Shadowing Practice: Tell me about your life – A1 English Listening Test - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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I was born in Manchester, England in 1985.
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60 sentences
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I was born in Manchester, England in 1985.
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When I was five years old we moved to London because my dad got a new job there.
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I went to King's College School.
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When I finished school I went to the University of Oxford in Oxford.
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I met my wife there, Sarah.
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After university I got a job as an architect so I stayed in Oxford.
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Now we have two children, Emily and Jack.
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Emily is six and Jack is three.
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Linda I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1988.
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I grew up in a lively neighborhood where I attended local public schools.
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I didn't go to university because I started working at a bookstore in Manhattan right after high school.
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I loved being around books and soon became the store manager.
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I married my high school sweetheart,
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Tom, when I was 25.
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We didn't have children because we wanted to work and travel.
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We visited over 30 countries together.
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Now we live in Queens and I have a small bookstore and cafe.
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I was born in Mexico City, Mexico in 1992.
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I always loved science, so after finishing high school,
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I studied biology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.
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In 2015, I moved to Toronto,
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Canada, to continue my studies.
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Toronto was very different from home, but I loved it.
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After finishing my studies, I got a very good job as a biologist.
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I met my partner, Emma, here in Toronto.
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We like to explore nature in Canada.
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I miss Mexico, especially my family and the food,
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but I visit them every year.
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But now Toronto's my home too.
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I was born in Birmingham, UK, in 1994.
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I moved a lot as a child because of my dad's job.
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I lived in four different cities when I was ten years old.
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First we moved to Manchester,
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then to Leeds, and finally to Glasgow.
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Every time we moved to a new city,
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I had to start at a new school and make new friends.
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It was hard, but I got good at making friends.
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After secondary school, I decided to study engineering at the University of Edinburgh.
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Now I work in Edinburgh as an engineer.
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I still move a lot for work,
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but now I like it.
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I enjoy seeing new places and meeting new people.
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I was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
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My dad is a police officer,
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and I remember I wanted to be a police officer like my dad since I was very little.
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After high school, I joined the police academy.
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It was hard, but I learned a lot.
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When I became a police officer,
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I met Mark at work.
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He is a firefighter.
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We like our jobs because we help people every day.
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In 2015, we got married.
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Our wedding was lovely, with our family and friends around us.
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Now, we live in Atlanta.
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We don't have children yet,
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but hope to be parents soon.
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I work at the same police station as my dad.
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It's a tough job, but it feels good to help people.
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Mark and I love our jobs.
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Thank you.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

This A1 English Listening Test video is an excellent resource for learners who want to improve their English speaking skills in a real-life context. By listening to diverse speakers from different backgrounds, you can engage with a variety of accents and life experiences, making your learning process more relatable. When you learn English with YouTube, you expose yourself to natural conversational styles and vocabulary that you won't find in textbooks. Furthermore, by replicating the speakers in the video, you can develop your IELTS speaking practice, enhancing your confidence to express your thoughts and experiences in English.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speakers in this video use a range of simple yet effective grammar and expressions that are essential for beginners. Here are a few noteworthy structures:

  • Simple Past Tense: Phrases like "I was born" and "I moved" showcase the simplicity of expressing past events. Mastery of the simple past tense is crucial for sharing your life experiences.
  • Present Simple: Expressions such as "I work as an engineer" or "I love being around books" help convey current habits and routines, making your speech more dynamic.
  • Time Clauses: Sentences like "When I was five years old" illustrate how to connect events using time expressions, which is useful for narrating stories or experiences.

Practicing these structures through shadow speech will help solidify your understanding and application in everyday conversations.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While the transcript contains straightforward language, there are specific words and phrases that English learners might find tricky. Here are a few:

  • Architecture: This word can be difficult, especially for non-native speakers. Pay attention to the pronunciation: /ˈɑːrkɪtɛk.tʃər/.
  • Neighborhood: Many learners might say this word as one continuous string. It's important to break it into syllables: neigh-bor-hood.
  • University: The correct pronunciation is /ˌjuːnɪˈvɜːr.sɪ.ti/. Focusing on the rhythm and stress of this word will enhance your improve English pronunciation efforts.

Utilizing a shadowing app can also help you fine-tune your pronunciation by allowing you to listen and repeat phrases at your own pace, ultimately leading to clearer communication in 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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