Shadowing Practice: Taylor Swift’s Full Interview with Ellen - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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We have had a lot of fun with our first guest over the years.
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We have had a lot of fun with our first guest over the years.
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Take a look.
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Our next guest has had the number one album on the country charts for a record 10 weeks in a row.
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Please welcome Taylor Swift.
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That's what people say.
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That's what people say.
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I've gone on too many days.
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Your musical crush, somebody in the business.
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Oh, Justin Timberlake.
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Justin Timberlake is your favorite.
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Justin!
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Just a kid, I can't play,
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I can't play, I can't play.
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That's the best surprise ever.
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This is the best day ever.
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Yeah.
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That's great.
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Finish this statement.
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I am Taylor blank.
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I think just like birth certificate wise, it's Swift.
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Like I am Ellen blank.
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I am Ellen DeGeneres.
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I am Ellen DeGeneres and I am married to Portia De Rossi.
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I am Taylor Swift.
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I am dating blank.
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Nobody.
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That's true though.
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I'm Taylor Swift, and my publicist told me to say blank.
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My publicist told me not to answer any personal questions.
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Now we're getting somewhere.
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Kitty Corner is a show for people who love cats.
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And we'll answer your questions about cats.
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Yeah.
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You can call us with your questions.
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And we can call it cat calls.
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Or look what the cat called in.
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Every single time I come on this show,
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it's really weird, really weird.
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All because of Ellen.
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I've been on this show eight times now,
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and I still remember Ellen hiding in the bathroom.
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With a hidden camera, and she scared me so bad.
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I'm sorry as I could die.
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You got that dream, dream,
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day, dream, look in your eye,
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and I got the best.
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Taylor!
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Taylor!
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I'm not going to touch it down.
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We come back.
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I'm not going to touch it down.
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Why did you do that?
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I'm not going to touch it down.
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Up in the air.
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Being on Ellen's show is one of the best.
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Monotone like that.
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Being on the Ellen Show is one of the best experiences you can have.
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Now laugh in a monotone way.
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Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.
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Yes.
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That was an amazing montage.
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I know.
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And that's, no, no one's in there.
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OK.
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We're not going to do it to you today.
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It's not amateur hour.
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No, no. I'm not going to,
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because I can't top how I did it the first time.
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You were the best scare.
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Well, I don't know.
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Sarah Paulson was pretty good too, but.
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That was a near death experience.
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It kind of was.
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You went down.
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Yeah.
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Were there injuries?
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There were several ways I could have died.
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Well, now you're being dramatic.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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No, that's extreme.
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Yeah.
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I really just was watching that backstage.
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And I was just thinking like,
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thank you so much for going so above and beyond to make people happy.
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Yeah.
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Well.
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That's not a good example of it.
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No, no. But.
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No, you could have hit your head on the toilet.
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It was funny afterward.
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You did this laugh afterward that I have found myself,
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I loved the sound so much that I found myself doing it sometimes when I laugh hard enough.
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You went .
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You went .
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And you couldn't breathe.
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That's how happy I was.
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That's how happy you were to see me fall down like that.
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Yes, yes.
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And now you do it too, you said.
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It's caught on.
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Yeah.
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It's a great sound.
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If you go back and watch it on YouTube, listen for her laugh.
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And then who will be the one that's embarrassed,
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Not the one on the ground.
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Keep in mind that you haven't been here in four.
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No, how long has it been?
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Yeah, four years.
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I was recovering from the fall.
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No, no, no. But look at all the content we had,
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and you haven't been here in four years.
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You'd think you'd want to come back because you had so much fun.
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I know, and now I have.
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OK, and now you've come back.
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Yeah, I have come back.
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I mean, I had an album out called Reputation.
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I know.
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And I really.
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You guys are friendly.
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Yeah, with the album, I just basically wanted to just make music and not explain it.
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Yeah.
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But I missed you so much.
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It worked out.
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It was really.
