Shadowing Practice: Talking about your childhood πŸ§’πŸ§ΈπŸ‘Ά Real Easy English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn.
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Hello and welcome to Real Easy English, the podcast where we have real conversations in easy English to help you learn.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Beth.
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You can find a video of this podcast and find a worksheet to help you learn on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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Hello Beth, how are you?
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I'm very well, thank you.
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How are you, Neil?
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I'm very happy.
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The sun is shining today.
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It is.
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It's a beautiful day.
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What are we talking about?
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Today we're talking about our childhoods.
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So, we'll talk about life, how it was, what our lives were like when we were children.
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How interesting.
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Let's get started.
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So Neil, what do you remember most about your childhood?
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Well, it was such a long time ago.
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But I can remember things, obviously, quite clearly.
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I lived in a different country when I was a child.
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Where did you live?
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I lived in Canada until I was 10 years old.
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So I can remember very hot, humid summers, but very long and very cold and snowy winters.
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So you always made snowmen, I guess, and had snowball fights.
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Yes, we always had a white Christmas, which is great.
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And I don't think I've ever had a white Christmas in England, not in the south of England.
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Well, I moved house, or my family moved house, when I was 10.
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So,
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I feel like a slightly similar thing where all of my childhood memories really are in this house and playing with my friends that lived in that village and went to my primary school when I lived in that house, having friends over for tea.
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That's a lot of strong memories of my childhood.
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And what kind of things did you do when you were a child?
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What kind of hobbies and interests did you have?
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Well, my friends and I used to always put on shows.
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We would do gymnastics shows in the garden.
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We'd say, Mum, Dad, come and watch my gymnastics show with my friend.
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We used to do singing concerts we wrote our own songs once um my friend and i recorded onto a tape do
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you remember tapes of course i remember tapes we recorded our own song onto a tape and we sent it to a recording
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studio in the hope that they would sign us is it a good song it's great i think we need to hear it maybe at the end of the show um what about you what sort of hobbies
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did you have when you were a child?
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I just remember playing outside a lot with my friends and having adventures and also doing lots and lots of sport.
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So I always liked football and cricket and I played, when I was in Canada, I played ice hockey.
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Ah, that's cool.
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Can you still ice skate?
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I'm okay.
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I'd say I'm better than most British people because you grow up in Canada skating.
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Yeah.
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But I'm not brilliant.
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How do you think the world has changed since you were a child?
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The world is really different from when I was a child because when I was growing up, we didn't have the internet or mobile phones.
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And I think they've made such a difference to the way people communicate with each other.
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And it drives me mad sometimes because my son would try to arrange to go out with his friends just to go to the park in a group chat.
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And then nothing ever happens.
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And I just say, just go there.
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Yeah.
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It's 100 metres down the road.
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Knock the door.
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But I don't think that happens anymore.
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No, I think for me, like something that's really changed is like I was saying about tapes,
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like the idea of playing a tape or putting a CD in a CD player like brings back amazing
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memories I used to have a CD that I would play and then I'd sing really loudly and I would imagine that then suddenly the band would be in the garden
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and they would and they'd be there singing with me.
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But I think those physical music devices, even like having a video or a DVD, like they bring back loads of memories for me.
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Let's recap the language we heard in our conversation about childhood.
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starting with childhood, which is the period of time when you are a child.
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We had memory.
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A memory is something that you can remember from the past.
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We can say that something brings back memories, which just means that it reminds you of something that happened in the past.
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And when we talk about things in the past, we often use the past simple.
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For example, I said that I played in the street with my friends.
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And we also heard used to and would, which is used when we talk about things that happened a number of times in the past.
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So, for example, I used to play ice hockey.
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It means I played ice hockey a lot and now I don't anymore.
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And that's it for this episode of Real Easy English.
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Why not test what you've learnt with the worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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Thanks for joining us and goodbye.
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Bye.
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Context & Background

The podcast episode "Talking about your childhood" features Neil and Beth engaging in a heartfelt conversation about their early years. Set against the backdrop of nostalgic reminiscences, they share memories from their childhoods, discussing where they grew up, their hobbies, and how life has changed since then. The dialogue captures the essence of childhood experiences, making it relatable and enriching for English learners. By listening to real conversations in easy English, learners can improve their understanding and speaking skills while connecting with personal stories that many can relate to.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • β€œWhat do you remember most about your childhood?” - A great way to prompt someone to share personal experiences.
  • β€œThat sounds interesting!” - A positive response to encourage further conversation.
  • β€œI used to…” - A helpful phrase for discussing past habits or routines.
  • β€œI remember playing outside a lot with my friends.” - A descriptive way to talk about childhood activities.
  • β€œThe world is really different now.” - A statement that can lead to discussions about changes over time.

Step-by-step Shadowing Guide

Improving your English speaking skills can be exciting and rewarding, especially with the shadowing technique. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you practice with the "Talking about your childhood" episode:

  1. Listen Actively: Start by listening to the entire podcast without any interruptions. Focus on how Neil and Beth articulate their thoughts and emotions.
  2. Transcript Review: Read the transcript to understand the conversation better. Highlight any phrases you find challenging or intriguing, such as those listed above.
  3. First Shadow: Choose a short segment of the podcast (about 30 seconds). Play it while you simultaneously repeat what you hear, imitating the rhythm and intonation of the speakers.
  4. Record Yourself: Use a shadowing app to record your voice as you practice. This will allow you to compare your pronunciation and fluency against the original speakers.
  5. Reflect and Refine: Listen back to your recording. Identify areas for improvement and repeat the shadowing process until you feel more confident in your delivery.
  6. Engage in Conversations: Use the phrases you’ve learned in real conversations with friends or practice partners. This is a vital part of your IELTS speaking practice and overall English speaking practice.

With consistent effort and practice using the shadowing technique, you will notice significant improvements in your pronunciation and confidence in English. Remember, practice makes perfect!

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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