Shadowing Practice: Stories of relationships – B1 English Listening Test - Learn English Speaking with Video
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44 sentences
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1
I used to share an apartment with three other people.
2
We started sharing the place when we were university students and became best friends.
3
When we all finished our studies and started to work, we continued living together because we got along very well
4
and it was difficult to afford an apartment on your own in the city.
5
On a night out, one of my flatmates introduced me to one of his friends, Sarah, and there was an immediate spark there.
6
I asked her out and we started dating.
7
The connection between us was unbelievable.
8
Now she's my best friend, and she's the first person I ever went out with.
9
And, hopefully, she'll be the last, because we got married last year.
10
I married my high school sweetheart when I was just 22.
11
John was my first and only relationship.
12
We met when we were 16, and we started dating at 17.
13
Unfortunately, after 23 years, our marriage wasn't working any longer, and we decided to part ways after a lifetime together.
14
When we separated, I formed a close bond with a colleague at work.
15
She became my confidant and best friend.
16
One day, she excitedly suggested that she knew the perfect man for me, and practically set up a blind date despite my hesitations.
17
She insisted so much that I finally agreed.
18
We decided on a familiar restaurant for the meeting, a place that felt safe and neutral.
19
I was quite nervous, because I had never dated anyone other than John.
20
When I walked through the door, I couldn't believe my eyes.
21
It was John.
22
When he saw me, we both started laughing.
23
What are the odds?
24
When I first started at my current job, I didn't know anyone there.
25
However, I soon got to know Arthur, one of my colleagues.
26
We had a lot in common and before long we became pretty close.
27
Our conversations weren't just about work.
28
They extended to our personal lives, hobbies and families.
29
One weekend he invited me and my wife to a barbecue at his house.
30
It was there that he introduced us to his partner.
31
During the barbecue my wife and his partner really hit it off, finding they shared many interests.
32
They became friends quickly.
33
Unfortunately, over time, my relationship with Arthur started to get worse because of some disagreements at work.
34
Eventually, we fell out, and our relationship went back to being just professional.
35
It was awkward because my wife and Arthur's partner had become close, but such is life.
36
Back in college, there was this girl I had a huge crush on.
37
We weren't close, just acquaintances, really, but I thought about her in secret all the time.
38
We had common friends and often met here and there on nights out, but I never had the courage to ask her out.
39
Fast forward a few years, a very close friend of mine introduced me to his new girlfriend,
40
and to my dismay, it was the same girl I'd been silently admiring from afar.
41
It crushed me a little bit, to be honest, but I tried to be happy for my friend.
42
Time went by and I received a wedding invitation.
43
Standing there at their wedding, watching my crush becoming my friend's wife, was bittersweet.
44
I was invited to share in their joy, and that's what I decided to focus on.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Stories of relationships – B1 English Listening Test”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: became, wife, introduced, partner, decided. This video has 44 sentences and 558 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:26. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| crush verb | /kɹʌʃ/ | To press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity, or to force together into a mass. |
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| odd adjective | /ɑd/ | Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected. |
| lifetime noun | /ˈlaɪf.taɪm/ | The duration of the life of someone or something. |
| extend verb | /ɛkˈstɛnd/ | To increase in extent. |
| courage noun | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate. |
| awkward adjective | /ˈɔk.wɚd/ | Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments. |
| neutral adjective | /ˈnuː.tɹəl/ | Not taking sides in a conflict such as war; nonaligned. |
| practically adverb | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/ | In practice; in effect or in actuality, though possibly not officially, technically, or legally. |
| invitation noun | /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/ | The act of inviting; solicitation; the requesting of a person's company. |
| unbelievable adjective | /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/ | Not to be believed. |
| insist verb | /ɪnˈsɪst/ | To hold up a claim emphatically. |
| spark noun | /ˈspɑɹk/ | A small particle of glowing matter, either molten or on fire, resulting from an electrical surge or excessive heat created by friction. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| fall out verb | To come out of something by falling. | |
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as weren't, couldn't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: crush /kɹʌʃ/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, disagreement /dɪsəˈɡɹiːmənt/, hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/
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 introduce, crush, invite.
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.