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You still sold a bunch of albums without even talking.
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I mean, usually people go to promote their music because it helps sell albums.
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You don't have to do that.
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Well, that's nice of you to say.
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It's true.
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I mean, I am having fun being back here.
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It's been really great to be back here.
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And I definitely do, I think as a songwriter,
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I enjoy communicating about what I've made.
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I really do like that part of the process.
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But I also just feel like with my career,
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I want to do what feels right at the time.
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So at that time, I coined this phrase,
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there will be no explanation.
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There will just be reputation.
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Because I am dramatic.
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That's a very dramatic thing.
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But it rhymed.
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It was kind of catchy.
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And so I stuck with it.
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Right.
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Is that in one of your songs?
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Because if it isn't, it should be.
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Thank you.
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No. And I think it's a little late for that,
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because now we're on to another different album.
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I know.
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But you still could have that.
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For an album that's not Reputation?
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Yeah.
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It's a little off brand.
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No. But I will think about it.
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No. Just like clothing comes back in style,
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you can come right back around to that topic again, if you'd like.
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It could be like a vintage.
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You can do anything you want, Taylor Swift.
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Thank you for saying that.
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Yeah.
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You know, you, I mean,
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really, people thought, oh, god,
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she's been away for so long.
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How is this album going to do?
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And they put so much,
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I don't think pressure on you,
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because I don't think you felt.
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Yeah, there's pressure.
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Really?
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Yeah, for sure.
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Oh, OK.
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Because it seemed like people were expecting this not to be as good,
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or that album not to be as good,
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and you just came back and proved them all wrong.
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Aw.
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You know, it's true.
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Thanks.
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Because you didn't worry about how certain people do things.
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You do things your own way,
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and it all works out for you.
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Thank you so much.
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Well, you're welcome.
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Now, let's talk about me.
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No, not talking about me.
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But so these, here, let's talk about,
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you're on the cover of Entertainment Weekly,
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and you have all these Easter eggs on here, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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And I feel like.
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Explain what the eggs are to people who don't understand.
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Yeah, because I think that is necessary.
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So it's like when we say Easter eggs,
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we're not only talking about Easter eggs that you would go on an Easter egg hunt for on Easter.
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It's kind of like a clue,
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like a foreshadowing kind of thing.
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I like to plant Easter eggs in a video that will be like a lyric from unreleased music,
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or like a little hint or a little wink to what's coming in the future.
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Right.
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So yeah, that was kind of the theme of what we did the Entertainment Weekly thing on.
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And it's just been really fun to kind of expand the musical experience past just listening to a song.
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I also want people to be watching the music video,
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and what's that thing in the background,
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and what's that song playing underneath there,
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and is there a reason she said that in French?
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Right.
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Because people, and usually your fans are pretty good at figuring it out, right?
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They're excellent at figuring it out.
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What is the worst?
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How far off have they been?
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What's the worst they've been?
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Oh, man.
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Well, there were some fans that thought I had something to do with Avengers Endgame.
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Oh, really?
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Which I would have loved to have been asked, but I wasn't.
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No, you weren't.
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Asked to be in it at all.
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Yeah.
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Because we had the single coming out the same day,
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and I have a song that was called Endgame.
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And so they were like,
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oh my god, she's going to defeat Thanos.
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And I let everyone down again.
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That's, well, that was confusing.
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On your jacket, you have a lot of things on here,
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but you don't have something that next time you wear a jacket, that's.
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Thank you.
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You're welcome.
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It's you as a kitty cat.
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And that's two things you love.
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Those are the two things I love the most in the world.
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Together, put together.
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Yeah.
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All right, we have to take a break.
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I'll let you cry about that.
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We'll be back.
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We're back with Taylor Swift,
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who was just telling me about washing her legs in the shower.
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I couldn't hear you.
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Did you say you do wash them or you don't?
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I do, because when you shave your legs,
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isn't the shaving cream is like soap, right?
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Yeah, it is.
