Shadowing Practice: Repeat-After-Me + Shadowing Practice | 'TH' Sounds in English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey guys!
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Welcome or welcome back to my channel.
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I'm Claire, a native speaker from the US,
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but I'm also an English teacher and I'm a professionally trained singer.
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So I have been trained in the international phonetic alphabet.
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And if you don't know what that is,
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it is the alphabet that covers all the sounds that exist internationally for every language.
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So of course, Some languages do not use certain sounds that others do,
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but if you learn the phonetic symbols that match the sounds,
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especially ones that don't exist in your native language,
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that can really help you to better understand those sounds every time you run into them.
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Now, one of the trickiest sounds
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that non-native speakers struggle with in English is the voiced and unvoiced sound that is usually represented by TH.
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So the TH sound in English is formed by placing your tongue between your teeth
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and lightly pressing the tip of your tongue to the bottom of your front teeth.
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To achieve the voiced TH sound,
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gently place your fingers on your throat and feel the vibrations when you make the sound.
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So you can feel that vibrating.
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The unvoiced th sound you won't be able to feel any vibrations on your throat.
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So for that one you're just pushing air through the teeth and the tongue without bringing the vocal cords together.
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So without those vibrations.
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So to help us practice both of these voiced and unvoiced TH sounds in English,
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I'm going to take you through a repeat after me and then shadowing practice.
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So it's pretty simple.
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First, you will just repeat after me and then you will say it
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with me at the same time matching my pronunciation and inflection.
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So that's a practice we call shadowing.
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If you aren't familiar with my other shadowing videos,
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I have a playlist here on my channel that I will link here.
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So go check that out if you found this practice useful.
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All right, let's get started.
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English made easy with Claire.
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So first, repeat after me.
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This year, this year, our first word here uses the voiced TH sound.
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So you will feel the vibrations.
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This, this year.
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My mother wanted to do something special for her birthday.
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Good.
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So here we have another voiced TH sound.
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Mother.
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Mother.
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So this one's a little bit faster because it's in the middle of the word,
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but you still should feel those vibrations.
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Mother.
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Um, mother.
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And then the second word with TH uses the unvoiced sound.
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And again, this one is quick because it comes in the middle of the word.
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Birthday.
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Birthday.
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No vibrations.
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Birth.
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Birthday.
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Okay, let's say that whole sentence again.
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Repeat after me.
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This year my mother wanted to do something special for her birthday.
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The first thing she said was...
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The first thing, thing, unvoiced,
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the first thing she said was,
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I don't want a big party.
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I don't want a big party.
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Instead, we drove through the countryside to a quiet little spa.
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Threw, through.
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That's an unvoiced TH sound.
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Instead, we drove through the countryside to a quiet little spa.
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Repeat again.
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Even though it was simple.
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Though, though.
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This word looks a lot like through,
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but it has the voiced TH sound.
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So we'll feel that here.
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Though.
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Though.
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Even though it was simple,
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it felt like the perfect getaway.
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It felt like the perfect getaway.
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In the afternoon, in the afternoon,
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we decided to sunbathe by the pool.
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So just after initially saying this word sunbathe,
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can you guess if it's voiced or unvoiced?
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Say it a couple times to yourself.
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This one is voiced.
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We can feel the vibration.
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Sunbathe.
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Sunbathe.
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And it might not be so obvious because it comes at the end of the word.
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We wouldn't generally in rapid speech really pronounce it slowly bathe, right?
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But this one is voiced.
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Sunbathe.
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Sunbathe.
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In the afternoon, we decided to sunbathe by the pool.
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Later on, she enjoyed a long, relaxing bath.
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So here, bath looks very similar to bathe,
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but they have different pronunciations.
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Bath uses the unvoiced TH.
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Bath.
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Bath.
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Later on, she enjoyed a long relaxing bath.
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At the end of the day,
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at the end of the day,
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my mother smiled and said, smiled.
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That's an often mispronounced word.
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Smiled.
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This was exactly what I needed.
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This was exactly what I needed.
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Repeat the whole sentence after me.
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At the end of the day,
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my mother smiled and said,
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this was exactly what I needed.
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Okay, now for our shadowing practice.
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So you are going to say the whole story with me at the same time.
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Repeat this part of the video as many times as you like until you feel comfortable,
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especially with the voiced and unvoiced TH sound.
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Here we go.
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This year, my mother wanted to do something special for her birthday.
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The first thing she said was,
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I don't want a big party.
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Instead, we drove through the countryside to a quiet little spa.
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Even though it was simple,
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it felt like the perfect getaway.
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In the afternoon, we decided to sunbathe by the pool.
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Later on, she enjoyed a long, relaxing bath.
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At the end of the day,
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my mother smiled and said,
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this was exactly what I needed.
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All right, so I hope that repeat after me
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and shadowing practice helped you a little bit better to understand the th sounds in English
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and the difference between the voiced and unvoiced.
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It's a really tricky sound if you don't have it in your native language,
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so don't be discouraged if you aren't getting it immediately after this video.
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Like I said, you can repeat this video as many times as you need
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and practice slowly trying the different sounds on your own.
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And over time, the more shadowing practice you do,
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the more comfortable and confident you will be in producing these sounds.
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Let me know in the comments if you have any other pronunciation requests for future videos like this.
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Of course, if you are a member of my YouTube channel,
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you get priority reply.
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So click the join button below to find out more about that.
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Give me a like and subscribe to my channel so that you don't miss out on my future shadowing practice videos.
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And I will see you in the next one.
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Bye.
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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will focus on mastering the challenging "TH" sounds in English, which are often tough for non-native speakers. The instruction will guide you through both the voiced and unvoiced "TH" sounds, allowing you to develop a more accurate pronunciation. You will engage in a repeat-after-me exercise and use the shadowing technique, which involves mimicking the speaker's pronunciation and intonation while practicing. This practice is essential for improving English pronunciation, particularly for those preparing for IELTS speaking practice, as it enhances your fluency and comprehension.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • This - Utilizes the voiced "TH" sound.
  • Mother - Another instance of the voiced "TH" sound, useful in everyday conversation.
  • Birthday - Features the unvoiced "TH" sound; a common word in social settings.
  • Vibrations - Refers to the physical sensation you feel when producing the voiced sound.
  • Pressing - A technique involving the tongue position which is crucial for forming the "TH" sounds.
  • Air - The flow needed for producing the unvoiced "TH" sound without vocal cord vibration.

Practice Tips

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique presented in this lesson, follow these tailored tips:

  • Start Slow: Begin by listening to the speaker at a slower pace. Focus on individual sounds, especially the "TH" sounds, before moving on to full sentences.
  • Feel the Sounds: Remember to place your fingertips on your throat to detect vibrations for voiced "TH" sounds. This physical connection helps reinforce the pronunciation.
  • Shadow Carefully: Match the speed and tone of the speaker closely. Each time you practice, try to match their transitions and inflections to build your rhythm in English.
  • Repetition is Key: Don’t hesitate to repeat phrases multiple times. The more you practice, the more natural the sounds and phrases will feel.
  • Record Yourself: Take advantage of technology by recording your attempts. Listen back to identify areas for improvement, and adjust your technique accordingly.

By integrating this practice into your language-learning routine, you'll not only refine your pronunciation but also gain confidence in your English speaking skills. The shadowspeak technique will ensure you are articulating these sounds accurately, making this an effective method for anyone looking to improve their English pronunciation.

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.

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