Shadowing Practice: Simone Ashley on Meryl Streep & The Devil Wears Prada 2 - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Can you hear that?
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87 sentences
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Can you hear that?
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Classic.
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Isn't that crazy?
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The minute you yell action.
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Hi Style, I'm Simone Ashley and this is Unzipped,
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which is a very sultry title for a video.
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The item of clothing that I have too many of,
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I've got too many boots.
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I love boots.
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I've got too many cowboy boots,
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too many knee-high boots, too many thigh-high boots,
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So wellies, rain boots, I just love boots.
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I haven't counted them all.
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I kind of always feel embarrassed to make a guess.
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But yeah, though the boots problem needs to stop.
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The first item of clothing I remember spending a lot of money on.
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It was this Chloe suit that I bought at an outlet in Italy,
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in Tuscany or somewhere.
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And it was this like creamy white pinstripe suit.
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I think I was really encouraged by my friends and they really egged me on to buy it.
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When I was a teenager,
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or like in my early 20s,
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I never went out and bought anything expensive.
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A, I couldn't afford it,
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and B, I would just feel so guilty the whole time.
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If I had to wear one thing for the rest of my life,
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it's going to be a swimsuit because that means I can be on the beach for the rest of my life.
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Everyone seems to have a really strong opinion on the skinny jeans phase.
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I just wanted to fit in when I was in high school
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and everyone wore skinny jeans so I bought skinny jeans but I never wear skinny jeans anymore.
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Does anyone?
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I remember what I was wearing when I got the role for Devil Wears Prada.
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It was a very specific moment.
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I was at canteen in Notting Hill with my best friend.
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It was in the summer and I was just wearing my denim shorts,
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my Levi's and this silk blue camisole with like white lace on it that I love wearing.
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My Nike Air Force 1s.
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I wasn't allowed to tell anyone and I was outside this restaurant.
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It was the summertime, so there were loads of people outside the restaurant eating their dinners.
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When I got the call,
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I just, I'd never done this before.
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I just started crying and screaming and really caused a scene.
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So when the phone call stopped,
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I just went, just just acted normal.
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Had really like glassy eyes and massive pupils,
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obviously, from just being so excited and everyone was really confused.
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And then we went in and we had lots of Negronis.
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It was the beginning of probably one of the best summers of my life.
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In the sequel, Meryl wears this gorgeous red Balenciaga gown.
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that got photographed by all the press outside the Natural History Museum in New York,
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so everyone knows which dress we're talking about.
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I believe it was one of first of Pier Paolo's dresses that he designed when he went to Balenciaga.
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And I just loved the color of the dress,
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the texture, the way it just fell.
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It was really exciting to work with her.
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And any fear or, I'm not even gonna use that word.
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This is the first time I'm doing an interview about this movie,
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can I just say.
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I felt so incredibly lucky to work with her.
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I'm off duty when I'm not working.
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I can't even be bothered half the time to put an outfit together.
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I would say my friends in London,
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some of them are similar to that.
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My friends in New York,
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they all step out looking 10 out of 10.
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People like when I wear color.
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They like my pink, I've got this like Mickey Mouse sweater.
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It's pink, it's my favorite.
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I'll never lose it.
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If I ever lose that sweater, I'll get really upset.
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You know, sometimes when you're like,
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you'll just be thinking and then you go, where is that thing?
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Have you ever had that?
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Where you're like, oh my God,
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I haven't seen that thing in a really long time.
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Where is it?
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Have you ever had that?
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I know where it is, yeah.
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There's an air tag on it.
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To take the bins out, okay.
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Well, I've got a dog,
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so to take my dog out as well.
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My Birkenstock, no socks, obviously.
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Slip in, slip off.
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My sweatpants, if it's cold,
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awesome shorts, if it's hot,
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and then a sweater and a puffer jacket, sunglasses, random hat, vibes.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will enhance your English speaking and listening skills by practicing with a unique transcript featuring actress Simone Ashley. You will engage with conversational English that includes personal anecdotes about fashion, memorable experiences, and expressive emotions. By shadowing her speech, you will learn to mimic her authentic tone, rhythm, and pronunciation, which is essential for mastering conversational English. This exercise will not only boost your fluency but also improve your English pronunciation, making it a valuable practice for your IELTS speaking preparation.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Action - The cue given by directors to start filming; commonly used in the film industry.
  • Egged me on - Encouraged someone to do something, often used informally.
  • Really strong opinion - A phrase to express a firm belief or feeling about something.
  • Cause a scene - To behave in a loud or dramatic way that attracts attention, often in public.
  • Gorgeous - A term used to describe something very beautiful or attractive.
  • Nike Air Force 1s - A popular style of sneakers, representing casual fashion choices.
  • Negronis - A classic cocktail; this term enriches cultural and social contexts in conversations.
  • Valuable - Something that is of great worth or importance.

Practice Tips

To make the most of your learning experience, follow these shadow speaking tips while practicing with Simone Ashley's video:

  • Listen Actively: Pay close attention to how Simone emphasizes certain words. Notice her tone, especially when she expresses excitement or nostalgia.
  • Start Slow: Initially, play the video at a slower speed. Focus on mimicking her pronunciation and rhythm accurately.
  • Repeat Often: Use the shadow speak technique—repeat phrases immediately after hearing them to build confidence in your speaking skills.
  • Emulate Emotional Expressions: Notice how Simone’s excitement shines through her speech. Practice conveying similar emotions in your own voice to improve your expressive capabilities.
  • Combine Listening and Speaking: After shadowing a segment, pause the video and attempt to summarize what you heard in your own words to practice forming sentences naturally.

This is a fantastic way to learn English with YouTube, as you not only practice speaking but also engage deeply with authentic conversational contexts, perfect for your IELTS speaking practice!

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.

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