Shadowing Practice: Repeat-After-Me STORY English SPEAKING Practice - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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All right, we got a story.
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And this story has lots of really common English phrases and words and sentences that you would probably use in real life.
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So it's a great lesson to practice repeating after me, matching my pace, my pronunciation.
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We're going to go through the whole story and just focus on pronunciation chunks.
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It's a little bit of a long story, but we're just going to cover it at a nice brisk pace.
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We're going to go like this.
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I'll say it two times.
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I'll say, Three years ago, I was traveling to another city for my best friend's wedding.
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Now I'm going to say it faster and more natural.
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Three years ago, I was traveling to another city for my best friend's wedding.
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And then you say it.
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Okay, shall we go like that in that format?
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Let's do it.
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It wasn't just any trip.
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It wasn't just any trip.
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I was giving one of the main speeches at the reception.
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I was giving one of the main speeches at the reception.
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Something my friend had asked me to do months earlier.
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Something my friend had asked me to do months earlier.
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Because we'd known each other since college.
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Because we'd known each other since college.
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I felt proud to be speaking, but also under a lot of pressure.
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I rewrote the speech several times,
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practiced it out loud, and timed it carefully to make sure it wasn't too long.
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I rewrote the speech several times, practiced it out loud, and timed it carefully to make sure it wasn't too long.
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You try it.
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Okay, good.
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The journey itself was supposed to be simple.
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The journey itself was supposed to be simple.
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An early train to the airport, a short flight, then a taxi to the hotel.
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An early train to the airport, a short flight, then a quick taxi to the hotel.
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I even built in extra time in case something went wrong.
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I even built in extra time in case something went wrong.
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Unfortunately, something went wrong right away.
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Unfortunately, something went wrong right away.
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During the night, my phone updated its software and reset my alarm without me noticing.
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During the night, my phone updated its software and reset my alarm without me noticing.
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Instead of waking up at 5.45 a.m.,
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I opened my eyes at 6.32.
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Instead of waking up at 5.45 a.m., I opened my eyes at 6.32.
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My train at...
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Wait, I didn't give you a chance to say it.
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Go ahead.
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All right.
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I was just eager to move on with the story, wasn't I?
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My train had left at 5.57.
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I panicked.
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Yeah, I just said it once.
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It's short.
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Threw clothes into a suitcase without folding them.
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Threw clothes into a suitcase without folding them.
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brushed my teeth in record time brushed my teeth in record time in record time just means very fast right
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and rushed out of the house without really checking anything and rushed out of the house without really checking anything
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I skipped breakfast and didn't even look in the mirror
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I skipped breakfast and didn't even look in the mirror when I got to the train station
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slightly out of breath I saw the train doors closing When I got to the train station,
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slightly out of breath, I saw the train doors closing.
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Go.
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I ran toward it, convinced I might still make it, but I missed it by seconds.
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I ran toward it, convinced I might still make it, but I missed it by seconds.
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The next train would have made me miss my flight, so waiting wasn't an option.
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The next train would have made me miss my flight, so waiting wasn't an option.
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Desperate.
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I ordered a taxi straight to the airport.
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Desperate.
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I ordered a taxi straight to the airport.
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It was much more expensive than the train, but I didn't have a choice.
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It was much more expensive than the train, but I didn't have a choice.
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At first, the ride felt calm.
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I even started rehearsing parts of my speech in the back seat.
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At first, the right failed calm.
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I even started rehearsing parts of my speech in the back seat.
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Then, traffic slowed.
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and within minutes came to a complete stop.
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Then traffic slowed and within minutes came to a complete stop.
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There had been an accident ahead and all lanes were blocked.
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There had been an accident ahead, and all lanes were blocked.
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You try.
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Traffic jam.
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We didn't move for nearly 40 minutes.
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Sitting there, watching time slip away, my anxiety shifted.
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Sitting there, watching time slip away, my anxiety shifted.
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I suddenly realized I couldn't remember putting my passport in my bag.
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Oh no. I suddenly realized I couldn't remember putting my passport in my bag.
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I tried to replay the morning in my head.
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I tried to replay the morning in my head.
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Rushing out the door without thinking.
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But the more I thought about it, the less sure I felt.
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To make things worse, we were still stuck in traffic.
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To make things worse, we were still stuck in traffic.
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While stranded on the highway, I opened my suitcase and checked everything.
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While stranded on the highway, I opened my suitcase and checked everything.
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Clothes, shoes, charger, toiletries, but no passport.
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Clothes, shoes, charger, toiletries, but no passport.
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My stomach dropped.
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Boom, my stomach dropped.
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I called my neighbor and asked her to check my kitchen table.
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where I usually leave important documents before traveling.
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I called my neighbor and asked her to check my kitchen table where I usually leave important documents before traveling.
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Say it.
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A few minutes later, she called back and confirmed what I had already suspected.
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A few minutes later, she called back and confirmed what I already expected.
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I'd left the passport on the table at home.
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I'd left the passport on the table at home.
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In that moment, I felt completely defeated.
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In that moment, I felt completely defeated.
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I obviously couldn't travel without my passport,
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so I asked the driver to turn around and take me home.
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I obviously couldn't travel without my passport, so I asked the driver to turn around and take me home.
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I honestly thought it was over.
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I honestly thought it was over.
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I even sent my friend a long voice message apologizing and explaining why I wouldn't be able to make it.
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I even sent my friend a long voice message apologizing and explaining why I wouldn't be able to make it.
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Okay, we're going to speed this up.
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This lesson's taking much longer than I had anticipated.
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So I'm just going to go ahead and read the rest of the text one time all the way to the end,
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just because I know you might be getting tired practicing.
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So let's do it.
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Let's just read the rest of the story, okay?
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When we got back to my house, my neighbor was waiting outside, holding my passport.
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Before I went in, she casually asked if I'd checked for another flight that same day.
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I hadn't.
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I just assumed everything would be full.
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Out of curiosity, I decided to look for alternatives.
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To my surprise, there was exactly one seat left on a later flight that afternoon.
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Just one.
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I booked it immediately.
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I got back in the taxi, and we headed to the airport again.
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This time, the roads were clear.
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I arrived in time to check in and board without any delay.
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After landing, I finally let myself relax.
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But as I waited at the baggage carousel, my suitcase never appeared.
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I waited and waited, but it didn't show up.
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With very little time before the reception, I had to accept that it probably wouldn't arrive.
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There wasn't enough time to file a report, so I left the airport in the same wrinkled clothes I'd traveled in.
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When I reached the wedding venue, the ceremony had just ended and guests were already heading to the reception area.
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My friend saw me and immediately came over to hug me.
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I had about 30 minutes before the speeches were scheduled to start.
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I found a quiet corner, took a few deep breaths, and reviewed my speech one last time.
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When my name was announced, I walked up to the microphone.
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Strangely, after everything that had happened that day, I didn't feel nervous anymore.
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Missing trains, getting stuck in traffic, turning back home, forgetting my passport, and then my suitcase not arriving.
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After all that, giving a speech felt simple.
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I stopped worrying about perfect sentences and just spoke honestly.
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The words came naturally, and for the first time that day, I felt completely calm.
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The journey was supposed to take four hours, but ended up lasting nearly 22.
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It cost me money, stress, and a lot of emotional energy, but I made it.
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In the end, the speech I'd worried about for weeks turned out to be the easiest part of the day.
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All right.
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Boom.
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That's it.
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We did it.
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Good workout.
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Thank you for practicing with me.
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Halfway through the lesson, I decided, you know what?
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This is taking too long.
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Let's just finish this story.
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You know, it's just English speaking practice.
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We can just move on to the next one.
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I got a good one in the next one.
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I don't even know what the next one is, but I know it's a good one.
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One step at a time.
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I'll see you there.

