Shadowing Practice: Short - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I've been short for literally my whole life,
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so it's really nothing new for someone to tease me about it.
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Hi, I'm Dominic.
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Hi, nice to meet you.
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You know you're short.
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Wha-?
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Oh dear!
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When did this happen?
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I must have been unaware of my physical appearance for the past 26 years of my life.
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How could I be so blind?
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Thank you from the bottom of my heart, wise stranger whom I just met.
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Thank you for enlightening me with your brilliance and informing me of this important and highly relevant matter.
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I will now waste my time indulging in this epiphany that you have missed out upon me.
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You don't gotta be a dick about it.
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Shut up.
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I used to be really self-conscious about it when I was a kid and thought something was wrong with me.
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I had high hopes for myself and believed that I might just be a late bloomer.
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I wore big tees that were obviously too many sizes up for me
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because I thought it was cool and gangsta at the time But also because I believed I'd grow into them.
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High school came and I was still the shortest kid.
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People teased me, but I stayed confident that the day will finally come
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when tiny little Dom hits the prophesied growth spurt
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and towers over you peasants who believe there was no consequence for teasing and bullying me.
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But the prophecy was false.
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I was told on average that boys stopped growing at the age of 16.
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Once I reached the age of 16, people started giving me a false sense of hope and said it was actually at age 18 that boys stopped growing.
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And once I was 18, people started telling me 21?
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What?
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I eventually stopped looking forward to a day that would never come.
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I never got my growth spurt.
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I never even grew enough to be of the average height.
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I remained small and the teasing continued.
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And it was always funny when people thought it was a diet issue or a physical fitness issue.
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People kept saying crap like, oh you just need to drink more milk, gotta get that calcium for them bones to grow.
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And I'm like, bitch I drink milk every morning.
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My bones are strong but they ain't growing.
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I eat my greens, I eat my fruits but results ain't showing.
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Uh, yeah, hip-hop!
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And I was a pretty active kid.
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Granted, I played a lot of video games, but I also played outside a lot.
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People were just ignorant at the fact that their parents were of average or taller heights, while mine were literally the shortest of their respective siblings,
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and therefore produced a child reflecting those genes.
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And okay, I know some of you have tiny parents but were that special snowflake that surpassed the odds, but I was not one of those lucky people.
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I slowly accepted the reality, and tried ways to deal with it.
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I took up Taekwondo because I didn't want people to underestimate me
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and think I was It was more so for that one day, that one kid whom I really disliked decides to set me off just a little too much
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And I can go ahead and turn his pelvis inside out.
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But on the other hand, I didn't want to be a violent kid, so on top of self-defense I learned how to breakdance and just be intimidating overall.
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Cuz you know, no one really messes with b-boys.
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They're like the chillest people you'll meet, but if you mess with them, oh boy, prepare to get your ass whooped in a dance battle and forever sully your name in the world of hip-hop.
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Over time I came to embrace my short stature.
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It became less about tolerating it, but actually cherishing myself for who I was.
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And to be honest, it's come in handy and brought me into some interesting situations.
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Getting carted at bars is always a hoot because although I'm with friends
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that all obviously appear to be of the legal drinking age, I myself do not.
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And waitresses and bartenders tend to be polite, so instead of singling me out, they just ask for everyone's ID, when obviously it's just me whose age they want to confirm.
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Those festival games where they have to guess your age?
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Ho-ho-wee!
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My favorite!
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I look young and I act young and I'm pretty much gonna stay like this until my bum gets wrinkly.
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And they're given that two-year range handicap, so if they guess that you're 20 and you're actually 18, then they got you, I guess?
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Hmm...
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Twenty...one.
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I'll take the turtle plush, thank you!
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I mean, I'm aware of the disadvantages of being short, obviously, but I tend to look at the bright side of things.
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I usually have a lot of trouble finding clothes and shoes my size, because I'm always just a little smaller than the smallest men's sizes that stores offer.
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But on the bright side, I can wear women's sizes.
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Well, mostly unisex looking shoes.
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Not necessarily women's clothes, but...
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Well, I mean some actually fit kind of nice on me.
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Leg room.
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Man, do I feel bad for you walking lampposts who feel cramped in buses, planes, theaters, and other places with arranged seating.
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Environmental hazards.
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Have you ever just been walking around
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and suddenly a tree branch pin slaps you in the face as if you owed it money?
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Boom.
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Bro, do you even limbo?
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When you're holding an umbrella to shelter both of us, at least you can do it at a comfortable arm elevation.
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You don't gotta go full Mary Poppins to keep me dry.
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Group photos.
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Guess who's always at the front?
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Boom!
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Model.
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Hide and seek?
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Pretty self-explanatory.
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Now I'm not saying being short is better than being tall.
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I hate being unable to reach things from high shelves without a stepladder or having to parkour.
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But being short's pretty cool in some cases.
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Makes the world seem a little bigger and grander, even if it's just by a few centimeters.
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I don't mind being short, but if I had the ability to like, control my size, I guess that'd be pretty cool.
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Would that make me a superhero or a super normal?
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I wouldn't really fight crime with it, I'd just mess around with people to be honest.
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But it's not the end of the world.
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Enjoy!
Why practice speaking with this video?
This video features a humorous and relatable story about dealing with insecurities related to height. Engaging with this content provides English learners an opportunity to practice speaking while exploring themes of self-acceptance and resilience. By mimicking the speaker's tone and expressions, you can improve your English pronunciation and fluency through the shadowing technique. Observing the speaker’s defense against teasing encourages learners to express emotions and storytelling effectively in English.
Using humor and personal anecdotes makes this video an excellent choice for learners who want to develop conversational skills and boost their confidence in social situations. Practicing along with the video allows you to become more comfortable with everyday language and cultural references.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The speaker utilizes various grammatical structures and colloquial expressions which are useful for English learners to understand and practice:
- “I’ve been short for literally my whole life” - This expression utilizes the present perfect tense, highlighting an ongoing situation. Practicing this can help learners describe long-standing circumstances.
- “Thank you for enlightening me with your brilliance” - A sarcastic remark that employs rhetorical language. Understanding such expressions can enhance your ability to use sarcasm or humor appropriately in conversations.
- “I used to be really self-conscious” - This structure focuses on past habits or states, which is beneficial for discussing personal experiences.
- “I eventually stopped looking forward to a day that would never come” - This phrase illustrates the use of future perfective hope versus reality, emphasizing the emotional aspect of reassurance.
Common Pronunciation Traps
As you practice with this video, pay attention to specific words and accents that might be challenging:
- “short” vs. “shore” - The speaker's accent may lead to mispronunciations for learners. Focus on the vowel sounds in these words to gain clarity.
- “growing” - The pronunciation can trip up English learners, especially with the 'ow' sound. Ensure to elongate the vowel sound properly.
- “calcium” - Learners might struggle with this term due to its silent letters. Break down the syllables to accurately pronounce it.
- “intimidating” - Keep an ear out for how the speaker articulates this longer word, as the rhythm and stress on syllables can lead to mispronunciations.
Using the shadow speech method, you can practice these tricky pronunciations directly by mirroring the speaker's delivery, enhancing your overall speaking abilities.
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.