Shadowing Practice: Reading Practice To Improve Your American English Pronunciation - Learn English Speaking with Video
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The number one thing I tell all of my action reduction clients is you have to practice reading out loud.
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It is the one thing that's really going to help you be confident and master that American rhythm and sound.
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Hey there, I'm voice coach Gabriel Barofato from GB Voice Academy
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and on this video we're going to be reading out loud together.
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Now, there's a little bonus trick at the end that I want to share with you.
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I want to see if you could pick up the one element, the one common thread in this conversation that makes this that much more American.
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And it's one thing that a lot of accent reduction instructors miss
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and that I want to make sure you get by the end of this video.
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And I'm telling you it's gonna make a huge difference in how you sound
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and feel and the confidence you're gonna have when speaking with fellow Americans.
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Without further ado, let's get started.
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So Fred is going to be starting a Zoom meeting.
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So we're going to be meeting him and meeting his fellow colleagues along the way.
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Here we go.
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I woke up really early this morning to get ready for my Zoom meeting.
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I was up late last night with some friends.
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We had a great time, but it looks like I'm paying for it now.
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After my second cup of coffee, I started to feel like myself again.
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I don't normally eat breakfast in the morning.
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I may have a piece of toast if I'm feeling ambitious.
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I took a shower, combed my hair, got dressed, and was ready to take on the world.
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Hello everyone!
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Great to see you all!
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I wanted to thank you all for being here in this Zoom meeting.
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I know it's really early in the morning for a lot of you.
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As you can see, I'm on my third cup of coffee, so I'll try to keep things as short and productive as possible.
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We have a lot to cover this morning, so without further ado, let's get started.
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But before we start, why don't we begin with a brief introduction.
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Maria, why don't we start with you?
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Hello, everyone.
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Thanks for having me.
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My name is Maria.
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I'm from Seattle, Washington, the birthplace of great coffee.
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I've been with the company for a little over two years now.
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I have been in the industry for over eight years, and I look forward to sharing my input.
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Thank you, Maria.
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And thank you, Seattle, for your great coffee.
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Couldn't do it without you.
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Akash?
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Hi, my name is Akash.
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I'm originally from London, England.
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I love coffee, don't get me wrong, but tea is what gets me going in the morning.
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I have been with this company for close to 10 years now.
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Can you tell how much I love it here?
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I look forward to hearing everyone's input.
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We love having you here too, Akash.
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Sergei?
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Hello, my name is Sergei.
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I am based out of Dallas, Texas.
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I'm a morning person, so I welcome early morning hours.
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I actually just started with a company last week.
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I'm excited to start this journey and hope to have coffee with all of you very soon.
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Excellent.
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Good.
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Now, were you able to find the one ongoing element in this whole conversation that made it very typically American?
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You guessed it.
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Humor, lightheartedness, jokes.
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The one thing that they did is that they kept things light and funny.
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What we would normally see as negative.. it's early and people are tired and they can't be there.
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He's suffering from a hangover.
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They made it light and witty and fun, which is a very common thread.
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You see this in American comedy all the time.
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It's keeping things light and fun.
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So were you able to catch all those funny jokes and positive sarcastic remarks?
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Why don't we go through it again and see
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if we could isolate those humorous light funny bits that make this conversation fun.
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So we start off with Fred saying I woke up early this morning to get ready for my Zoom meeting.
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I was up late last night with some friends.
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We had a great time but it looks like I'm paying for it now.
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He's talking about his hangover.
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Something that would normally be negative.
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Oh god hangover I gotta wake up early
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but he's making a fun joke of it
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which makes him much more approachable much more engaging
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i want to hang out with him versus somebody who's like i wake up
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so early oh my god my life is horrible going on after my second cup of coffee
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i started to feel like myself again something as negative as a caffeine addiction he's making fun he's making
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it light let's go on i don't normally eat breakfast in the morning
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i may have a piece of toast
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if i'm feeling ambitious there's some more humor in there talking about not eating breakfast
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but i'll have toast if i'm feeling ambitious i took a shower comb my hair got dressed
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and was ready to take on the world again over positiveness
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fun lighthearted going on hello everyone great to see you all
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i wanted to thank you for being here i know
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it's really early in the morning for a lot of you funny funny funny making light of something
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that would normally be perceived as negative as you can see i'm on my third cup of coffee
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so i'll try to keep things as short and productive as possible
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that addiction to his caffeine he's making light of it he's making it something fun not negative
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and then we move on to maria hello everyone thanks for having me.
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My name is Maria.
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I'm from Seattle, Washington.
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The birthplace of great coffee.
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You see what she did there?
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She recognized the humor that was brought on by Fred earlier on by talking about coffee and how it keeps him up.
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And she added her own anecdote into this ongoing thread of this coffee joke.
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That's a very typical thing among the American conversation.
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It makes her come across as funny, witty, smart, and the fact that she was listening and really engaged in what Fred had to say earlier.
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Beautiful.
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Great.
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We love Maria already.
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Akash.
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Hi, my name is Akash.
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I'm originally from London, England.