Why Practice Speaking with This Video?

Practicing speaking with this video is a game-changer for anyone looking to master real-life English. The story is packed with common phrases and sentences you’d use daily, making it the perfect tool for english speaking practice. By using the shadowing technique—repeating after the speaker in real time—you’ll train your mouth to match natural pace and pronunciation, turning "classroom English" into fluent, conversational speech. It’s not just about memorizing; it’s about internalizing how native speakers connect words and stress key points. Whether you’re prepping for travel, work, or social interactions, this video helps you build confidence in high-stakes scenarios, like the story’s wedding speech pressure, so you’re ready for real-world moments.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video’s dialogue is a goldmine for practical grammar and expressions. Here are three key structures to focus on:

  • Past continuous for background actions: "Three years ago, I was traveling to another city" sets the scene, a common way to introduce stories. Practice this to sound natural when sharing experiences.
  • "Built in" for planning: "I even built in extra time" is a phrasal verb for adding buffer time—essential for talking about schedules.
  • Conditional "would have" for missed opportunities: "The next train would have made me miss my flight" shows regret or hypothetical outcomes, a vital structure for problem-solving conversations.
These phrases aren’t just grammar rules—they’re tools to communicate clearly and confidently.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Even simple words can trip up learners. Watch for these tricky spots:

  • "Rehearsing": The stress is on the second syllable ("re-HEAR-sing"), not the first. Misplacing stress can make you hard to understand.
  • "Desperate": Don’t skip the "e" sound—say "DES-per-ate," not "DES-prate."
  • Connected speech in "in case": Native speakers often link "in" and "case" to sound like "in-kase." Mimic this to avoid sounding robotic.
Using the shadow speech method—repeating immediately after the speaker—helps you nail these nuances. It’s why learn english with youtube videos like this are so effective: they let you practice shadow speak in a low-pressure environment, turning mistakes into muscle memory.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itwere blocked · were still stuck · were scheduled
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the pastwas traveling · was giving · was waiting
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing formpractice repeating · started rehearsing · stopped worrying
Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certainmight still make · might be

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 →