Shadowing Practice: Taylor Swift Amazing Interview - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hey, this is Taylor Swift on MSN Music.
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57 sentences
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Hey, this is Taylor Swift on MSN Music.
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I still feel like I'm a new artist.
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I think that's just my mentality about things.
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It's crazy because time passage is interesting.
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Some days I feel like it's been 10 years since my first single came out.
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Some days I feel like it's been 20 minutes since my first single came out.
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It seems so crazy to me to think
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that we're putting out the second album and that it's finally here
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and that I get to be in these categories with these huge, huge, huge superstars and it's really, really flattering.
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This album is the last two years worth of stories and writing isn't something that I I have to do for work,
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or I have to make myself sit down and write a song about this or that.
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You know, it's just, life happens to me and I write songs about it.
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And I have so many more songs than we put on this album that have happened in the past two years.
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We just try to pick the best ones.
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I'm really excited about there being 13 songs on this album, because 13 is my lucky number.
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It's also two more songs than were on the first album.
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I wanted to put more on this album.
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I'm a big fan of being very obvious and detailed and personal with my songs.
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It's something I like to do just personally for albums, like put a song on the album where somebody's name is mentioned and they have no idea that they're a song now.
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There's a song on the album called Hey Steven where I'm doing that.
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This guy has no clue that I wrote a song about him.
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And it's going to be really interesting when November 11th rolls around to get that reaction.
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Writing has been different for the past two years because writing for my first album,
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I was either in my bedroom or in a Nashville songwriting fixture, you know, like some publishing company on Music Row,
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writing with great writers, and it was all very structured.
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But for this last album, it's just been anywhere.
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I mean, I'll be in Arkansas and I get an idea for a song.
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I can't call up a co-writer and write it with them.
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I just have to write it by myself.
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So that's the reason why eight of the 13 songs are written just by me.
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I don't have any co-writers on them.
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I'm having so much fun on stage
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and there is this moment where during Should Have Said know my fiddle player
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and I have this drum battle on stage
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and we're always saying stuff to each other like back
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and forth like we're always I feel like it's always the best
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when we're both mad about something
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because there have been some nights where I've just been like really blissfully happy
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and I go on stage I'm like okay I'm banging these drums it's anchor management whatever
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and my fiddle player is like going through a breakup
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and she's like I hate him I hate him um and so So lately it's been like total anger management for us.
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It's been really awesome.
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Def Leppard is my favorite band.
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I'm so excited that I got to do Crossroads with them.
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And I was kind of going into it thinking there's no way they're going to be cool.
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Like they've got to be completely, you know, they're huge superstars.
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There's no way that they're down to earth.
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I mean, right?
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And they come in and they're just so down to earth and so incredible.
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They're teaching me British lingo and it was just so incredible.
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One thing I've learned about artists over the past couple years is that they're just people, you know?
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And I mean, how many records you sell has nothing to do with you being like inhuman.
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I mean, they're people.
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And I'm really glad that they're great people because I had a great time recording Crossroads with them.
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We've got nonstop promotion of the album and stuff until after my birthday.
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December 13th is my birthday and then I have some time off after that.
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And the holidays, I don't know what we're doing, but I know that it's going to be really, really fun to have a few weeks off because I know Album Promotion Week is going to be insane.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with Taylor Swift's interview offers a unique opportunity for English speaking practice. In her conversational style, you can hear authentic expressions and cultural nuances that are essential for mastering the language. Taylor discusses her songwriting process, personal experiences, and feelings about performing, allowing you to understand how everyday English is used in various contexts. By practicing with this video, you can enhance your vocabulary, improve your pronunciation, and develop the ability to express your thoughts and emotions more fluently.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the interview, Taylor employs several grammatical structures that are useful for learners. Here are a few notable expressions:

  • “I feel like I'm a new artist.” - This expression emphasizes personal perspective, using the present simple tense for feelings.
  • “Life happens to me, and I write songs about it.” - This showcases the use of the present simple to express ongoing actions that reflect her experiences, which is common in storytelling.
  • “It’s going to be really interesting…” - Here, the future continuous tense indicates expectation and excitement about future events.
  • “I wanted to put more on this album.” - This structure illustrates the past tense, reflecting on decisions made in the past.
  • “I can't call up a co-writer...” - The use of the modal verb “can’t” expresses inability, a crucial part of conversational English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Listening to Taylor Swift also presents several pronunciation challenges that learners should be aware of:

  • “Albums” - Ensure you emphasize the two syllables clearly: “al-bums”. Many non-native speakers tend to merge the sounds.
  • “Flattering” - This word can be tricky; focus on the “fl” sound followed by a clear “at-ter-ing.”
  • “Nashville” - Pay attention to the American pronunciation, where the ‘a’ is pronounced as a short ‘a’ sound.
  • “Superstars” - Be cautious with the 's' sounds; it’s essential to articulate them distinctly.
  • “Anger management” - Note the linking of words; practice saying them swiftly, as they often blend together in natural speech.

By using the shadowing technique or engaging in shadow speech, you can practice these phrases and enhance your pronunciation skills. Listening and repeating after Taylor will help you master the fluidity and rhythm of native English.

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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