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I love coffee, don't get me wrong, but tea is what gets me going in the morning again
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akash recognized the ongoing humorous thread in this conversation took it
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and added some element of humor of his own by saying
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that he drinks tea instead but he doesn't mind coffee
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but i rely on tea
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that makes him again come across as a team player he's a part of this game
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now it's like we're throwing the ball to the next person on to the next person and on to the next
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Good job Akash.
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I've been with the company for close to 10 years now.
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Can you tell how much I love it here?
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I look forward to hearing everyone's input.
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See how he made light of the fact that he's been here for 10 years?
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And he was positively sarcastic.
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Sarcasm is used a lot in the American communication.
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But positive sarcasm.
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Versus, yeah, can you tell how much I like being here?
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No, positive.
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Can you tell how much I love being here?
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Moving on.
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Sergei.
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Hello, my name is Sergei.
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I'm based out of Dallas, Texas.
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I'm a morning person so I welcome early morning hours.
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Do you see what he did there?
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He started another thread of humor in this conversation.
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He remembered how Fred was earlier talking about how it's early in the morning
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and he made light of it by saying I'm a morning person.
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I actually just started with the company last week
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and I'm excited to start this journey and hope to have coffee with all of you very soon.
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Brilliant, Sergei.
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See what he did there?
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He wrapped up this whole conversation with a callback, is what they call it,
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with that coffee bit that we've been talking about throughout this whole conversation by saying, I hope to have coffee with all of you very soon.
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Good job, Sergei.
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So the key to this American conversation is positivity, keeping things fun, listening to what was said earlier
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and adding on to it now a lot of my clients say well gabriel
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that's easy for you to say you're a native you know
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you speak the language how about us well here's the one thing
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i tell all of my clients to do on a regular basis
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that's going to help you being able to match that american humor
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and delivery and rhythm simply watch american comedy watch the latest sitcoms they have on Netflix
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or wherever you can find them now and listen actively
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and what you're gonna notice is that there seems to be an ongoing rhythm
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and pattern in this conversation this is something a lot of action -production teachers miss
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we spend all day on his pronunciation yes of course you got to work on
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that and the link below to my five -star best -selling action -production course does exactly
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that but we also cover the delivery and the humor
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and the rhythm of the american sound
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because that's the one thing
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that's going to take your conversation skills to the next level
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is making people laugh being engaged watch an episode a day of the latest comedy
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they have on television right now not the old comedy from like the 40s 60s
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or 70s or 80s but the latest comedies whatever is hot now listen actively
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and repeat just like we did here don't forget to subscribe to my youtube channel
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so you'll get access to these practice videos on an ongoing basis hit the notification bell comment
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because i'm here for you let's keep this conversation going
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so i know what you need also below is a link
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to my five -star best -selling action reduction course with five -star ratings from people all over the world
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Reading Practice To Improve Your American English Pronunciation”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: coffee, conversation, akash, humor, funny. This video has 161 sentences and 1705 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:07. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| humour noun | /ˈhjuːmɚ/ | The quality of being amusing, comical, funny. |
| thread noun | /ˈθɹɛd/ | A cord formed by spinning or twisting together textile fibers or filaments into one or more continuous strands, typically used in needlework. |
| ongoing adjective | /ɒnˈɡəʊ.ɪŋ/ | Continuing, permanent, lasting. |
| rhythm noun | /ˈɹɪð.əm/ | The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. |
| element noun | /ˈɛləmənt/ | One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based. |
| reduction noun | /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/ | The act, process, or result of reducing. |
| engage verb | /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ | To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied. |
| input noun | /ˈɪnpʊt/ | The act or process of putting in; infusion. |
| toast noun | /toʊst/ | Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning). |
| ambitious adjective | /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/ | Having or showing ambition; wanting a lot of power, honor, respect, superiority, or other distinction. |
| hangover noun | /ˈhæŋoʊ̯vɚ/ ~ /ˈhæŋɔʊ̯vɚ/ | Negative effects, such as headache or nausea, caused by previous drunkenness due to (excessive) consumption of alcohol. |
| versus | /ˈvɝsəs/ | Against; in opposition to. |
| actively adverb | /ˈæktɪvli/ | In an active manner. |
| productive adjective | /pɹəˈdʌk.tɪv/ | Capable of producing something, especially in abundance; fertile. |
| addiction noun | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. | |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| read out verb | /ˌɹiːd ˈaʊt/ | To read something and say the words to inform other people; to call. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Maria, why don't we start with you?
- Can you tell how much I love it here?
- You see what she did there?
- Can you tell how much I love being here?
- Do you see what he did there?
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 · have been · he's been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be perceived · was brought · is used |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 48 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thread /ˈθɹɛd/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, birthplace /ˈbɝθˌpleɪs/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reduction /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/, ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/, addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: hangover /ˈhæŋoʊ̯vɚ/ ~ /ˈhæŋɔʊ̯vɚ/, notification /ˌnoʊtɪfɪˈkeɪʃn̩/, positively /ˈpɑ.zɪ.tɪv.li/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, approachable /əˈpɹəʊ.t͡ʃə.bəl/
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 humour, thread, ongoing.
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.