Shadowing Practice: Streamline English Destinations 09 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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70 sentences
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1
Marriage Guidance Council Malcolm and Barbara Harris have been married for nearly 15 years.
2
They've got two children, Gary, age 13, and Andrea, who's 11.
3
During the last couple of years, Malcolm and Barbara haven't been very happy.
4
They argue all the time.
5
Barbara's sister advised them to go to the Marriage Guidance Council.
6
There is one in most British towns.
7
It's an organisation which allows people to talk with a third person about their problems.
8
This is their third visit, and Mrs. Murray, the councillor, always sees them.
9
Ah, come in, Barbara.
10
Take a seat.
11
Is your husband here?
12
Yes, he's waiting outside.
13
He didn't want to come here this week, but, well, I persuaded him to come.
14
I see.
15
How have things been?
16
Oh, much the same.
17
We still seem to have rows all the time.
18
What do you quarrel about?
19
What don't we quarrel about, you mean?
20
Oh, everything.
21
You see, he's so inconsiderate.
22
Go on.
23
Well, I'll give you an example.
24
You know, when the children started school, I wanted to go back to work again, too.
25
So I got a job.
26
Well, anyway, by the time I've collected Gary and Andrea from school, I only get home about half an hour before Malcolm.
27
Yes?
28
Well, when he gets home, he expects me to run around and get his tea.
29
He never does anything in the house.
30
And last Friday, he invited three of his friends to come round for a drink.
31
He didn't tell me to expect them, and I'd had a long and difficult day.
32
I don't think that's right, do you?
33
Barbara, I'm not here to pass judgment.
34
I'm here to listen.
35
Sorry.
36
And he's so untidy.
37
He's worse than the kids.
38
I always have to remind him to pick up his clothes.
39
He just throws them on the floor.
40
After all, I'm not his servant.
41
I've got my own career.
42
Actually, I think that's part of the trouble.
43
You see, I earn as much money as he does.
44
Malcolm, I'm so glad you could come.
45
Hello, Mrs Murray.
46
Well, I'll be honest, Barbara had to force me to come, really.
47
Does it embarrass you to talk about your problems?
48
Yes, it does.
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But I suppose we need to talk to somebody.
50
Barbara feels that you, well, you resent her job.
51
I don't know.
52
I would prefer her to stay at home, but she's very well qualified, and I encouraged her to go back to work.
53
Now the kids are at school, she needs an interest, and I suppose we need the money.
54
How do you share the housework?
55
I try to help.
56
I always help her to wash up, and I help Gary and Amsia to do their homework while she does the dinner,
57
but she doesn't think that's enough.
58
What do you think?
59
I'm not here to give an opinion, Malcolm.
60
I think we're both too tired, that's all.
61
In the evenings, we're both too tired to talk.
62
And Barbara, she never allows me to suggest anything about the house or about the kids.
63
We always have the same arguments.
64
She's got her own opinions and that's it.
65
Last night we had another row.
66
She's forbidden the kids to ride their bikes to school.
67
Why?
68
She thinks they're too young to ride in the traffic, but I think they should.
69
She always complains about collecting them from school.
70
But you can't wrap children in cotton wool, can you?
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Streamline English Destinations 09”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Barbara, Malcolm, Gary. This video has 70 sentences and 574 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:12. The speaker talks fast, about 180 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 11 of its 70 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| collect verb | /ˈkɑlɪkt/ | To gather together; amass. |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| encourage verb | /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ | To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit. |
| remind verb | /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ | To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person). |
| organisation noun | /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/ | Non-Oxford British English and Australian standard spelling of organization. |
| cotton noun | /ˈkɑt.n̩/ | A soft, fibrous, usually white substance consisting of fine hairs, especially the substance around the seeds of a plant of genus Gossypium. |
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| judgment noun | /ˈd͡ʒʌd͡ʒ.mənt/ | The act of judging. |
| complain verb | /kəmˈpleɪn/ | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| qualify verb | /ˈkwɑ.lɪ.faɪ/ | To describe or characterize something by listing its qualities. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| advise verb | /ədˈvaɪz/ | To give advice to; to offer an opinion to, as worthy or expedient to be followed. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| run around verb | To be very busy doing many different things. |
| wash up verb | To clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What do you quarrel about?
- What don't we quarrel about, you mean?
- I don't think that's right, do you?
- Does it embarrass you to talk about your problems?
- How do you share the housework?
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 | have been · haven't been · I've collected |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to remind · had to force · need to talk |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll give · I'll be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 22 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, inconsiderate /ˌɪnkənˈsɪdəɹɪt/
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 collect, earn, argue.
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.