Shadowing Practice: Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice! - Learn English Speaking with Video

Hello English learners!

My name is Claire, a native speaker from the US and an English teacher.

And you keep asking for it So here it is, more shadowing practice.

Shadowing is a really useful tool for working on your pronunciation, and sounding more natural in English.

Essentially, it is repeating after native speakers.

or someone you want to sound like in terms of your inflection and rhythm of your English speaking.

And by doing so, you create good habits for your own English speaking.

So whether that is pronunciation,

tone, inflection, rhythm, any or all of those things that you want to improve upon in your own speaking,

shadowing practice is really going to help you achieve that and sound more natural.

So as I said, I'm a native speaker and I have kind of a standard American Midwest accent.

So obviously I will be doing the American English pronunciation of things So if you're interested in that,

then Welcome to today's shadowing practice.

Let's jump right in.

English made easy with Claire.

So first, I'm going to give you plenty of time to repeat after me, after each phrase.

that I will say in this short story.

And then I will invite you to shadow a section of this story after me.

At the end of the video, we will say the entire story all together.

So again, you will have the opportunity to shadow, but this time the entire story.

If you're wondering what's the difference between repeating after you and shadowing, Well, repeating after me is what it sounds like,

I say it, and then you repeat on your own.

Shadowing is you saying it with me.

So once you've had a chance, to say it on your own, repeating it after me, then you'll try saying it with me.

So you've had time to practice it first, and then again with me at the same time to match my tone,

inflection, rhythm, pronunciation, all that.

So it just reinforces all of those things to help you sound more natural.

Okay, so first repeat after me.

Thank you.

Yesterday morning, Yesterday morning Thank you.

I was running late for work.

you I was running late for work.

Thank you.

I grabbed my bag.

you lock the door, lock the door, and rush to the station.

and rush to the station.

Before we shadow this section, say it all together.

I want to point out the different pronunciations of the ending "y -d" that we have here.

We have three verbs with the ending "e -d." grabbed locked, and rushed.

Now, There are three different pronunciations of the -ed ending, but here we have two of them.

The third pronunciation comes later in the story, so don't worry, I will point that out to you.

But between these three verbs,

we either pronounce the ed ending as a deed or a "tee" - grabbed grabbed,

that's the D ending, And locked.

Locked.

That one has the T ending.

Can you guess?

which one rushed has.

rushed.

Say it yourself, rushed.

Is it /d / or /t/.

Can you hear?

If you said "t," you're correct.

Now, in very rapid speech, you may not be able to tell the difference between the "d" and the "t." And that's okay,

as long as you know which one it is.

So let's take the "d" ending in grabbed.

Because you know you're saying a D, you have the intention of saying the D and you're thinking "d" when you speak.

But you don't need to over pronounce this.

You don't need to say, I grabbed my bag.

I grabbed my bag.

No one speaks like that.

Right.

I grabbed my bag.

You may even not even hear the D when I speak.

I grabbed my bag.

It's so subtle that it could just sound like I grab my bag to you, but we need to at least think

of the D and have the intention of pronouncing this D

sound so that it doesn't sound like we're speaking in the present tense.

I grabbed my bag.

We need to be in the past tense, of course, because this story takes place in the past.

So we do need to have the intention of pronouncing the D sound So as long as you're thinking that,

as you speak quickly, then it will come across as Grabbed.

Grabbed.

It's so fast, but I'm not over pronouncing grabbed.

Now the /t / sound for the /e / -d / ending locked the door locked the door,

Again, think T, make sure you know it's not locked locked, right?

That's incorrect, but locked.

And then as long as you have the intention of the T sound, It will come across locked and rushed to the station.

Again, think T because we know it has the T ending, rush to the station.

- Rushed to the station.

It may still even just sound like rush to the station,

to you, but I am saying rushed and it will come across.

that I'm speaking in the past tense because at least my intention is to have this T ending.

Now, that might be a little bit of a different way to be thinking of pronunciation than you're used to.

