Shadowing Practice: Streamline English Connections 02 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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36 sentences
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1
Telephoning Director inquiries, which town please?
2
Oxford.
3
What name please?
4
Oxford University Press, Walton Street.
5
That's Oxford 56767.
6
Thank you.
7
Can you tell me the code for Oxford?
8
0865. Thanks.
9
Goodbye.
10
MacDonald and Company, can I help you?
11
I'd like to speak to Mr. Walker, please.
12
Mr. Walker?
13
Which department is he in?
14
Accounts.
15
Hold on.
16
Trying to connect you.
17
All right.
18
You're through.
19
Number, please.
20
Oh, I'd like to make a transfer charge call. Where to?
21
Stratford.
22
What number?
23
17414. What's your name, please?
24
Joan Fitzgerald.
25
Can you spell that?
26
F-I-T-Z-G-E-R-A-L-D.
27
And where are you calling from?
28
01-992-6636 Right.
29
Hold the line, please. Who are you telephoning?
30
Nobody.
31
Well, why are you holding the phone?
32
My watch has stopped.
33
I don't understand.
34
I'm phoning the speaking clock.
35
Listen.
36
At the third stroke, it will be 8, 52 and 30 seconds.

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What You'll Practice in This Lesson

This video focuses on real-world telephone conversations, helping you master clear, concise communication in everyday scenarios. You'll practice asking for and sharing contact details, connecting calls, and even using the speaking clock—skills that are essential for both daily life and IELTS speaking practice. By engaging with the dialogue, you'll learn to navigate common phone interactions with confidence, improving your ability to understand and be understood in English.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Transfer charge call: A call where the recipient pays the cost, often used in professional settings.
  • Hold the line: A polite way to ask someone to wait during a call, crucial for maintaining courtesy.
  • Speaking clock: A service that provides the current time, useful for practicing time-related language.
  • Accounts department: A common workplace term, important for directing calls in professional contexts.
  • Code (for a town): Refers to the area code, a key detail when making calls in English-speaking countries.

Tips for Effective Practice

To make the most of this video, use the shadowing technique—also called "shadowspeak" or "shadow speech"—which involves repeating the dialogue aloud immediately after hearing it. The video's pace is natural but not overly fast, making it ideal for building fluency. Here's how to do it: Listen carefully to a short segment, pause, then repeat it, matching the tone and rhythm exactly. This helps improve English pronunciation by training your mouth to form sounds like a native. For IELTS speaking practice, focus on clarity: telephone conversations require precise enunciation, so mimic the speakers' clear delivery to ensure your words are easy to understand. Additionally, pay attention to intonation—rising tones when asking questions, for example, can make your speech more natural. Practice daily for 10-15 minutes, and you'll notice a difference in your ability to respond quickly and confidently in real phone calls.

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 →