Shadowing Practice: Tactics for Listening Third Edition Basic Unit 20 Describing Things - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Listening 1 1 Hello, City Taxi.
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Yes, I left a computer bag in a taxi coming back from the airport.
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Can you describe it?
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Yes, it's brown leather with the initials PWD on it.
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2 Hello, City Taxi.
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Hello, has anyone turned in a lady's handbag?
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I left one in a taxi about an hour ago.
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Can you describe it?
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Yes, it's a wide bag, with thin blue and brown stripes.
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Three.
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Hello?
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Is this City Taxi?
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Yes, it is.
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I'm calling about a wallet.
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I think I left it in a taxi this morning.
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It's a black wallet.
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It had all my credit cards in it.
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Oh, dear.
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Four.
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Hello, City Taxi.
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Hello.
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I left a pair of glasses in a taxi this morning.
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Sunglasses?
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Black frames with initials on them?
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No, no, they're regular glasses.
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They were in a brown leather case.
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I can't see a thing without them.
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Sorry, they're not here.
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1. I wear it instead of sunglasses because sunglasses make me look so stupid.
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I always wear it when it's sunny outside.
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If I don't wear it, the sun hurts my eyes.
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It's not too good on windy days, though.
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2. It's excellent for work because it's pretty big and I can get my laptop and all my business papers in it.
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It's not one of those cheap -looking plastic ones.
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It's made of real leather.
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3. I use it to put my things in when I play sports.
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It's pretty big, so I can get all my clothes and my running shoes into it.
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4. It's an expensive one, but I use it a lot because it's very wet here in the fall.
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I love the colors, too.
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People can easily find me in a crowd when I'm using it.
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5. It's great when you're on a trip somewhere, especially when you're taking a flight, because you can take it on board an aircraft.
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It's not very big, so you can put it in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.
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It also has wheels and a handle that you can pull out.
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6. They're very comfortable for jogging or walking.
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That's good because I jog and walk a lot.
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I've had them for about three years.
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I hate the colour, but I'll use them until I can afford a new pair.
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Listening to 1.
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I wear it instead of sunglasses because sunglasses make me look so stupid.
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I always wear it when it's sunny outside.
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If I don't wear it, the sun hurts my eyes.
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It's not too good on windy days, though.
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Two.
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It's excellent for work because it's pretty big and I can get my laptop and all my business papers in it.
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It's not one of those cheap -looking plastic ones.
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It's made of real leather.
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Three.
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I use it to put my things in when I play sports.
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It's pretty big, so I can get all my clothes and my running shoes into it.
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Four.
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It's an expensive one, but I use it a lot because it's very wet here in the fall.
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I love the colors, too.
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People can easily find me in a crowd when I'm using it.
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Five.
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It's great when you're on a trip somewhere, especially when you're taking a flight, because you can take it on board an aircraft.
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It's not very big, so you can put it in the overhead compartment or under the seat in front of you.
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It also has wheels and a handle that you can pull out.
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6. They're very comfortable for jogging or walking.
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That's good, because I jog and walk a lot.
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I've had them for about three years.
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I hate the color.
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But I'll use them until I can afford a new pair.
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Listening 3 1.
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It's a brown leather one.
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I keep all my money and my credit cards in it.
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I usually keep it in my back pocket.
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It probably fell out when I was getting off the bus.
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I hope I get it back because it also has my ID card in it and that's very important.
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2. I'm always losing them or putting them down and forgetting where I put them.
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I think I was wearing them when I was on the bus.
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Then I stopped for a cup of coffee at a coffee shop.
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I think I took them off then because I don't need them when I read, and I was reading a magazine.
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Yes, maybe that's where they are.
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Three.
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I'm sure I had them when I left school
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because I remember putting them in my purse i'm sure i had them
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when i came home or i couldn't have driven the car
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or opened the front door so
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that means they're somewhere inside the house four i'm sure i used it to pay the bill at the restaurant
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when i had lunch there after that i went to the department store
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and i think i used it
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when i bought my jacket i'm sure that's the last time i used it so it's probably there Five.
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I usually keep it at home in a drawer in my desk because I only use it when I travel internationally.
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But it's not there, so I wonder where I put it.
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Oh, maybe I left it at the office when I came back from my trip to France.
