Shadowing Practice: Speak Fluent English like Snape - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I was saying, like, the Minister of Magic, he smells like fish.
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I don't expect many of you to appreciate the subtle science or exact art that is British pronunciation.
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However, for those select few who possess the predisposition, I can teach you how to bewitch Americans with your cute British accent.
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Master the schwa and even put a glottal stop in your Ts So do pay attention or you may risk sounding like a muggle.
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Or worse, an American.
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Bellatrix will demonstrate the first spell of connected speech.
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“ASSIMILARE!” Assimilation is an essential spell for perfect pronunciation.
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It involves changing one sound to sound more similar to the next sound, We smooth those sounds so they're more similar to each other.
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And that makes it sound better.
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For example, the words “COULD + YOU” are separated with a D and a Y sound, but with connected speech, we combine those into a /dz/ sound.
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Say this with me class. That includes you.
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Could you. Could you.
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Could you Could you.
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Fine. Did I do it right?
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I'm scared.
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Could you pass me the potion?
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How miss Melon would you pronounce this with perfect British pronunciation?
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Yes. Good. Now you try.
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Yes that's fine.
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Did you hear that They're letting muggles in Hogwarts this year.
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Stupid Muggles!
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Did you also notice I said “DiDZou” you and not, did ...you?
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“This year” the S and Y combine into A “SH” sound. ThiSHear.
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This year. You!What's your name?
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Becky Nice to meet you.
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Nice to meet you.
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When one word finishes in a T sound and the next word begins with a Y sound, we connect them with a “CH” sound Meet you, Meet you.
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Say it with me. Meet you. Nice to meet you.
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That's good.
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and when one word ends in an “N” sound and the next word begins with a B, W, P, or M sound For example, one muggle the ‘N’ in “One” becomes ‘M’ to join muggle, Why?
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Because it flows together and it makes you sound more fluent and less like a robot.
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One muggle Same with in between.
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No, in between.
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Ms.. Melon, you don't have any friends.
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Who are you texting?
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At the end of each unit, you will be tested.
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So say these sentences perfectly.
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Would you turn to page 394?
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What's your excuse, Mr.
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Potter? I want you to sit down.
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Moving on. Dobby, go away.
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Actually, that's a good one.
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When you want to connect, go away.
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We intrude a W sound in the middle.
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Go away, And that’s the next spell. Bella.
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“INTRUSIO!” The Intrusion spell links two words together by adding an extra sound in the middle.
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Those sounds are “W”, “R”, and “Y” When one word ends in a vowel sound like your mouth naturally makes the shape o.
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So if the next word begins with a vowel sound like it sounds better to connect them with a W sound, goWaway.
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I know a wizard and when a word finishes within a And the next word has a vowel sound connected with the sound.
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Me and you.
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Me and you.
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I also hate Harry Potter.
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You understand? Yes.
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there are of course other examples in British English.
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We don't pronounce the “R”like Americans do, and therefore replace the “R” sound at the end of words like Potter with a simple schwa potter.
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however, if the next word begins with a vowel sound, we do pronounce the RA, it intrudes into the two words You! Say this!
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Faster! Harry Potter is over at Hagrid's Hut!
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Good. Using all three linking sounds, How would you say this?
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Sorry. Am I boring you?
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Next one, please, Bella.
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“CATENATE!” Catenation Catenation is when the final consonant sound of one word actually joins the next word if it begins with a vowel sound.
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Dark arts, say with me dark arts The same with Death Eater.
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No Death Theater.
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Death Eater.
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Oh, you think life isn't fair?
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No. You think life isn't fair.
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Life isn't fair.
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And finally, elation “ELISIO!” Elision is when a word finishes with a consonant sound like it to look and the next word begins with a consonant sound that T, D, or K will be removed or “Elided”, particularly in a consonant cluster.
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Only those severely lacking of you will not know what a constant cluster is.
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So let me give you some examples.
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the first in Christmas.
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Elide that “T”. Chris mas The “SKT”in asked You may elide the K Only the brilliant of you will remember earlier in our assimilation unit that we could make next year.
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Some like next year.
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But with elision you also have the option to elide that sound “Nex year” in fact, any sound, any past tense verb (With a T sound ending!) when the next word starts with a consonant sound, I helped them”No!” I help them.
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I help them just remove the sound altogether.
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fine. It's time for your final test to see if you truly are Hogwarts material.
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Complete this test by saying out loud for everyone to hear these sentences.
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If your pronunciation matches mine, you may attend Hogwarts next year.
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If not, Good luck.
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Yes, it was rather good Sorry, Let me know how you did in the comments.
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And I hope to see you next year.
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I like this voice Class dismissed.
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Bye Bye. fine.
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You can stay for now.
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I like this voice.
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I like this voice.
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Class Dismissed.
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C Perfect. We don't say handbag.
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No handbag.
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Handbag. for example, the and thus make you more fluent than just sound flowy.
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You know, for example, the words Could you teach me about potion making?
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facial fears?
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You're an insufferable.
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Know it all.
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You And yes, we could expect real artificial intelligence in the next decade.
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Well, it means you're bringing jobs like your tax your life academy all completed by.
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And I know.
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my God. Are you serious?
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I'm not making it up.
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It's real. You can look it up yourself.
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God, I'm the expert, okay?
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I'm the expert.
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Now you. Yes, I'm talking to you.
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And finally illusion.
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And finally elation.
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Bella Then expel, please, Bella.
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Then expel, please.
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Bella, If you.
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Bella, If you would be so kind, then expel Now I must talk about the dark cards for this one.
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That will have to do.
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Now. You? Yeah, It's okay.
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Assimilation is a natural part of English.
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So though you may use spells now to improve your English fluency later, it should just come naturally.
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No shoes, Notice I didn't say nice shoes.
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That takes too long.
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No, we're going to connect them.
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Nice shoes.
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You say it. Compliment my shoes.
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Nice shoes.
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Thank you. Thank you. As a class, please.
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Nice shoes.
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Now you try it That's fine too.
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Yes, that's fine.
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Now you say it with me.
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Yeah. Could you. No.
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as a class All together.
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Please. Could you.
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Could you. Say it with me class.
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That includes you.
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yes, that's fine.
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Now you. So the question.
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Could you pass me the potion?
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How miss Melon would you pronounce this with perfect British pronunciation?
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Could you pass me the potion?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 139 sentences and 1232 words to shadow. The speech runs for 19:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 64 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 80% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| spell noun | /spɛl/ | Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers. |
| potter noun | /ˈpɑtɚ/ | One who makes pots and other ceramic wares. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| combine verb | /kəmˈbaɪn/ | To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite. |
| cluster noun | /ˈklʌstɚ/ | A bunch or group of several discrete items that are close to each other. |
| dismiss verb | /dɪsˈmɪs/ | To discharge; to end the employment or service of. |
| fluent adjective | /ˈfluənt/ | That flows; flowing, liquid. |
| select verb | /sɪˈlɛkt/ | To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| involve verb | /ɪnˈvɑlv/ | To have (something) as a component or a related part; to comprise, to include. |
| artificial adjective | /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ | Man-made; made by humans; of artifice. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. |
| sit down verb | To assume a sitting position from a standing position. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are separated · will be tested · will be removed |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may risk · may elide · may attend |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will demonstrate · will be · will not know |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | They're letting · you're bringing · I'm not making |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 18 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: smooth /smuːð/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, illusion /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, assimilation /əˌsɪməˈleɪʃən/
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 connect, shoe, spell.
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.