Shadowing Practice: Streamline English Destinations 07 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Battle of Trafalgar Street This is Pennine Radio News.

Alan Nelson reporting from Trafalgar Street.

Mr Hardy, the Tadworth Housing Officer, has agreed to speak to us.

Now, Mr Hardy, has the situation changed since last night?

No, it hasn't.

Mrs. Hamilton is still there and she's still refusing to talk to us.

Well, what are you going to do?

It's a very difficult situation.

We'd like her to come out peacefully.

The police don't intend to prosecute her, but she's a very stubborn lady.

Stubborn?

Yes, well, it is her home.

I agree, and it's been her home for a long time, I know.

But nobody else refused to move.

You see, a lot of people in this area are living in substandard accommodation, and we are going to build over 300 flats on this site.

Families are expecting to move into them next year.

It's all being delayed because of one person.

But Mrs. Hamilton was born in that house.

Of course, of course.

But we have promised to give her a modern flat immediately, a very nice flat which is ideal for an elderly person living alone.

So what happens next?

I don't know.

I really don't.

But we can't wait forever.

The police will have to do something soon and it won't be easy.

She's got two very big dogs and they don't like strangers.

We have also managed to arrange an interview with Mrs Hamilton.

She has decided to speak to us but she has demanded to see me alone.

Mrs Hamilton!

Who are you?

I'm Alan Nelson, Pennine Radio News.

Well, don't come any closer or I'll let the dogs out.

Down, Caesar.

Sit, boy.

I'm sure our listeners would like to hear your side of the story.

There's not much to say.

I'm not moving.

I was born here.

I had my children here, and I intend to die here.

But the council really need to have this land, and they have arranged to provide a new flat for you.

Oh, yes, I know, but I can't take my dogs with me, and I need to have company.

My dogs are all I've got.

Down, boy.

How long can you stay here?

Oh, I've got plenty of food.

The council have threatened to cut off the water and electricity, but I'll be all right.

Well, thank you, Mrs. Hamilton, and good luck.

And you can tell the council from me, I want another house where I can keep me dogs,

not a little flat and a bloody high -rise block.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Streamline English Destinations 07”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Hamilton, flat, dogs, council. This video has 49 sentences and 426 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:32. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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
refuse verb	/ɹɪˈfjuːz/	To decline (a request or demand).
intend verb	/ɪnˈtɛnd/	To fix the mind upon (something, or something to be accomplished); be intent upon
arrange verb	/əˈɹeɪnd͡ʒ/	To set up; to organize; to put into an orderly sequence or arrangement.
stubborn adjective	/ˈstʌbɚn/	Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something.
ideal adjective	/aɪˈdi(ə)l/	Pertaining to ideas, or to a given idea.
electricity noun	/ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/	Originally, a property of amber and certain other nonconducting substances to attract lightweight material when rubbed, or the cause of this property; now…
delay noun	/dɪˈleɪ̯/	A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity.
stranger noun	/ˈstɹeɪnd͡ʒɚ/	A person whom one does not know; a person who is neither a friend nor an acquaintance.
elderly adjective	/ˈɛldɚli/	old; having lived for relatively many years.
accommodation noun	/əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/	Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or students, etc.
threaten verb	/ˈθɹɛt.n̩/	To make a threat against someone; to use threats.
peacefully adverb	/ˈpiːsfəli/	In a peaceful manner.
prosecute verb	/ˈpɹɒsɪkjuːt/	To start criminal proceedings against.
listener noun	/ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/	Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast.
substandard adjective	/ˌsʌbˈstændɚd/	Of inferior quality; not meeting the minimum quality requirements.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
come out verb	/ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/	To be discovered; to be revealed.
cut off verb	/ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf]	To remove by cutting.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

We'd like her to come out peacefully.
My dogs are all I've got.
How long can you stay here?

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has agreed · it's been · have promised
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being delayed · was born
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	she's still refusing · are living · are expecting
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction	will have · I'll let · I'll be

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: electricity /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɪsɪti/, accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/

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 refuse, intend, arrange.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: Streamline English Destinations 07 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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