You know, it would be easy for me to say every time pronounce the D and the T clearly grabbed locked, rushed.

But if you really want to work on this native speaker sounding accent, or you really want to sound natural,

of course, this is a great way to be able to think of those pronunciations.

Okay, now we can shadow this whole section together.

So say it with me.

Yesterday morning, I was running late for work.

I grabbed my bag, locked the door, and rushed to the station.

you When I got there, Thank you.

When I got there, Thank you.

I saw the train doors were about to close.

you I saw the train doors were about to close.

you "I sprinted toward them.

I sprinted toward them.

100

but the doors shut right in front of me.

101

you but the doors shut right in front of me.

102

Okay, before we shadow, a couple pronunciation things to point out.

103

the s sound at the end of the word close should be a z,

104

a voiced sound, z and not s, right?

105

So s is unvoiced.

106

I can't hum on it.

107

For example, s, Peace.

108

but the voiced sound, I can.

109

right?

110

You can hear I can hum on that sound.

111

That's what makes it voiced.

112

So this one has a voiced sound ending, close.

113

Close.

114

But of course, very quickly, we would just say, "I saw the train doors were about to close." close.

115

close.

116

And here we have another "ed" ending.

117

So this is the third pronunciation of "ed".

118

Sprinted.

119

sprinted.

120

So this ending is not a /d / or a /t / sound, it is Ed.

121

Ed.

122

You could think of it like a short I sound.

123

plus a D or the schwa sound plus D?

124

Sprinted.

125

Sprinted.

126

I sprinted toward them.

127

Another tricky word that a lot of people have questions about in English pronunciation is the word toward Now,

128

in American English, most people pronounce this as one syllable.

129

Toward.

130

It's almost like that first O doesn't exist.

131

"toward".

132

It's like a "TW" sound at the beginning.

133

"Toward".

134

Now, some people might pronounce it "toward".

135

That is a little bit more British English, so if you've heard that before, toward That would be that pronunciation.

136

If you did pronounce this word as "toward" in American English, it wouldn't be that strange.

137

But if you are aiming for an American English pronunciation, toward toward.

138

And the final phrase, in front of me, Instead of pronouncing each word in front of me, individually.

139

In rapid speech, we would squish these sounds together so that it's in front of me.

140

in front of me. In -fra -na -mi.

141

So you kind of drop the T at the end of front

142

and you don't pronounce the /v / sound at the end of /əv/.

143

but drop that as well.

144

In front of me.

145

in front of me.

146

Okay, let's shadow this whole section together.

147

When I got there, I saw the train doors were about to close.

148

I sprinted toward them.

149

but the doors shut right in front of me.

150

I thought I thought, Great.

151

Now I got to wait another 10 minutes.

152

you Great.

153

Now I gotta wait another 10 minutes.

154

- Let's repeat the word thought.

155

together one more time because that's a tricky one for pronunciation.

156

thought thought we have the unvoiced at the beginning,

157

which you can think of as blowing air between your teeth with your tongue.

158

And if you've seen some of my other shadowing videos, I have pointed out before,

159

that at the if you see a t at the end of a word in american english we often Stop that T.

160

or we drop the sound.

161

So it's thought.

162

Got to becomes gotta.

163

gotta similar to when we squish together in front of We have gotta.

164

So again, that stop T sound, because we have the T at the end of got, But it's a stop T,

165

so it kind of sounds like a D when we say it quickly.

166

Gotta.

167

"Gotta." Also, wait another.

168

The T also becomes a stop T and kind of alides with the next word because it starts with a vowel.

169

So it again, it sounds like a D or it has this stopped T sound.

170

Wait another.

171

Wait another.

172

Okay, let's shadow this sentence together.

173

I thought Great.

174

Now I gotta wait another 10 minutes.

175

That's when I realized: Thank you.

176

That's when I realized I'd left my phone at home anyway.

177

Thank you.

178

you I'd left my phone at home anyway.

179

I guess missing that train.

