Shadowing Practice: Sing to Win | Human Interest | Bookworms Starter | BrE - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Chapter 1 The Audition It's your big day tomorrow,

Sophia, says Laura to her younger sister.

I know.

I can't wait.

My audition for Sing to win, says Sophia.

You're an amazing singer, says Laura.

The judges are going to love you.

Then you can be on TV in front of millions of people.

Sophia laughs.

Thanks, Laura.

You only say that because you're my big sister.

The next day, Sophia is waiting for her audition.

In front of her, there is a girl with pink hair.

Hey, Sophia says, I love your hair.

Thanks, I like yours too, says the girl.

Just then, a reporter arrives.

How are you feeling, girls?

Excited!

They say together.

Then they laugh. Are you sisters?

The reporter asks.

Uh, no. says Sophia.

Friends?

Well, yes, we are now, says the girl.

I'm Emma, she says to Sophia.

Soon, it is Emma's audition.

Here's my number.

Emma, says Sophia, text me after your audition.

OK, Emma says. And good luck.

Thanks, you too.

Emma smiles.

Now it is Sophia's audition.

The judges are watching her.

And everyone is very quiet.

Suddenly, she feels nervous.

This is it, she thinks.

She sings well.

And two of the judges say yes.

But she needs yes from all three judges

or she cannot be in sing to win.

Sophia waits nervously.

After a long minute, the third judge says, OK.

Yes.

Wow!

Says Sophia happily and claps her hands.

Friends.

That night, Sophia gets a text from Emma.

Are you going to be in Sing to Win?

Emma.

Kiss.

Yes.

You?

Wow!

Me too.

Amazing!

Want to meet on Saturday?

1pm?

Em, do you know the Happy Cafe?

Yes.

See you there.

It is Saturday at the cafe.

Sophia and Emma are talking about Sing to Win.

Our auditions are online now and people love us, Emma says.

I know!

It's amazing!

Sophia says You have 23 ,429 likes

Yes, and you have 21 ,632.

Oh, and look at this.

People want us to sing together.

I like that idea.

What do you think?

asks Sophia.

Emma is quiet and she looks away.

I don't know Sophia.

I'd like to sing on my own.

I get very nervous when I sing with people.

That's OK.

It's only an idea.

I'm sorry, says Emma.

It doesn't matter.

Hey, are you going to have a sandwich?

asks Sophia.

Yes, good idea, says Emma.

And they look at the menu.

Just then, Sophia and Emma hear a new song in the cafe.

They look up.

Oh, I love this song, says Emma.

I love it too!

Sophia laughs.

Chapter 3 Selfish Emma There is one month before the first round of Sing to Win.

Sophia and Emma are doing things every day.

They learn new songs and speak to reporters.

But they text a lot and meet at the weekends.

Lots of people like them.

They want to see

Sophia and Emma in the final.

One afternoon, Sophia is talking to some reporters.

Why is your hair blue?

asks one reporter.

100

Which singers do you like?

101

asks a second.

102

Then the reporter from the audition says,

103

Are you going to sing with Emma in the first round?

104

No, I'm going to sing on my own.

105

But people want you to sing together, says the reporter.

106

Well, Emma doesn't want to, says Sophia.

107

But I'm OK with that.

108

The next morning, Sophia texts Emma.

109

Hi!

110

How are you?

111

She texts her again after breakfast.

112

Me again. Are we meeting today?

113

Emma does not answer.

114

So Sophia texts her again in the afternoon.

115

You're quiet today.

116

Nervous?

117

Then Emma answers.

118

Don't text me again.

119

Just then, Sophia's sister arrives home. Are you OK?

120

asks Laura.

121

No, says Sophia.

122

And she tells her sister about the texts.

123

It's because of the story, Laura says.

124

What story?

125

Sophia asks. about you and Emma.

126

Look!

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Selfish Emma wants to sing on her own, says Sophia.

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Sophia wants to sing with Emma,

129

but Emma says, No, I'm better than Sophia.

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Oh no, says Sophia.

131

It isn't true.

132

Why?

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Perhaps the reporter wants a good story, says Laura.

134

Sophia phones Emma.

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But Emma does not answer.

136

Soon, everyone is talking about the story.

137

People do not like Emma now.

138

Sophia is right.

139

Emma is selfish.

140

Hashtag selfish Emma.

141

Emma wants to win on her own.

142

Bad idea.

143

Sophia is a better singer than Emma.

144

Hashtag Sophia Better.

145

Sophia is going to win with or without Emma.

146

Sophia speaks to the reporter.

147

That story isn't true, she says.

148

Emma isn't selfish.

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But now lots of people are talking about you and Emma.

150

He says, Selfish Emma is the biggest story of Sing to Win.

151

And it's good for you.

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But it's wrong, Sophia says.

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It doesn't matter, the reporter says.

154

Chapter 4 The First Round It is the first round of Sing to Win.

155

But Sophia is not very excited.

156

I'm going to see

157

Emma today at Sing to Win, she says to Laura.

158

She isn't speaking to me and I feel bad about the story.

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Listen, Sophia.

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Forget it.

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The reporter is wrong, not you, says Laura.

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I know, but.. says Sophia.

163

No buts.

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You need to be excited again. Do you love singing?

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asks Laura.

166

Well, yes.

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Yes.

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Then sing.

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Sing to win.

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Now Sophia is on the stage.

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She wants to sing well, but she is very nervous.

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Millions of people are watching her.

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The judges watch and listen carefully.

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She is good!

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The judges like her.

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And the audience like her too.

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Sophia!

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Sophia!

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Sophia!

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They shout.

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Now Sophia feels better.

