Shadowing Practice: Talking about holidays 🌊☀️⛱️ Real Easy English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello.
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Welcome to Real Easy English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Georgie.
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And I'm Neil.
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And in this podcast, we have real conversations in easy English to help you improve your English.
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Remember, you can read what we're saying on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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How are you today, Georgie?
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I'm pretty good, Neil.
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Thank you.
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I'm happy that it's Friday.
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Me too.
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So, today we're talking about holidays and our dream destinations.
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Great!
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I love this topic.
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But can you explain what you mean by destination, Neil?
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A destination is what we call a place we are going to.
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The place we would like to go to.
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OK, so if we are on a train to visit London, London is our destination.
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But we often use it when we're talking about holidays or special journeys.
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That's right.
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So, a dream destination is somewhere we would really like to go and travel on our holiday.
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OK, so where is your dream holiday destination, Neil?
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I like two different kinds of holidays.
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I like interesting cities, interesting old cities, like European cities, but I also like mountains and countryside and those kind of places, like in South America.
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Yes, I also have two different types of holidays that I like.
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If I want to relax, I usually want to be in the sun, by the beach, but I also love to see new and interesting places, places that you can't see in your own country.
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Neil, where's your favourite place you've ever been to?
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Oh, well, I really, really liked Japan when I visited Japan.
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OK, so if I go to Japan, what should I do there?
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You should eat as much food as you can, because the food is fantastic.
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And you can eat in a little noodle shop or you can eat in a big posh restaurant and it's all amazing.
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That sounds so good and I love food.
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OK, so you said I should try some Japanese restaurants.
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What is this word should?
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What does it mean?
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It means I think it's a good idea for you to do that.
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That's my advice to you.
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OK, so it's kind of like a recommendation in this case.
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Yeah.
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So when you go to Japan, you should eat sushi.
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When you go to Japan, you should visit Kyoto to see Zen Gardens.
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So how about you, Georgie?
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What's the best place you've ever been on holiday?
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I really love Edinburgh in Scotland.
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I love it because it's very green, the city is very close to nature and it's very beautiful.
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The buildings are really beautiful.
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OK, so Edinburgh, Georgie.
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What could I do in Edinburgh?
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Well, in August, for example, you could go to the Fringe Festival, which is a comedy and arts festival, so you could see some shows.
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Or you could go for a walk in the national parks outside of the city, or you could go to see some of the museums they have.
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There's lots of things you could do.
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Yeah.
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And when we use could, we're talking about things that are possible.
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Yes.
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And that's different from should because when I say you should do something, it means that it's a good idea or I'm giving you advice, but could I'm just giving you some options, things that are possible for you to do.
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Now, we don't always go to another country on holiday or even a different city, do we?
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No, now it's actually quite popular to go on holiday inside your own country.
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And we have a word for this, don't we, Neil?
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Yes, we do.
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It combines two words, the word stay and the word vacation, put them together and you have staycation.
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And a staycation is a holiday at, actually in your house or near your house.
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Have you ever done a staycation, Neil?
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Yes, plenty of times.
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Often on a staycation you might do day trips, so you go and visit places in the area but come home in the evening.
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Now, the problem with holidays is they are expensive.
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We probably need to save up money if we want to travel to all these places, apart from the staycation.
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Yes, we should save up some money, exactly.
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Let's recap the language we learned during the conversation.
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We learned destination, which we use to talk about a place we are going to, or we would like to go to.
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Could, which we use to talk about something that is possible.
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Should, which we use to talk about something that it's a good idea to do.
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This is advice.
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And staycation, which is a fun word to talk about a holiday at or near home.
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That's it for this episode of Real Easy English.
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Visit our website for more activities and courses to help you with your English – bbclearningenglish.com.
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next time we'll be talking about work and jobs see you then goodbye bye

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Context & Background

In this engaging episode of Real Easy English, hosts Georgie and Neil dive into the topic of holidays and dream destinations. This dialogue highlights their personal travel preferences while providing listeners with practical language tools to describe locations, experiences, and recommendations regarding traveling. The casual yet informative exchange makes it easy for English learners to grasp conversational phrases, enabling them to express their own travel experiences and aspirations effectively.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • “What is your dream holiday destination?” - A useful question to ask when discussing travel preferences.
  • “You should try…” - This phrase introduces recommendations and gives advice in a polite manner.
  • “I really love…” - A strong way to express personal feelings about a place or experience.
  • “It’s very beautiful/interesting.” - Use this expression to describe the appeal of a location.
  • “What could I do in…” - A great way to inquire about activities in a specific destination.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Utilizing the shadowing technique can significantly enhance your English pronunciation and speaking skills. Follow this step-by-step guide to practice effectively with the content from this video:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by listening to the video without looking at the transcript. Pay attention to pronunciation, intonation, and overall flow.
  2. Read Along: Next, follow along with the transcript while listening. This dual focus will help you connect spoken words with written text.
  3. Shadow Speak: Now, try to repeat what you hear in real-time. Mimic the speakers’ tones and rhythms to improve your intonation.
  4. Record Yourself: Use audio recording tools to capture your voice while shadowing. Playback the recordings to compare your pronunciation to the original speakers.
  5. Practice Conversationally: Create dialogues using the phrases you’ve learned. Role-play with a partner or speak aloud to simulate real discussions about your travel experiences.

Incorporating these practices into your daily routine will not only improve your English speaking practice but also build confidence in communication. Remember, the more you utilize the shadowing site, the more natural your spoken English will become. Happy learning!

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.

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