180

I guess missing that train.

181

wasn't such a bad thing after all.

182

- Wasn't such a bad thing after all.

183

Thank you.

184

The silver lining you the silver lining,

185

was that I had time to go back home, Thank you.

186

was that I had time to go back home Thank you.

187

you grab my phone, you grab my phone,

188

and let my boss know I'd be late.

189

Thank you.

190

and let my boss know I'd be late.

191

Thank you.

192

you realized that one has Which ending?

193

If you said 'd', You're correct.

194

Realized.

195

and in rapid speech.

196

realized, realized.

197

And in the last sentence, we have a kind of list separated by commas.

198

So I'll just point out the inflection here.

199

Whenever we have a list like this,

200

before each comma, the inflection stays raised and you lower your inflection only at the end of the sentence.

201

And this makes it really clear that you are listing things.

202

So here, listen to me say the whole sentence and listen to my inflection.

203

The silver lining was that I had time to go back home grab my phone,

204

and let my boss know I'd be late.

205

So we had before the comma, Go back home.

206

Inflection went up.

207

Grab my phone.

208

The inflection went up again.

209

And let my boss know...

210

I'd be late.

211

I'd be late goes down and inflection.

212

So if you're ever listing something separated by commas, remember this inflection rule.

213

because it will make it really clear that you are listing something.

214

So that's why mastering inflection like this,

215

in overall sentences, so not just the inflection or the stress of individual words in English,

216

but the overall stress and inflection throughout in a sentence is even more important then getting the accent correct.

217

So even if your goal is not to sound exactly like me or a native speaker,

218

you can keep whatever accent you have when you speak in English, but you want to be understood, right?

219

You want to be able to communicate.

220

So getting the inflection and the stress, both in individual words and in an entire sentence, is so important.

221

for your overall English speaking and learning.

222

And communication so that others can understand you.

223

Okay, back to shadowing.

224

Let's say this whole section together.

225

That's when I realized I'd left my phone at home anyway.

226

I guess missing that train wasn't such a bad thing after all.

227

the silver lining was that I had time to go back home,

228

grab my phone and let my boss know I'd be late.

229

Okay, awesome work so far.

230

Let's say the whole thing together.

231

So I'm going to read through the entire story and you are going to shadow me.

232

Yesterday morning, I was running late for work.

233

I grabbed my bag.

234

lock the door, "and rushed to the station.

235

When I got there, I saw the train doors were about to close.

236

I sprinted toward them.

237

but the door shut right in front of me.

238

I thought, "Great, now I gotta wait another 10 minutes." That's when I realized I'd left my phone at home anyway.

239

I guess missing that train wasn't such a bad thing after all.

240

The silver lining was that I had time to go back home, Grab my phone.

241

and let my boss know I'd be late.

242

Guys, thank you so much for sticking around to the end of this video.

243

I hope you found this shadowing practice useful.

244

I will continue to put out more shadowing videos because you guys request them so much.

245

Go check out my shadowing playlist, which I'm building all the time.

246

More shadowing videos definitely to come.

247

So let me know in the comments what you'd like me to focus on.

248

Maybe there's a specific

249

word or group of words that you struggle with in terms of pronunciation or when you are speaking very quickly,

250

or maybe it's an inflection or a tone.

251

Or maybe you want me to add more idioms

252

or phrasal verbs in a shadowing practice

253

I can also go over some of those so

254

that we can kill two birds with one stone and have a shadowing practice while also learning new vocabulary.

255

So let me know what you guys want to see from me next, particularly my members.

256

You guys get priority reply in the comments section.

257

If you're interested in joining my channel as a member, click the join button below and you'll get to see more information about that.

258

I'm so grateful for the support.

259

Happy shadowing, guys, and I'll see you next time.

260

Bye for now.

