Shadowing Practice: Talking about creativity πŸ§‘β€πŸŽ¨πŸͺ‘πŸ“· Real Easy English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English.
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In this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn.
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I'm Georgie.
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And I'm Beth.
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You can watch a video version of this podcast and find a worksheet to help you learn on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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Hello, Beth.
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How are you today?
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I'm very well, thank you.
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How are you?
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Yes, I'm fine, thank you.
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Today, we're talking all about being creative.
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If you are a creative person, you enjoy things like art or making things and you have lots of ideas.
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Okay, so let's get started.
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Are you a creative person?
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Well, we have quite a creative job, don't we?
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We are always coming up with ideas for new series.
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Editing videos is quite a creative thing.
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I think I'm creative.
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What about you?
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Yeah, I think especially when you talk about what we do for work, we invent new ideas and write scripts and that is quite inventive.
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But what about outside of work?
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That's what I was going to say.
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Yes, outside of work, I don't have any hobbies that are creative.
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But when I was at school, I used to do photography as a class and that was quite creative.
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You have to have a good eye when you do photography.
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um but nowadays I don't do much actually sometimes I like um coloring in with those coloring books um
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I enjoy that but I also think you're not really creating much you're just choosing the colors yeah you almost need to draw
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the picture and then color it in yourself yeah maybe I'll do that maybe I'll try that what about you outside of work I think I was probably more creative when I was younger.
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Although one of my friends at the moment is pregnant, so I have been making a blanket for her baby.
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It's a patchwork quilt, so that means there's different squares of fabric and I've been cutting them out and sewing them together with my sewing machine.
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What colours are in your patchwork?
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Well, they're kind of blues and whites and orangey because she doesn't know if it's going to be a boy or a girl.
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And they're all a little bit patterned.
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So, yeah, so I've been making that.
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So recently I have been creative.
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Nice.
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And Beth, are there any creative things, hobbies you'd like to try?
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Actually, I know someone who does ceramics.
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So they make pots and mugs and plates and he does classes.
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So I'd quite like to take up ceramics or something like that just to give it a try.
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That's a really good idea because then you can have new things to have in your kitchen, things that you can actually use.
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Exactly.
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Yeah.
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And again, it's something I did as a child for fun, but I wouldn't really think about doing it now.
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But if I like took it up as a hobby, then it's something creative to do.
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Yeah.
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Nice to do with your hands.
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What about you?
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I don't have any ideas at the moment but I would like to spend my free time doing something creative because I think it's quite therapeutic.
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It's a good way to take your mind off the stresses of life.
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So yeah, no ideas yet but watch this space.
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OK, let's recap the language we heard during the conversation, starting with creative, which describes someone who likes art or has lots of ideas.
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We also had sewing, which is when you make things from material, like clothes or blankets.
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We also had ceramics, which is also called pottery, which is when you make things like bowls and plates out of a material called clay.
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And if you take up a hobby, you start doing it for the first time.
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And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English.
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Remember, you can test what you've learnt using the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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See you then.
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Bye.
πŸ“±

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will practice English through a conversation that revolves around the theme of creativity. The dialogue features two speakers discussing their personal experiences with creative hobbies, such as photography and sewing. By listening to their exchanges, you’ll enhance your vocabulary, improve your conversational skills, and gain insights into discussing creative topics in English. This practice is designed to help you with your IELTS speaking practice, building confidence as you engage in discussions about personal interests and activities.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Creative person: Someone who enjoys art or making things and has many ideas.
  • Inventive: The ability to create or design new things or to think originally.
  • Patchwork quilt: A blanket made from various pieces of fabric sewn together.
  • Coloring books: Books containing line drawings that are intended to be filled in with colors.
  • Ceramics: The art of making pottery or ceramic items.
  • Therapeutic: Having a healing or calming effect, often used to describe activities that relieve stress.
  • Taking up a hobby: Beginning to engage in a particular activity for pleasure.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning experience, consider using the shadow speech technique while listening to the audio from this lesson. This method is effective for engaging with natural dialogue, improving your pronunciation, and enhancing your overall speaking abilities. As you practice shadowing, try to mimic the tone and speed of the speakers:

  • Start slow: Listen to the conversation multiple times at a slower speed. Focus on understanding the context and the vocabulary.
  • Repeat their phrases: Pause the audio and repeat what you hear, emphasizing the words and phrases related to creativity. This will help your brain process the information better.
  • Practice aloud: Ensure you engage your vocal cords by saying the phrases out loud, just as the speakers do. This is crucial for effective IELTS speaking practice.
  • Record yourself: Use a shadowing site or an app to record yourself while speaking. Play it back and compare your pronunciation and rhythm with the original speakers, making adjustments as needed.
  • Focus on expression: Pay attention to the tone and emotion in the speakers’ voices. Practice conveying the same feelings in your speech to make your conversations more engaging.

This approach not only improves your speaking skills but also makes the learning process enjoyable and interactive. Dive into creative discussions and let your ideas flow as you embrace your creative side through the English language!

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 β€” 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 β€” making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.

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