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That is, I think that's a reason that most women wash their legs,
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because we have to, because we shave our legs.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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So that counts.
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Oh, for sure.
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It's a good.
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I'm on the right side of history, though.
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Unless you're not shaving, and then you're not washing.
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So whenever you're not shaving,
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you don't wash, you're saying?
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No, I don't think I would say that.
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Well, it seems like you did just say it.
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I kind of always shave my legs.
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Every day?
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I mean, yeah.
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Every day?
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Yeah.
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God, you must be hairy.
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All right, so let's talk about.
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So sweet.
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I don't know why you don't come here more often.
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Yeah.
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All right, let's talk about me.
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We were just playing it during the commercial break,
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which I love that song.
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I love that video so much.
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Thank you.
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That must have been so fun to shoot.
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It was so fun.
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That's actually.
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Is that your new kitten?
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That's my new kitten, Benjamin.
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Wait.
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First of all, let's finish talking about the video, because it's so good.
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Brendan Urie, right?
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Is that his last name?
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Brendan Urie is one of the most incredible performers.
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Yeah.
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He is amazing.
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I love that y'all were together in that.
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Oh, yeah.
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I mean, he does this little dance coming up.
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He already did it.
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But all his little dances are like that.
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He's so good.
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He's just like, he would raise the energy in any situation.
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Yeah.
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I love him.
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He was just amazing.
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All right.
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We're going to get to the kitten in a minute.
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But speaking French in the beginning of it, does that mean something?
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Yeah, definitely.
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OK.
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Did you know French already,
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or did you learn it for that?
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I've tried to learn French several times in my life,
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because I think it's a really beautiful language.
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It is beautiful.
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And I definitely made sure that I had native French speakers on set
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because I didn't want to butcher the language of love.
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Like, that's not what I came here to do.
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Say something in French right now.
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You're putting me on the spot.
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But I mean, je suis calm.
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Ah, thank you.
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I don't know.
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What does that mean?
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It means I am calm.
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Oh.
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Je ne peux pas te parler quand c'est comme ça.
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Oh, that's good.
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That's a good one.
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Thanks.
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I don't know what that means,
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but that sounded real French.
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All right.
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Because I love cats.
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OK, let's talk about cats.
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So was that kitten?
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It doesn't.
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No. So was that kitten just there to be in the video,
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or did you and then you took it home,
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or did you put it in the video and it was yours already?
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He was a little cat actor.
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He was there.
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Apparently, there was, I didn't know this at the time.
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All I know is we had to have a kitten in the scene,
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because I wanted to have the scene where it's like,
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you know, he gives me a ring.
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I'm like, no. He gives me flowers.
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I'm like, no. And then he gives me a kitten,
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and I'm like, yes, absolutely.
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You know me clearly.
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And so they show up with this little kitten,
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And his handler was like,
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do you want to hold him first?
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I was like, absolutely I do.
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And so they hand me this tiny cat.
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And I've never really experienced a cat that the second I held this little kitten,
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he started purring like a motor.
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And I was like, OK, whose cat is this?
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You're really lucky whoever owns this cat.
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And then the girl was like,
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actually, he doesn't have a home.
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And then my eyes turned into hearts.
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Yes.
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I just immediately was like,
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I can't think about anything else.
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And so how did the other two get along?
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You can't just bring a cat home.
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Cats don't, they're not like that.
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They're like little puff balls getting in a fight.
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It's like marshmallows throwing each other.
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That's good then.
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And his name is Benjamin?
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Benjamin Button.
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That's right.
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Because it's an incredible movie.
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Yes, it is.
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It's an incredible film.
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He ages backwards.
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Yeah.
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All right, so we're back with the only person who loves cats possibly as much as I do, or more.
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But I think, no, we would.
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I don't want to get in a fight about it.
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No, but no, we both love cats.
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Let's just leave it at that.
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All right, Taylor Swift is who I was talking about.