261

you you you you

📺 Same Channel

Can vs Can’t: American English Pronunciation Trick You Need to Know | Shadowing Practice

University StudentsWorking Adults+1

10 Minutes of American English Shadowing Practice (Part 1!)

High School StudentsUniversity Students+1

352

Ask For & Give Directions in English 📍🗺️

TeensHigh School Students+1

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: Verbs Ending in -ED

High School StudentsUniversity Students+2

Practice Shadowing a Native Speaker 🇺🇸

University StudentsBusiness English+2

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing: Assimilations

University StudentsBusiness English+2

Why English is SO Hard to Learn!

High School StudentsUniversity Students+3

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | Easily Confused Words in English

High School StudentsUniversity Students+2

Repeat After Me + Shadowing Practice!

High School StudentsUniversity Students+2

10 Minutes of American English Shadowing Practice (Part 2!)

University StudentsWorking Adults+1

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: Making a Phone Call

TeensHigh School Students+3

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | 'TH' Sounds in English

University StudentsWorking Adults+1

Shadowing Practice: At a Restaurant or Cafe

University StudentsWorking Adults+2

Practice Shadowing a Business Presentation in English

Business EnglishWorking Adults

Swift Shadowing Practice!

University StudentsWorking Adults+1

✨ Recommend Video

Master English Speaking Using Shadowing Technique #english

9,740

13 sentences

Master English Speaking Using Shadowing Technique #english

University StudentsBusiness English+2

130 sentences

Repeat-After-Me + SHADOWING English Speaking Practice

en-USHigh School Students+4

111 sentences

90 Day English Shadowing Challenge — Day 1 Speak English Fluently in 90 Days

High School StudentsUniversity Students+3

158 sentences

Shadowing American English Speaking Practice | Learn English Conversation 🇺🇸🗣️

High School StudentsUniversity Students+3

329 sentences

Practice English with Wednesday Addams | Shadowing Sounds & Intonation

High School StudentsUniversity Students+3

42 sentences

Sound American With Shadowing Exercises in English

University StudentsBusiness English+2

98 sentences

How To Speak Any Language using the "Shadowing Method"

University StudentsBusiness English+2

8 sentences

Practice Speaking & Reading Out Loud With This English Shadowing Exercise

High School StudentsUniversity Students+3

219 sentences

English SHADOWING STORY Speaking Fluent English with Practice

en-USHigh School Students+4

93 sentences

American English Shadowing – 100 Natural Conversational Sentences

University StudentsBusiness English+2

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: Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice! - Learn English Speaking with Video

Asking For & Giving Directions | English Made Easy with Claire

Practice Shadowing the RIGHT Way!

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | Contractions with Would

Shadowing Practice With Me! 🇺🇸

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: Contractions

Can vs Can’t: American English Pronunciation Trick You Need to Know | Shadowing Practice

10 Minutes of American English Shadowing Practice (Part 1!)

Ask For & Give Directions in English 📍🗺️

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: Verbs Ending in -ED

Practice Shadowing a Native Speaker 🇺🇸

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing: Assimilations

Why English is SO Hard to Learn!

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | Easily Confused Words in English

Repeat After Me + Shadowing Practice!

10 Minutes of American English Shadowing Practice (Part 2!)

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice: Making a Phone Call

Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | 'TH' Sounds in English

Shadowing Practice: At a Restaurant or Cafe

Practice Shadowing a Business Presentation in English

Swift Shadowing Practice!

Master English Speaking Using Shadowing Technique #english

Repeat-After-Me + SHADOWING English Speaking Practice

90 Day English Shadowing Challenge — Day 1 Speak English Fluently in 90 Days

Shadowing American English Speaking Practice | Learn English Conversation 🇺🇸🗣️

Practice English with Wednesday Addams | Shadowing Sounds & Intonation

Sound American With Shadowing Exercises in English

How To Speak Any Language using the "Shadowing Method"

Practice Speaking & Reading Out Loud With This English Shadowing Exercise

English SHADOWING STORY Speaking Fluent English with Practice

American English Shadowing – 100 Natural Conversational Sentences

About This Lesson

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

Practice Tips

What is the Shadowing Technique?