Shadowing Practice: Speak Out B1+, 3-rd ed unit 5, Street Interview - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Music.
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I always do the washing up myself
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because I used to work in a cafe in a restaurant and I know how to do it the best.
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And it annoys me when I see people do it wrong.
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So I always make sure that I do it so that it's perfect every time.
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Yeah, I mean, I always do the dishes.
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and the general kind of cleaning.
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We don't have a cleaner.
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I actually always cut my own hair.
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Yeah, I find that a lot cheaper.
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- Uh...
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I always try and sort of fix things that I've broken myself.
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So for example, When I was living at uni, I broke the cupboard in my kitchen.
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And I really didn't want to call a handyman to get it done.
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So I really tried to fix that myself.
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Oh, interesting.
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I always clean my own room.
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I make dinner on a Tuesday.
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Oh, what was your dough?
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I think that's about it.
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Yeah.
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I always walk the dog because no one else in the house will do it.
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I do the housework.
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myself.
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I don't pay for a cleaner to do it.
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I always try and do the DIY in the house.
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So I try and fix broken shelves and cupboards and And I always try and fix my own car myself.
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I do my grocery shopping by myself rather than getting it delivered.
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So we have a gardener so we always get our grass cut for us.
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I'm too lazy to do it and he does the best job so it's worth the money.
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Um...
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Yeah, I always have my car cleaned.
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Um...
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I think that's probably it.
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Yeah.
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Yeah, I always get my hair cut professionally.
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because I would not trust myself or anyone else to do it for me because I want to look good.
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So I get my food delivered, I get my hair coloured, and I get my nails painted.
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We get our windows cleaned every month.
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by a professional window cleaner.
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I get a mechanic to check my car every year.
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to see if it's working properly and passed the MOT test.
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I would always have my hair cut by a professional.
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Um...
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Yeah, that was it, yeah.
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I'd get someone to colour my hair rather than do it myself.

Boost Your Speaking Fluency with This Real-Life Street Interview Clip

Ready to level up your English speaking? This lively street interview video is perfect for IELTS speaking practice and building confidence in everyday conversations. It targets a key fluency milestone: talking about daily routines and personal habits—a common topic in exams and real life! By mimicking the natural flow of these interviews, you’ll learn to speak more smoothly and sound like a native in no time.

Speaking Goals for This Clip: Master Routine Talk

This clip helps you hit a big fluency goal: describing what you do yourself vs. what you get done by others. Whether you’re chatting with friends or prepping for IELTS, being able to explain habits like “I always cut my own hair” or “We get our grass cut by a gardener” is essential. You’ll practice structuring sentences clearly and using common verbs like “do,” “fix,” and “get” correctly—skills that make your speech more natural and confident.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions to Sound Like a Pro

Steal these handy phrases from the dialogue to use in your own conversations:

  • “I always do the washing up myself because…” (explain why you handle a task)
  • “It annoys me when I see people do it wrong” (share a pet peeve)
  • “We get our grass cut for us” (talk about tasks done by others)
  • “I’d get someone to colour my hair rather than do it myself” (compare options)
  • “I try and fix broken shelves and cupboards” (describe DIY efforts)

These phrases are incredibly versatile—use them to talk about chores, hobbies, or even work tasks!

Fix Your Weak Spots: Shadow Speech for Natural Rhythm

One of the best ways to improve pronunciation and rhythm is shadow speech—repeating the speaker’s words right after them. This video is ideal for shadowing because the speakers talk at a natural, conversational pace. Listen closely to how they stress words like “always” and “rather” and pause between ideas. Notice how short phrases like “Yeah, I mean…” make the conversation flow. Use a shadowing app to record yourself and compare—you’ll quickly spot areas to refine. With just 5 minutes of daily practice, you’ll sound more fluent and feel less nervous when speaking!

Learning English with YouTube has never been easier—this clip gives you real-world language you can use today. Start shadowing, practice the phrase bank, and watch your confidence soar. Remember: every small step gets you closer to fluency. You’ve got this!

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 →