don't get it, you know?

120

There's no, um, words, there's no story, there's no action.

121

It's just all... and... and, like...

122

I don't...

123

Will you just tell me that Louis isn't behind me?

124

Louis isn't behind you?

125

Hi.

126

Hi.

127

Penelope Cruz, Zoe Saldana, Audrey Hepburn.

128

What do they all have in common?

129

They're all hot?

130

No, dumbass.

131

They all owe their success to ballet because it gives them discipline and grace,

132

it embodies our emotions, It's breathtaking in its beauty, and most importantly, it expresses what cannot be put into words.

133

You want to get ahead here, Harold?

134

Take ballet, because right now, the only thing that's breathtaking about you can easily be put into words.

135

Nothing.

136

Now, relevate your ass back to work.

137

Hey.

138

You steady enough to break the house?

139

Uh, counting drinks.

140

Don't most people count cards?

141

It's a thing.

142

Ah, right there.

143

See that?

144

Drink number 15.

145

Your client?

146

That's awful.

147

No, no, no, no. It's good.

148

We're even putting him in rehab to help nullify his contract.

149

Touching.

150

Harvey truly cares about his clients.

151

My idea.

152

Well, you're really coming along.

153

What are you doing here so late?

154

Working with Louis.

155

I'm sorry? With Louis.

156

Associate work.

157

He replaced Harold with me.

158

Good for you.

159

Looks like you're really coming along.

160

Thank you, Mike.

161

You were here all night?

162

You said you wanted everything by this morning.

163

So here's everything on the lease agreements and all of the financials.

164

Oh, no. Sergey waltzed me through the financials earlier.

165

Did you know that he danced with Nuriav?

166

I did.

167

Also, I found this.

168

Lead paint?

169

Okay, this is excellent.

170

You can use it.

171

Use it?

172

We are going to pas de deux all over their asses with it.

173

We?

174

Get out.

175

Lastly, section 5, page 30, states that the Royal Hall is responsible for all maintenance and repairs of the rehearsal space.

176

Aware of what the lease says, Mr. Litt, having grafted it myself?

177

Okay, well then how do you explain this?

178

The Royal Hall's knowing failure to fix the air conditioning system has created a toxic environment.

179

Lead-based paint.

180

See, your disregard for the safety of your charges takes from a tenant dispute to a criminal action.

181

The fact that I will happily bring to the attention of the district attorney unless repairs are made yesterday.

182

Then you'll be exposing the ballet itself.

183

Because the terms require they cover all repairs from a special fund they stopped paying into a year ago.

184

No, no, no. Payments have been going on every month then perhaps you should figure out where they've been going in.

185

Because it's not here.

186

I'm sorry, I don't understand our financial records.

187

Mr. Litt, we were willing to look the other way, but since you have come in here and threatened me, I'm gonna take legal action of my own.

188

We'll be filing for eviction.

189

It's time the ballet moves on.

190

You wanted to see me?

191

It was Sergei.

192

He lied to me.

193

The money went into his account.

194

There's no way that you could have...

195

What, known?

196

It's my job to know.

197

God, I never take anyone at their word.

198

You know I was eight years old when I saw him perform the Nutcracker?

199

Eight.

200

Everybody else was into sports and I was this rebel gliding down my own path.

201

He inspired me, that's why I'm so light on my feet.

202

I just can't do it to him.

203

I cannot do it to him, Rachel.

204

He is the ballet.

205

No. The ballet is bigger than Sergei.

206

It embodies our emotions.

207

It is breathtaking in its beauty.

208

And most importantly, it expresses what cannot be put into words.

209

Yes, but...

210

No buts.

211

The Louis I know wouldn't be defeated by something like this.

212

He is ruthless.

213

He is mean.

214

And if someone wronged him, he wouldn't hesitate to tear them apart limb from limb.

215

You ruined everything.

216

I took your help and now we're evicted.

217

I want you to...

218

Shut up, Sergei.

219

How dare you?

220

Me.

221

You.

222

You brought disgrace to my beloved ballet.

223

I am the ballet.

224

You were the ballet, and now you're done.

225

And the Royal Hall had been paid.

226

How?

227

I reorganized accounts, moved money.

228

I did what I do.

229

I showed them how they can pay for everything by eliminating your bloated salary.

230

Well, the board would never agree, so it's ridiculous.

231

Stop.

232

It's why they're here, Sergey.

233

This isn't about the eviction.

234

They know what you've done.

235

They want to see your face when they tell you you're fired.

236

But I'm giving you one chance to avoid scandal.

237

My leaving is a scandal.

238

Your leaving is a gift.

239

Take it before I change my mind.

240

Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Rachel's First Associate Case”. This video has 240 sentences and 1426 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:21. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 37 of its 240 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
ballet noun	/bælˈeɪ/	A classical form of dance.
breathtaking adjective	/ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/	stunningly beautiful; amazing
rehearsal noun	/ɹɪˈhɝsl̩/	The practising of something which is to be performed before an audience, usually to test or improve the interaction between several participating people, or to…
embody verb	/ɪmˈbɒdi/	To represent in a physical or concrete form; to incarnate or personify.
eviction noun	/ɪˈvɪk.ʃən/	The act of evicting.
financials noun		Financial statements.
nutcracker noun	/ˈnʌtˌkɹækɚ/	An implement for cracking nuts.
reorganize verb		to organize something again, or in a different manner
limb noun	/lɪm/	A major appendage of human or animal, used for locomotion (such as an arm, leg or wing).
folder noun	/ˈfoʊldɚ/	An organizer that papers are kept in, usually with an index tab, to be stored as a single unit in a filing cabinet.
tenant noun	/ˈtɛ.nənt/	One who holds a lease (a tenancy).
magnificent adjective	/mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/	Grand, elegant or splendid in appearance.
importantly adverb	/ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/	Used to mark a statement as having importance.
scandal noun	/ˈskændəl/	An incident or event that disgraces or damages the reputation of the persons or organization involved.
lease noun	/liːs/	An interest in land granting exclusive use or occupation of real estate for a limited period; a leasehold.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come along verb		To accompany.
figure out verb		To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
get ahead verb		To advance toward success.
get out verb		To leave or escape.
shut up	/ʃʌt ʌp/	Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)…

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Are you, uh, an aficionado?
Are you here with someone?
How am I supposed to know?
Louis isn't behind you?
You steady enough to break the house?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result	if you had, I wouldn't know · if someone wronged him, he wouldn't hesitate
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	been drafted · cannot be put · be put
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've just been drafted · I've dictated · has created

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: breathtaking /ˈbɹɛθˌteɪ.kɪŋ/, ruthless /ˈɹuːθləs/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: eviction /ɪˈvɪk.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, aficionado /əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑː.dəʊ/, precaution /pɹiːˈkɔ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: magnificent /mæɡˈnɪfəsənt/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, aficionado /əˌfɪʃ.(j)əˈnɑː.dəʊ/, alphabetical /ˌæl.fəˈbɛt.ɪ.kəl/, patriotism /ˈpeɪtɹi.əˌtɪzəm/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like ballet, breathtaking, rehearsal.

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 →

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?