Shadowing Practice: Shadowing Exercise with ADELE on Public Speaking Anxiety | Learn British English (Lesson #48) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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116 sentences
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1
Disclaimer, I'm not really a motivational words kind of girl.
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Disclaimer, I'm not really a motivational words kind of gal.
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Disclaimer, I'm not really a motivational words kind of gal.
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I'm just gonna be up front about it straight away.
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I'm just gonna be up front about it straight away.
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I'm just gonna be upfront about it straight away.
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I'm also not really a speeches kind of girl.
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I'm also not really a speeches kind of gal.
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I'm also not really a speeches kind of girl.
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So, well, they're really not my forte, I can't lie.
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So, well, they're really not my forte, I can't lie.
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Erm, so, well, erm, they're really not my f*ing forte, I can't lie.
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When I'm nervous, I swear, forgive me, I'm British, what can I say?
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When I'm nervous, I swear, forgive me, I'm British, what can I say?
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When I'm nervous, I swear, forgive me, I'm British, what can I say?
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I've never prepared one of these in my life.
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I do, of course, though, as quite a few people in the room know,
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I've never prepared one of these in my life.
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I do, of course, though, as quite a few people in the room know,
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I've never prepared one of these in my life.
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I do, of course, though, as quite a few people in the room know,
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I have the gift of the gab.
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I have the gift of the gab.
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I have the gift of the gab.
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I can absolutely talk for hours and eat your ear off.
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I can absolutely talk for hours and eat your ear off.
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I can absolutely talk for hours and eat your ear off.
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But when I talk for hours, it's about nothing.
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Really.
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But when I talk for hours, it's about nothing.
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Really.
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But when I talk for hours, it's about nothing.
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Really.
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So writing this has become, or not become, it's been quite a challenge.
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So writing this has become, or not become, it's been quite a challenge.
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So writing this has become, or not become, it's been quite a challenge.
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I can't really lie.
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And suddenly it dawned on me last night, I flew in from London last night.
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I can't really lie.
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And suddenly it dawned on me last night, I flew in from London last night.
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I can't really lie.
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And suddenly it dawned on me last night.
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I flew in from London last night.
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And it dawned on me when I was writing this that there is no way
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And it dawned on me when I was writing this that there is no way
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And it dawned on me when I was writing this that there is no way I'm not saying at this event,
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but there is no way that all these big long speeches that we're always hearing from people
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I'm not saying at this event, but there is no way that all these big long speeches that we're always hearing from people
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I'm not saying at this event, but there is no way that all these big long speeches that we're always hearing from people
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People cannot be writing those themselves.
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It's impossible.
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People cannot be writing those themselves.
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It's impossible.
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People cannot be writing those themselves.
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It's impossible.
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It's such a hard task.
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I'm convinced that I could have hired someone to write this.
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It's such a hard task.
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I'm convinced that I could have hired someone to write this.
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It's such a hard task.
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I'm convinced that I could have hired someone to write this.
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But it's too late now, you're going to have to listen to what I've got.
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But it's too late now, you're gonna have to listen to what I've got.
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But it's too late now, you're gonna have to listen to what I've got. So easy peasy first.
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Obviously thank you so so much to The Hollywood Reporter.
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So easy peasy first, obviously thank you so so much to The Hollywood Reporter. So easy peasy first.
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Obviously thank you so so much to The Hollywood Reporter.
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It's an absolute honour to be here today in full glam at 8am on a Thursday morning.
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It's an absolute honour to be here today in full f*ing glam at 8am on a Thursday morning.
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It's an absolute honour to be here today in full glam at 8am on a Thursday morning.
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No, no, no, seriously, thank you so much for having me at this event.
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It really is incredible.
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No, no, no, seriously, thank you so much for having me at this event.
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It really is incredible.
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No, no, no, seriously, thank you so much for having me at this event.
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It really is incredible.
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I'm being serious.
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I am honored to be here.
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I'm just saying.
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I'm being serious.
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I am honored to be here.
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I'm just saying.
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I'm being serious.
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I am honored to be here.
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I'm just saying.
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It's listed as a branch.
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This is breakfast.
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It's listed as a brunch.
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This is breakfast.
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It's listed as a brunch.
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This is breakfast.
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Disclaimer, I'm not really a motivational words kind of gal.
93
I'm just gonna be upfront about it straight away.
94
I'm also not really a speeches kind of girl.
95
So, well, they're really not my forte, I can't lie.
96
When I'm nervous, I swear, forgive me, I'm British, what can I say?
97
I've never prepared one of these in my life.
98
I do, of course, though, as quite a few people in the room know, I have the gift of the gab.
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I can absolutely talk for hours and eat your ear off, but when I talk for hours, it's about nothing.
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Really.
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or not become, it's been quite a challenge.
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I can't really lie.
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And suddenly it dawned on me last night, I flew in from London last night, and it dawned on me when I was writing this, that there is no way, I'm not saying at this event,
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but there is no way that all these big long speeches that we're always hearing from people, people cannot be writing those themselves.
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It's impossible.
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It's such a hard task.
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I'm convinced I could have hired someone to write this.
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But it's too late now, you're gonna have to listen to what I've got.
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So easy peasy first, obviously thank you so so much to The Hollywood Reporter.
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It's an absolute honor to be here today in full glam at 8am on a Thursday morning.
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No no no seriously thank you so much for having me at this event.
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It really is incredible.
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I'm being serious.
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I am honored to be here.
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I'm just saying.
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It's listed as a branch, this is breakfast.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Shadowing Exercise with ADELE on Public Speaking Anxiety”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: writing, dawned, speeches, lie, event. This video has 116 sentences and 1119 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:57. The speaker talks slowly, about 102 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dawn noun | /dɔːn/ | The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise. |
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| convince verb | /kənˈvɪns/ | To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence. |
| forgive verb | /fɚˈɡɪv/ | To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against. |
| honour noun | /ˈɑnəɹ/ | British, Canadian, Commonwealth, and Ireland standard spelling of honor. |
| disclaimer noun | /dɪsˈkleɪm.ɚ/ | One who disclaims, disowns, or renounces. |
| forte noun | /ˈfoɹ.teɪ/ | A strength or talent; a strong point. |
| motivational adjective | Tending or intended to motivate. | |
| peasy adjective | Resembling or characteristic of peas. | |
| brunch noun | /bɹʌnt͡ʃ/ | A meal eaten later in the day than breakfast and earlier than lunch, often in a leisurely, festive, and/or social way, and often consisting of typical foods… |
| upfront adjective | /ʌpˈfɹʌnt/ | Honest, frank and straightforward. |
| suddenly adverb | /ˈsʌd.ən.li/ | Happening quickly and with little or no warning; in a sudden manner. |
| task noun | /tæsk/ | A piece of work done as part of one’s duties. |
| incredible adjective | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdəbəl/ | Too implausible to be credible; beyond belief. |
| breakfast noun | /ˈbɹeɪkˌfæst/ | The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm just gonna be upfront about it straight away.
- I'm also not really a speeches kind of girl.
- I'm also not really a speeches kind of gal.
- I've never prepared one of these in my life.
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 never prepared · has become · it's been |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was writing |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm not saying · we're always hearing · I'm being |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna be · you're going to have · gonna have |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 71 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 dawn, hire, convince.
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.