Shadowing Practice: Shopping habits – A1 English Listening Test - Learn English Speaking with Video
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27 sentences
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1
I bought clothes online a few times in the past, but it was usually a bad experience.
2
Sometimes the clothes didn't fit, sometimes the color was different from in the picture and I didn't like it, or the style didn't look good on me.
3
Then I had to return the clothes and that wasn't convenient.
4
So these days I always buy clothes in town, but not at the mall.
5
There aren't many good clothes shops there now.
6
But there's a great market near the river.
7
The clothes are really colorful there and they're cheap too.
8
The problem is there aren't any fitting rooms.
9
I have to find a dark corner of the stall and try clothes on there.
10
It's not great, but I find some great clothes.
11
I never buy clothes online.
12
To me, it seems silly to buy something when you can't try it on, or touch it, or see the quality.
13
My friend saw an advert for a suit online and bought it to wear at a wedding.
14
He thought he was going to get a bargain, but when it arrived it was terrible quality.
15
He had to buy another suit, and he had to pay to return the other one.
16
What a waste of time and money.
17
I buy all my clothes at the mall.
18
There are a lot of clothes shops, but only a few of them sell good quality clothes.
19
I buy my clothes in those shops.
20
I pay a lot for them.
21
They last a long time and they look smart.
22
I don't like shopping, so I don't mind spending more money.
23
Then I don't have to go shopping often.
24
I don't shop at the market.
25
The clothes there are poor quality, and the colors are really bright.
26
I think they look cheap.
27
I prefer to look smart.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Shopping habits – A1 English Listening Test”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: clothes, shop, quality, online. This video has 27 sentences and 304 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:54. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| mall noun | /mɔːl/ | A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| convenient adjective | /kənˈviː.niənt/ | Serving to reduce a difficulty, or accessible with minimum difficulty; expedient. |
| bargain noun | /ˈbɑːɹɡən/ | An agreement between parties concerning the sale of property; or a contract by which one party binds themself to transfer the right to some property for a… |
| colorful adjective | /ˈkʌl.əɹ.fl̩/ | Possessing prominent and varied colors. |
| stall noun | /stɔːl/ | A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed. |
| advert verb | /ædvˈɝt/ | To take notice, to pay attention (to). |
| bright adjective | /ˈbɹaɪ̯t/ | Emitting much light; visually dazzling; luminous, lucent, radiant. |
| prefer verb | [pɹɪˈfɝ] | To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better. |
| shop noun | /ʃɑp/ | An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. |
| color noun | /ˈkʌl.ə/ | The spectral composition of visible light. |
| smart adjective | /smɑɹt/ | Exhibiting social ability or cleverness. |
| cheap adjective | /ˈt͡ʃiːp/ | Low or reduced in price. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- It's not great, but I find some great clothes.
- Then I don't have to go shopping often.
- I don't shop at the market.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, aren't. 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.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like cloth, mall, silly.
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.