Shadowing Practice: Say Yes to New Chances | A2 English Shadowing - Learn English Speaking with Video
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230 sentences
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Many people want a better life.
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We want more joy, more calm, and more meaning.
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But we often say no to change.
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We say no because we feel fear.
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We worry about time.
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We worry about money.
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We worry about other people.
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We think, what if I fail?
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So we stay the same.
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We do the same things every day.
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We wait for a perfect day.
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We wait for a perfect plan.
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But the perfect day does not come.
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The perfect plan does not come.
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Life moves on.
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New chances knock on the door.
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If we do not open the door, the chance goes away.
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So today, let us learn a new idea.
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Say yes to new chances.
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What is a new chance?
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A new chance is a small door in your life.
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It can be big, but it can also be small.
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It can be a new class.
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It can be a short trip.
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It can be a call to an old friend.
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It can be a new food, a new book, or a new way to walk to work.
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A new chance is anything that helps you grow.
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It helps you see more.
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It helps you feel more.
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It helps you learn more.
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A new chance can be simple, and that is good.
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Simple things are not scary.
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Simple things are easy to start.
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Why should we say yes?
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We should say yes because life is bigger than our fear.
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When we say yes, we move.
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We take one step.
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One step is small, but one step is strong.
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One step can start a new path.
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A new path can take us to a better place.
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Maybe we find a new skill.
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Maybe we meet a good friend.
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Maybe we find a job we like.
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Maybe we find peace.
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We cannot know the end.
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But we can choose the first step.
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Saying yes This is the first step.
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Fear is normal.
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Fear is not bad.
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Fear tries to keep us safe.
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But fear can be too strong.
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Fear can say, stay here, do nothing.
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When fear is too strong, we miss life.
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How can we live with fear?
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We can talk to fear.
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We can say, thank you, fear.
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You want to help me, but I want to try
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We can take a small step
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We can try for five minutes
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We can try one new word
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We can try one new street
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When we move a little, fear becomes smaller
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We see Oh, I can do this
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Then we can move again
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Step by step, fear goes down and our courage goes up.
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A new chance can also help us understand ourselves.
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When we try new things, we see what we like and what we do not like.
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We learn our taste.
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We learn our style.
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Maybe you try to draw.
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You draw simple lines.
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You smile.
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You feel calm.
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You say, I like this.
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Maybe you try to run.
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You feel tired.
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You do not like it.
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That is okay.
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You learned something important.
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You learned what works for you.
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That is how we build a real life.
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We try.
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We learn.
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We keep the good things.
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We release the rest.
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Saying yes builds confidence.
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Confidence is trust in yourself.
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It is a soft voice in your mind that says, I can try.
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Confidence does not come only from words.
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It comes from action.
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When you try a new chance and finish it, your mind remembers.
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Your mind says, I tried before and it was okay.
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Next time it is easier.
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Confidence grows like a small plant
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It needs water
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Your action is water
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Your small steps are water
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Each time you try, your plant grows.
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New chances also connect us with people.
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When you say yes to a class, you meet new faces.
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When you say yes to a club, you share a goal.
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When you say yes to help, you give and receive care.
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People need people.
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A kind friend makes life warm.
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A good group gives you energy.
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If you feel alone, a new chance can open a door to community
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You can join a reading group
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You can join a sports group
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You can join a language group
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You can sit in a small cafe and smile at the staff A small hello can start a small friendship
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Some people think saying yes is risky
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They think, what if I fail?
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But what is failure?
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Failure is a lesson in a simple code
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Failure is not the end
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Failure is feedback
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It says, try again in a new way
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Think of a child who learns to walk
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The child falls many times
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But the child does not stop
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The child stands again and again
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One day, the child walks
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We can do the same
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We can smile at our mistakes
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We can say, I am learning
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We can try again
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This is how we grow strong
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How can we choose a good new chance?
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We can use three easy tests
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First test, is it safe?
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We ask, is this chance safe for me and for others?
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If yes, we can continue.
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Second test, is it simple?
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We ask, can I start in 10 minutes?
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Can I start today?
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If yes, that is great.
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Third test, is it kind of my future?
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We ask, if I say yes today, will I thank myself in one year?
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If yes, we can say yes now.
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Safe, simple, and kind to your future.
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These three tests are easy and clear.
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We can also use small rules to help us move.
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One small rule is the two -minute rule.
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If a new action takes two minutes or less, do it now.
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Send one short message.
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Read one page.
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Drink one glass of water.
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Put your shoes by the door.
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These actions feel small, but they open the door to bigger actions.
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Another small rule is one tiny win each day.
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Pick one small task.
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Finish it.
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Celebrate it Say, good job
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This builds energy
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This builds trust in yourself
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Step by step, your day becomes full of small wins
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Small wins make a strong week A strong week makes a strong month
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What about time and money?
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Many people say, I do not have time
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But time can open if we choose
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We can say no to one thing that does not help us
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And say yes to one thing that helps us
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We can use short times
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Five minutes in the morning
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Five minutes at lunch
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Five minutes at night
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Three times five is fifteen minutes
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In fifteen minutes you can learn three new words
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You can write a short note
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You can do 10 easy moves for your body.
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Many good things can start in 15 minutes. About money.
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Many new chances are free.
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A walk is free.
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A friend call is free.
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A smile is free.
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A library card may be free.
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A free online video can teach you a new idea.
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The price is small, but the value is big.
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Let us think about simple examples.
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Say yes to a new word each day.
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Put the word on a small note.
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Read it three times.
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Use it in one sentence.
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Say yes to a new path to work.
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Look at the trees.
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Look at the sky.
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Say yes to a short talk with a neighbor.
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Ask, how are you today?
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Listen.
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Smile.
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Say yes to a new recipe with simple food.
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Try it.
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Eat slowly.
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Say yes to a calm night.
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Turn off your phone for 10 minutes.
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Breathe in.
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Breathe out.
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Feel your body.
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Say yes to writing three good things each evening.
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This trains your mind to see light in your day.
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Sometimes we say yes and feel tired.
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That is normal.
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New things use energy.
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Please rest.
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Rest is also a chance.
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It is a chance to care for your body and mind
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Drink water Sleep well
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Take a slow walk
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Sit in a quiet room
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Rest helps you say yes again tomorrow
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Rest and action go together
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They are a good team
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In the end, life is a line of choices
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Each yes is a dot on that line
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Many small dots can draw a new picture
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Your picture can be warm
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Your picture can be kind
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Your picture can be strong
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You do not need to change everything today
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You only need one yes
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Then another yes
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Then one more
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The road grows as you walk
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The light grows as you move
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Say yes to new chances and let your life open like a morning window.
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Fresh air comes in.
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New light comes in.
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You breathe.
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You smile.
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You grow.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Say Yes to New Chances”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: chance, fear, step, simple, strong. This video has 230 sentences and 1448 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:50. The speaker talks at a steady 122 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| fifteen noun | /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ | An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| friendship noun | /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ | The condition of being friends. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| scary adjective | /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ | Causing fear or anxiety |
| knock verb | /nɑk/ | To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood. |
| courage noun | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| recipe noun | /ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/ | Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients. |
| cafe noun | /ˌkæˈfeɪ/ | A convenience store, originally one that sold coffee and similar basic items. |
| dot noun | /dɑt/ | A small, round spot. |
| risky adjective | /ˈɹɪski/ | Dangerous; involving risks. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| go together verb | To be in a relationship. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- We think, what if I fail?
- Why should we say yes?
- How can we live with fear?
- They think, what if I fail?
- How can we choose a good new chance?
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, shoe /ˈʃu/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like breathe, fifteen, lesson.
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.