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I think that's where it is, because I went straight from the airport to my office.
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Six.
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I thought it was in my computer case.
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I usually put it there when I get one from the newsstand, and then read it when I get home.
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Now I remember, I was on the subway.
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I took it out to read the sports section.
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I'm sure I left it there.
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Listening 3 1.
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It's a brown leather one.
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I keep all my money and my credit cards in it.
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I usually keep it in my back pocket.
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It probably fell out when I was getting off the bus.
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I hope I get it back because it also has my ID card in it and that's very important.
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Two.
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I'm always losing them or putting them down and forgetting where I put them.
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I think I was wearing them when I was on the bus.
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Then I stopped for a cup of coffee at a coffee shop.
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I think I took them off then because I don't need them when I read, and I was reading a magazine.
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Yes, maybe that's where they are.
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Three.
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I'm sure I had them when I left school because I remember putting them in my purse.
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I'm sure I had them when I came home or I couldn't have driven the car or opened the front door, so that means they're somewhere inside the house.
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4. I'm sure I used it to pay the bill at the restaurant when I had lunch there.
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After that, I went to the department store, and I think I used it when I bought my jacket.
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I'm sure that's the last time I used it, so it's probably there.
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5. I usually keep it at home in a drawer in my desk because I only use it when I travel internationally.
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But it's not there, so I wonder where I put it.
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Oh, maybe I left it at the office when I came back for my trip to France.
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I think that's where it is, because I went straight from the airport to my office.
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Six.
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I thought it was in my computer case.
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I usually put it there when I get one from the newsstand, and then read it when I get home.
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Now I remember I was on the subway.
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I took it out to read the sports section.
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I'm sure I left it there.
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Pronunciation.
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Task 1.
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1. Leather wallet.
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2. Expensive sunglasses.
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3. Regular glasses 4.
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Colorful backpack Task 2 1.
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Comfortable chair 2.
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Attractive person 3.
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Plastic toys 4.
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Running water 5.
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Beautiful sunset 6.
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Interesting book
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Dictation
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hello city taxi hello has anyone turned in a cell phone
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i think i left mine in a taxi this morning well
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our taxi drivers find lots of cell phones every day can you describe it yes it's purple
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and it's in an orange case hmm those are unusual colors
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let's see no I'm sorry we don't have it are you
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sure I have to find it it has all my important information in it wait what's
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that oh it's in my jacket pocket
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Tactics for Listening Third Edition Basic Unit 20 Describing Things”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: taxi, leather, sunglasses, wear, usually. This video has 150 sentences and 1397 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:01. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| taxi noun | /ˈtæksi/ | A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare. |
| leather noun | /ˈlɛðɚ/ | A tough material produced from the skin of animals, by tanning or similar process, used e.g. for clothing; often denotes leather from cattle when no qualifier… |
| sunglasses noun | Tinted glasses worn to protect the eyes from the sun or other bright light, and may also be worn as a fashion accessory. | |
| pocket noun | /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ | A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items. |
| jacket noun | /ˈd͡ʒæk.ɪt/ | A piece of clothing worn on the upper body outside a shirt or blouse, often waist length to thigh length. |
| wallet noun | /ˈwɑl.ət/ | A small case, often flat and often made of leather, for keeping money (especially paper money), credit cards, etc. |
| desk noun | /dɛsk/ | A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a… |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| laptop noun | /ˈlæp.tɑp/ | A laptop computer. |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| subway noun | /ˈsʌbˌweɪ/ | An underground railway, especially for mass transit of people in urban areas. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| internationally adverb | In an international manner. | |
| purse noun | /pɚs/ | A small bag for carrying money. |
| overhead noun | /ˈəʊvəˌhɛd/ | The expense of a business not directly assigned to goods or services provided. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back from verb | To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc. |
| fall out verb | To come out of something by falling. |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. |
| pull out verb | To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can you describe it?
- I'm calling about a wallet.
- I can't see a thing without them.
- I always wear it when it's sunny outside.
- That's good because I jog and walk a lot.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was getting · was wearing · was reading |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm calling · I'm using · you're taking |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll use |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 38 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, they're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, cloth /klɒθ/, thin /ˈθɪn/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, dictation /dɪkˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like taxi, leather, sunglasses.
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.