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OK, so there's video of your other two cats on the plane, I think.
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Is that what we have?
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I think it's just a picture,
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but it's a good demonstration of just what my personal life looks like.
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It's just, well, that's just Olivia stretching.
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That's just?
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That's my middle child.
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Yeah, she's kind of like a seal.
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And she just lays on her back.
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Oh my god.
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Isn't she amazing?
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And her tail just never grew.
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Oh my god.
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And then she stands up.
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Here's meerkat.
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One.
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Yeah.
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Get it.
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She's a really special animal.
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And that was when she was a baby, meowing.
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Oh my god.
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They're just so cute.
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And now, so you would be,
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and you're doing the movie Cats.
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Yeah.
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So you probably have an advantage,
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because you probably act more like.
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I understand them.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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More study.
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Because James Corden had to learn.
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They went to cat school.
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We all went to cat school.
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You have no idea.
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It was like all my dreams came true on the set of this film.
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It was like they literally,
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they're like, you can come to set as much as you want.
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And I ended up being there like every day for four months.
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Just like they're all like,
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oh, Taylor's doing cat school again.
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Again.
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She's still here.
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She's still doing cat school.
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What did you learn?
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Well, you crawl around on the floor and you pretend to be a cat.
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Right.
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I bet you're really a good cat.
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I mean, we'll see.
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I really don't know.
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I had the most fun.
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Yeah.
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I had the best time.
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All right, so wait, there's a new album coming out.
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Are you finished with the album yet?
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Yeah, unless I write something else.
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OK.
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Then I'll just probably put it on the album.
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OK.
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And then you have another video coming out soon.
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Ish, yeah.
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When is it coming out?
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I don't know yet, because we have to finish it first.
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OK.
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Yeah.
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And then I think you said you wanted me in it.
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Yeah, I mean, that would be a dream.
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Yeah.
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Would you want to do that?
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I don't know, but I'll think about it.
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OK.
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For sure.
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Please do.
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Yeah.
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OK.
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Great.
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Yeah, I'll do it.
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Cool.
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OK.
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That's great.
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All right.
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All right.
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We have to take a break.
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And then we're going to come back.
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And she's going to talk all about her boyfriend.
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We'll be back.
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What I'll do is I'll read a question.
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And then you will answer the question.
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And then hit this for no apparent reason.
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I love it.
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It's fun, right?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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It's like a game show,
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but yet you win nothing.
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What's the title of your next single?
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Oh, I can't tell you that.
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That's crazy.
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I was going to try.
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Can you sing some of it?
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No. OK.
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All right.
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If you can't sleep in the middle of the night,
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what do you do?
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I go downstairs and rummage through the kitchen and eat whatever I can find.
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And it's really less like a human being and more like a raccoon in a dumpster.
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Like the next morning, we just walk downstairs and go, what happened here?
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And I don't remember.
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Does that help you sleep if you eat a whole lot And then?
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It's not really voluntary.
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Oh, do you sleep eat?
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I think so.
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I don't really remember it.
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But I know it happens,
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because it could have only been me or Katz.
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Right.
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Well, that wasn't the question.
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We're learning something different.
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I said, if you can't sleep at night, what do you do?
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But it sounds like you.
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I'm still sleeping and doing it?
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Yes, it sounds like you've got an issue.
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Yep.
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OK.
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Currently, what is your favorite TV show?
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Oh, god.
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OK, so Killing Eve, Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey, Queer Eye.
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I'll just, I got to stop though.
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I'm getting too excited.
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Killing Eve is.
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Yes.
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What is the most rebellious thing you did as a teenager?
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Probably when I put Joe Jonas on blast on your show.
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That was too much.
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Was it?
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Yeah.
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That was too much.
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OK.
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I was 18.
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Yeah.
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We laugh about it now.
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Oh, that's good.
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That was some mouthy, yeah,
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just some teenage stuff there.
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Wow, that's held onto you,
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because I don't remember that at all.
