Shadowing Practice: Speak Longer To Sound American - Learn English Speaking with Video
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how to sound more natural next time
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that we speak in american english well one thing
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you may be wanting to pay attention to is the length of your thought groups
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if you don't know what thought groups are thought groups are groups of words
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that go together before your next group of words
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and one of the things i commonly see among my students is
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that we are consistently using shorter thought groups and
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that is not enabling us to achieve the most natural sound in all situations
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we're going to be talking more about thought groups
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when we give feedback to this audio file right here by the way
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i try my best to be in touch with you by
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the youtube good morning good evening good afternoon guys welcome to the schwa milton
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this is your american english pronunciation review show where you can
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send files to me to get some feedback for free
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there's a link to the telegram group where we do it right in the video description
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and in the chat
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and to guide you in this process
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there is me what's up guys my name is jeff at riser breath
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that's one of the four keys you need to sound natural in american english including placement pitch breath
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and trying to weaken your constant sounds
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or strengthen your foul sounds a quick update before we give feedback for this file is
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that this week is the start of our conversation speaking in reading club
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which is led by our facilitator shea sanchez she's going to be guiding you in the conversation based exercises
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if you are a member of the pocket full american app
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so in case you don't know we have an application on your phone
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or on your computer that you can access to get daily pronunciation shadowing exercises
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and lots of other information that is not strictly available on the channels
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if that sounds like something you'd be interested in you want to join the conversation club
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which again meets on tuesday
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and thursday mornings new york time from 7 to 7 30 a .m you want to get practice with
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that and all the other elements
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that are on the application to reach your american english pronunciation goals
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you can find more information about the app at fluentamerican .com
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if you already have the app so definitely try to check out
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because shay is excited to speak with you but
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when i'm listening to this audio file right here by the way
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i try my best to being in touch with you by the youtube okay
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there's a little grammar thing i do want to just highlight here
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and by the way thanks to everyone who sends files
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so this is more or less the the thought groups
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that i'm hearing see
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if you can hear this chunking as well yourself by the way
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I try my best to be in touch with you by the YouTube.
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Okay
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so that's the chunking I'm hearing quick note at the end instead of by the YouTube
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I would say on YouTube try to get in touch with you
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on something I try to get with in touch with you on your website okay
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I try to get in touch with you on Instagram I try to get in touch with you on YouTube.
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So one of the things we see here is
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that we basically have these sequences where
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that first talk group is three syllables three words by the way
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this next thought group is four syllables i try my best the next syllable i'd be in touch with you
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so that time we have six
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and then we have by the youtube i'm going to change
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that to on youtube just to be more grammatical um
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so again three syllables there it's more or less three
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or four syllables each thought group with the exception of
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that one which is fine you can make
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that work how do you make it work
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if you have shorter thought groups well a couple of real basic concepts you want to have in mind
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when you're talking is that
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when you change thought group
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you want to change the pitch levels are we changing the pitch levels in our original audio by the way
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i try my best to be in touch with you by the youtube kind of what's happening here
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that's causing this sound less natural is we're just alternating
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we start off by the way
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i try my best to be we start off low like by the way
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then we go hi i try my best then we go down again to be in touch with you
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and then we go hi again bye to youtube this is like by the way
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so we're just alternating pitches and english in general is not going to try to do
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that it's good that we have pitch movement
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but i would say try to move further in a single direction
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so like you could do like a descending pattern like like by the way
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i try my best to be in touch with you on youtube that'd be an example of a descending pattern
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there's also ascending patterns like by the way
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i try my best to be in touch with you on
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youtube that'd be an example of an ascending pattern everything's gradually going up
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or you could start off descending a bit
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so like maybe starting a little lower it's like by the way
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then go high i try my best to be in touch
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with you on youtube that'd be an example of starting low then going high
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and then descending again whatever pattern
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you use just try not to be overly predictable in a
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lot of ways formulaic just like high low high low high English doesn't really like
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that okay some other things with the thought groups
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that are hurting this by the way I try my best to be in touch with you by the YouTube
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a lot of our stresses are also falling in very similar
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places each time like i try my best stress on try
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to be in touch with you middle stress on youtube middle stress okay
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so a lot of times what's happening is we have three thought groups in a row
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there have stress fall in the middle of the thought group
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if we can change some of those stress locations so like like
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by the way stress by i try my best it's like by the way i try my best
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so notice that's an initial stress then a final stress by the way
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i try my best to be in touch with you another final stress on youtube
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it's like by the way i try my best to be in touch with you on youtube
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that has greater contrast in terms of stresses some of the
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stresses are at the start of the thought group some of the stresses are at the end and
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that sort of variety can help this to sound more natural
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too instead of just having all the stresses fall at the same position over and over again.
