Shadowing Practice: Read in English with me - Beginner Short Story "Job Interview" - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Welcome back to Learn English with Camille.
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I am Camille and I'm so happy that you're here.
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Today I'm going to be reading a short story from my book 60 Beginner English Short Stories.
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These are written with the top 2,000 words in English.
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They come with free audio,
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32 grammar tips and there are 15 comprehension questions after every story with the answers.
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So today I will read the whole story,
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I will go back through and describe it and we will do a few multiple choice questions at the end.
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So if you have this book and you want to follow along I am on page 167
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and this is called the job interview.
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Jay wanted a weekend job.
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His friend told him the movie theater was hiring.
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Jay liked movies and wanted to make some money.
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He filled out an application and called the theater.
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The manager said, come for an interview on Thursday afternoon.
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Jay wanted to look professional.
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He wore a dark blue suit, a tie, and dress shoes.
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When he got to the theater, he noticed something funny.
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The workers were wearing jeans and t-shirts.
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Jay sighed.
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I think I dressed too fancy for popcorn.
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The manager kindly responded.
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You look great.
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Come in.
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They sat in the office for the interview.
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The manager asked, why do you want this job?
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Jay thought for a second and said, I like talking to people and I love movies.
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She asked, can you work weekends?
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Jay said yes.
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She asked, what would you do if a customer is angry?
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Jay shrugged a little.
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I would try to stay calm and see what I could do to help them.
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Do you have experience working in a movie theater?
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She asked.
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I don't have experience, Jay said, but I learn fast and I'm honest.
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I spent a couple of years working at a fast food restaurant
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so I know how to talk to people and handle difficult situations.
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The manager shook his hand.
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I think that's all for now.
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Thanks Jay, we'll call you soon.
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On Monday Jay got a phone call.
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Hi, this is the theater manager.
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we want to give you the job can you start work tomorrow Jay was
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so happy thank you yes I can I won't wear the
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suit again I promise the manager laughed I hope you liked
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that story I hope you understood it I'm going to go ahead
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and develop a little bit and talk about it so he wanted a weekend job which means Friday,
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Saturday, Sunday would be considered the weekend.
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Really Saturday and Sunday but some people say you know Friday after work the weekend starts so Friday evening is included.
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So his friend was the one who told him about this movie theater job.
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Some in some languages they say cinema but we usually say theater or if we're going with a friend, I would say I'm going to the movies.
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Okay, so it was hiring.
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Hiring means that they were looking for people to give them jobs.
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So he liked movies, and he wanted to make money.
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So he filled out, wrote his name, filled out the information, which is what we do on a application.
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So on an application, he filled everything out and he called the theater
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and the manager told him to come in for an interview.
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So an interview is the process we go through when we're looking for a job.
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Maybe you're learning English because you want a job in an English-speaking country and you will have to do an interview too.
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So the manager says on Thursday afternoon, so afternoon is usually after lunch,
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he wanted to look professional, like he wanted to look really nice.
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So he wore a suit and a tie and dress shoes.
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But then remember, he got there and he looked around and said,
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everyone's in jeans and t-shirts so he sighed which is like sighing
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and he made a little joke like he's dressed too fancy like too nice for popcorn
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because they serve popcorn at the movies but the manager was kind
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and she just said you look great so come in
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so he did and the manager first asked why he wanted the job
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so if you're preparing for a job interview like know why you want the job
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and so he thought about it and then he said he likes talking to people and he likes movies which
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is why he was there and then she asked if he could work weekends we talked about weekends and he said yes.
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And then she just presented a situation.
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So she asked what he would do if a customer, customers are people that come in.
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So if they're angry, they're mad, if they're upset.
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So he shrugged, which means he went, that's shrugging, your shoulders move up.
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And he said he would try to stay calm.
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I'm calm right now, calm, and see if he could help them, which is good.
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And then she asked about his experience in the workplace.
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So she asked about his availability.
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Could he work on the weekends?
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And his experience.
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Have you done this before?
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So if you're going in for a job interview, they'll be like, have you done this?
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And he actually hasn't but what did he have?
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He's fast, he learns fast, he's honest and he worked a couple of years in a restaurant so he was dealing with people.
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So he says, I know how to handle difficult situations.
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The manager shook his hand, you know, handshake and said that's all for now I'll call you
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or we'll call you soon so then he got a call remember he went in on Thursday so then it was Friday,
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Saturday, Sunday, Monday he got a call on Monday four days later from the manager asking
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if he could start the next day so he said yes
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and he again made a joke saying I won't wear the suit again I promise and so that ends the story
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How was your comprehension of the story?
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Let's check it out with some questions.
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So the multiple choice.
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Where did Jay apply for the job?
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A pizza shop, a movie theater, a clothing store.
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I'm convinced you're going to get it right.
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Yes, a movie theater.
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What did he wear to the interview?
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jeans and a hoodie, shorts and sneakers, a suit and tie.
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I think you're going to get this one right too.
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If you said a suit and tie, you're correct.
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Lastly, what happened on Monday?
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A, he got the job.
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B, he got lost.
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C, he missed a call.
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Let me know that one in the comments.
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If you made it here to the end.
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Thumbs up.
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You're a rock star.
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You really want to learn English and I think you're well on your way.
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Please learn more stories with this book.
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You can find it on Amazon or my website.
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I really think it will help you out and I'll see you again soon.
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Thanks so much for watching.
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Bye.

What You'll Practice in This Lesson

This lesson uses a beginner-friendly short story about a job interview to help you improve your English reading, listening, and speaking skills. You'll follow Jay's experience applying for a movie theater job, learn common conversational phrases, and practice mimicking natural speech patterns. The story is written with the top 2,000 English words, making it accessible for new learners, and includes practical scenarios like discussing work experience and handling customer interactions.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Professional: Looking or acting suitable for a work setting (e.g., "Jay wanted to look professional").
  • Fancy: Overly formal or decorative (e.g., "I think I dressed too fancy for popcorn").
  • Handle: Manage or deal with a situation (e.g., "handle difficult situations").
  • Shrugged: Raised shoulders to show uncertainty (e.g., "Jay shrugged a little").
  • Weekend job: Work done on Saturdays, Sundays, or sometimes Fridays (e.g., "Jay wanted a weekend job").

Practice Tips for Shadowing

The video's calm, clear tone and slow pace make it perfect for practicing the shadowing technique. Shadowing—repeating speech immediately after hearing it—helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. Here's how to use it: First, listen to a 5-10 second clip of the story. Pause, then repeat the clip aloud, matching the speaker's speed and tone. Focus on words like "fancy" or "handle" to mimic their stress and rhythm. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to record yourself and compare it to the original. The dialogue's natural flow (e.g., "I don't have experience, but I learn fast") is ideal for shadow speech, as it mirrors real-life conversations. Remember, the goal isn't to rush—take time to match the speaker's pauses, like when Jay "thought for a second" before answering. By using this video to learn English with videos, you'll build confidence in speaking about everyday work situations. Repeat the interview scene multiple times to master phrases like "What would you do if a customer is angry?"—a common question in real job interviews. With consistent practice, you'll notice your speech becoming more natural and confident.

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.