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What is your favorite curse word?
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OK, you say yours, and we'll say it together on 1, 2, 3.
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1, 2, 3.
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.
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It's just a good, solid one.
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Because it can also mean really good, like .
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Who'd you share your first kiss with?
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It was my high school boyfriend when I was 15.
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What was his name?
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Drew.
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Drew.
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Yeah.
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Did you leave an Easter egg during our interview?
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Yes.
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Really?
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Yes.
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I'm not supposed to do it every word.
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No. OK.
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Your friend invites you to dinner.
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What do you bring?
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White wine.
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What kind?
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Sancerre, Pinot Grigio, or Sauvignon Blanc.
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Good choices.
546
Thank you.
547
I just found a really good one I'll tell you about.
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Oh, thank you.
549
What's your favorite holiday?
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I think it's Christmas.
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Definitely Christmas.
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What's your favorite place to go on holiday?
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Like cold?
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Do you like snowing?
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Do you like an island?
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I'm sorting.
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Sorry, stay quiet.
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I'm sorting.
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I think Rhode Island.
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It's a great state.
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Yeah.
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What's your favorite movie?
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It's a tough one.
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How do you narrow it down to one?
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You can't.
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No. You can't.
567
I would have to go favorite movie I've seen in the last week.
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OK.
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Someone Great on Netflix.
570
Oh.
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Don't know that one.
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It's a great movie.
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Well, apparently.
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Watch it.
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OK.
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Name three words to describe yourself.
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Curious.
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Cat lover, make it one word.
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Sure.
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Romantic.
581
Yes.
582
I would say creative, also.
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That's nice.
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Thank you.
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Yes.
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OK.
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Smart.
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I would add that, too.
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You're doing five, though.
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Yes, because you deserve more than three.
591
OK, that's out of time.
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Go to my Spotify page to hear more of Taylor's music.
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We'll be back.
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Context & Background
The video features an engaging interview between Taylor Swift and Ellen DeGeneres, two prominent figures in entertainment. Their conversation showcases Taylor Swift's light-hearted personality and candid nature, providing a rich linguistic experience for English learners. This interview highlights how humor, personal anecdotes, and celebrity interactions can create a lively and engaging dialogue, making it a perfect material for those looking to enhance their English speaking skills. Through this exchange, learners can glean not only colloquial expressions but also tips on building rapport in conversation.
Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication
- "That's great!" - A simple expression of approval or excitement.
- "I am..." - A powerful way to introduce oneself or express identity.
- "This is the best day ever!" - A phrase to express enthusiasm and joy about an experience.
- "My publicist told me to say..." - A humorous way to deflect personal questions, showing playfulness in conversation.
- "I've been on this show eight times now..." - Demonstrates familiarity and repetition, valuable for connecting with others.
Step-by-step Shadowing Guide
To effectively use this interview for your English practice, follow this step-by-step shadowing guide:
- Listen Actively: Begin by watching the interview closely without pauses. Take note of the natural flow of conversation and the emotions behind the words.
- Segment the Dialogue: Break down the transcript into smaller sections. Focus on just a few sentences at a time to ensure understanding.
- Use a Shadowing App: Consider utilizing a shadowing app to repeat after Taylor Swift’s phrases. This will help with pronunciation and rhythm. You might explore features that allow you to adjust playback speed for more comfortable practice.
- Imitate Intonation: Pay attention to the intonation and emotion in Taylor's voice. Try to replicate this as you shadow speech, as emotional expression is vital in effective communication.
- Practice with IELTS Speaking Practice Techniques: Incorporate IELTS speaking practice methods by recording yourself and comparing your output to Swift's performance. This self-assessment can reveal areas for improvement.
By following these strategies, English learners can enhance their speaking skills, improve fluency, and gain confidence to engage in lively conversations. This method not only boosts language acquisition but also deepens the understanding of cultural contexts, making your shadow speak practice both effective and enjoyable.
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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