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But next it is Emma.

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The audience do not like Emma.

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Boo!

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They shout.

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Emma waits.

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She looks at her feet and her face is red.

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Sophia feels sorry for her.

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Oh no, she thinks.

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Shhh, say the judges. Be quiet, everyone.

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Then Emma sings.

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Her voice is beautiful.

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She is amazing!

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The audience are quiet now.

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Very quiet.

196

When Emma finishes, they all clap and stand up.

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The judges are standing up too.

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Emma smiles.

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Then all the singers are on the stage together.

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What are the judges going to say?

201

Everyone is waiting for them.

202

The singers all want to be in the second round.

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But one person must go home.

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The audience clap and shout.

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Then the judges stand up and say, Goodbye, Harry.

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Sophia and Emma are in the second round.

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Sophia finds Emma when they come off the stage.

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Oh, Emma!

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You're an amazing singer!

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Thanks, says Emma quietly.

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Emma, I'm sorry.

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The story isn't true.

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You're not selfish.

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Can we forget about it?

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Sophia asks.

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This time, Emma does not answer.

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She looks down.

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Sophia runs away.

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She is crying.

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and she does not want

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Emma to see.

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The next day, all the stories are about Emma.

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Sophia and Laura read them together.

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Amazing Emma!

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Everyone loves Emma!

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Emma can sing to win.

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I'm sorry, Sophia.

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Nobody is talking about you now, says Laura.

229

It's OK.

230

I'm happy for Emma.

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And I'm in the second round too.

232

But I want to be friends again, she says.

233

Give it some time, says Laura.

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Then talk to her again.

235

Chapter 5 The Final Two days later,

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Sophia gets a text from Emma.

237

Can we meet at the Happy Café?

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Tomorrow at 11 .30 Emma, kiss

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The next day,

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Sophia arrives at the Happy Café at 11 .30 Emma is sitting at a table near the window

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Um, hi, says Sophia.

242

Hi, says Emma.

243

Listen, Sophia, the story isn't true.

244

I can see that now.

245

Reporters want a new story every day.

246

I'm sorry.

247

Oh, thank you, Emma.

248

I need to listen to my friends, not reporters.

249

They only want a good story.

250

You're right, says Sophia.

251

There are seven more rounds of Sing to Win.

252

Every week, one singer goes home.

253

And every week, Sophia thinks, Is it me? But she is good. And the audience?

254

And the judges like her.

255

They love Emma too.

256

They are both in the final.

257

And better than that, they are friends again.

258

It is the big final.

259

Sophia and Emma sing song after song after song.

260

Sometimes Sophia is better.

261

And sometimes Emma is better.

262

But they are both amazing.

263

Millions of people are watching them.

264

In the audience and on TV.

265

They stand on the stage together. Who is the winner?

266

Sophia feels very nervous.

267

They wait for the judges.

268

But the judges talk and talk.

269

Some people are shouting, Sophia!

270

Some are shouting, Emma!

271

There is a lot of noise.

272

Suddenly, the judges call the winner's name.

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Emma!

274

Sophia smiles.

275

She is second, but she is happy for her friend.

276

A judge says to Emma and Sophia, Are you going to sing together now?

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Yes, yes, sing together!

278

The audience shout.

279

Emma looks at Sophia.

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Let's do it!

281

She says.

282

Really?

283

Says Sophia.

284

Yes.

285

Says Emma.

286

She takes Sophia's hand.

287

And they sing.

288

Friends together.

289

Oh, my God.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Emma, Sophia, sing, judge, reporter. This video has 289 sentences and 1486 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:21. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
reporter noun	/ɹɪˈpoɹ.tɚ/	Someone or something that reports.
audition noun	/ɑˈdɪʃən/	A performance, by an aspiring performer, to demonstrate suitability or talent.
selfish adjective	/ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/	Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making.
shout verb	/ʃaʊt/	To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc.
arrive verb	/əˈɹaɪv/	To reach; to get to a certain place.
clap verb	/klæp/	To strike the palms of the hands together, creating a sharp sound.
hashtag noun	/ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/	A metadata tag, signaled by a preceding hash sign (#), used to label content.
carefully adverb	/ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/	With care; attentively, circumspectly.
menu noun	/ˈmɛn.juː/	The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.
quietly adverb	/ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/	Producing little or no noise.
sandwich noun	/ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/	A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food.
happily adverb	/ˈhæp.ə.li/	In a happy or cheerful manner; with happiness.
café noun	/ˌkæˈfeɪ/	A coffee shop; an establishment selling coffee and sometimes other non-alcoholic beverages, simple meals or snacks, with a facility to consume them on the…
nervously adverb		In a nervous manner; feeling or displaying nervousness.
shhh		Elongated form of shh.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
stand up verb		To rise from a lying or sitting position.
come off verb		To become detached.
look away verb		To ignore something; to pretend not to have seen or noticed something; to avoid dealing with something.
look down verb		To lower one's eyes; to direct one's look downwards.
look up verb	/ˌlʊk ˈʌp/	To have better prospects.
run away verb		To flee by running.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

How are you feeling, girls?
Hey, are you going to have a sandwich?
Why is your hair blue?
Which singers do you like?
Can we forget about it?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things	better than · singer than
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	is waiting · are watching · are talking
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming	are going to love · Are you going to be · are you going to have
Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary	need to be · must go · need to listen

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 30 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, isn't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: audition /ɑˈdɪʃən/, selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/, shout /ʃaʊt/, hashtag /ˈhæʃˌtæɡ/

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 reporter, audition, selfish.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Sing to Win | Human Interest | Bookworms Starter | BrE - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?