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By the way I try my best to be in touch with you by the YouTube.
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The last thing I will say is
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that we can also mix up some of these thought group planks
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and you can do this with any sort of phrase
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that you want okay this is what we have right now
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so by the way thought group
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I try my best thought group to be in touch with you thought group on YouTube what happens for instance
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if we start short it's like by the way then our next soccer what
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if we do that as I try my best to be in touch with you
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a long thought group on YouTube see
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if you can hear a difference between these two rhythms okay we're going to start off with the original
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and then we'll try it with a short thought group a long thought group, and a short thought group.
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See if you can hear a difference.
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By the way, I try my best to be in touch with you on YouTube.
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Second one.
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By the way, I try my best to be in touch with you on YouTube.
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Do you hear a difference between those?
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By the way, I try my best to be in touch with you on YouTube.
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By the way, I try my best to be in touch with you on YouTube to.
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The second one is going to allow you in general to flow quite a bit more
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because that second thought group is much, much longer and the stress comes much later.
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So if you're looking at your own speech and you're feeling like, huh, I feel like I'm really choppy.
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I feel like I'm talking word, word, word, word, word.
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I don't think I sound very fluent or fluid when I talk.
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I'm not using a lot of linking.
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Well, it could be these factors.
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It could be that we're just using a lot of short thought groups.
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It could be that we're using a lot of stresses in similar positions over and over again.
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That is causing you to not have the sound that you want.
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So consider taking a sentence that you say
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and changing where your thought groups are and trying to lengthen instead of having all your thought groups to be short.
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That may be enough to help you achieve a more natural sound next time that you speak in English.
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Once again, guys, thank you so much for hanging out with me.
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A reminder again, if you have the Pocket Flu American app or you're interested in Pocket Flu American app,
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you now have access to speaking sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 7 30 a .m.
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New York.
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If you're watching this right now, in fact, live, well, that's pretty much the time.
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This is when a good class will be tomorrow, right at this time.
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So definitely take advantage of that opportunity.
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If you want more information about the Pocket Full American app, you can go to fluentamerican .com.
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Otherwise, I'll be back tomorrow with another edition of the Schwab Mill.
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Thank you guys so much for being here.
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It's, look, there's a lot of pronunciation resources out there.
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So the fact that you spent some time out of your day here with me is appreciated.
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Once again, my name is Jeff.
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I will see you guys later.
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Hope you guys have a good day.
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Have a good night and a good afternoon.
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You all take care.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Speak Longer To Sound American”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: youtube, touch, sound, stress, word. This video has 149 sentences and 1789 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:00. The speaker talks fast, about 199 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| distress noun | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature. |
| pitch noun | /pɪt͡ʃ/ | A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand. |
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| descend verb | /dəˈsɛnd/ | To pass from a higher to a lower part of (something, such as a flight of stairs or a slope); to go down along or upon. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| audio adjective | /ˈɔ.di.oʊ/ | Focused on audible sound, as opposed to sight. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| alternate adjective | /ˈɔl.tɚ.nət/ | Happening by turns; one following the other in succession of time or place; first one and then the other (repeatedly). |
| chunk noun | /t͡ʃʌŋk/ | A part of something that has been separated; a generally squat, thick, irregular piece of something, e.g. wood or stone. |
| soccer noun | /ˈsɑk.ɚ/ | Association football. |
| contrast noun | /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/ | The degree of this difference. |
| element noun | /ˈɛləmənt/ | One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based. |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| start off verb | To begin. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| go together verb | To be in a relationship. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
| mix up verb | To mix or blend thoroughly and completely. |
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 thought · is led · is appreciated |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | everyone who sends · one which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 29 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, lengthen /ˈlɛŋθən/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, schwa /ʃwɑ/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, consistently /kənˈsɪstəntli/, predictable /pɹəˈdɪktəbləl/, formulaic /ˌfɔɹmjəˈleɪ.ɪk/, grammatical /ɡɹəˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/
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 distress, pitch, pocket.
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.