Shadowing Practice: The art of reverse glass painting | Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
In Ho Chi Minh City, an artist born in 1961 has set several national and world records with an unusual painting technique.
2
Find out more about his journey with the art of reverse glass painting in the following story.
3
the paint, the glass, an artist.
4
But where are the paint brushes?
5
That's okay because These 10 fingers Our own hiddenness.
6
And today, he's getting ready for live performance.
7
rating 2 reverse cut Penton at the same time.
8
He looks at people in front of him, feels their soul, and begins.
9
One hand paints one image, the other paints another.
10
Color by color, the work takes shape.
11
- Thank you.
12
As he works, he speaks in spontaneous poetry.
13
The technique behind it is far from simple.
14
Revo's glass painting is difficult.
15
You must know what comes first and what comes next.
16
If you make a mistake, you cannot fix it.
17
Painting with finger is also not easy.
18
For small details, I even use my fingernails.
19
It takes years of practice.
20
After 10 years, it becomes natural.
21
At first, I copied what I saw.
22
Now, I can create image in my mind.
23
On glass, the paintings stay smooth and last a long time.
24
Ten minutes later, the work is finished.
25
One is aspiration to rise, the other is awakening faith.
26
For those receiving them, the paintings go beyond art.
27
"While he was painting, I tried to guess what it would look like.
28
But when he turned it over, I was really surprised.
29
It was beautiful and it reflected my feelings and hopes." Over the years,
30
he has created more than 1 ,500 reverse glass paintings.
31
His works are displayed in museums in Vietnam and abroad.
32
He also holds several Vietnamese and world records for reverse glass painting using only his fingers.
33
One day, I want to hold an exhibition of my works.
34
I want to show the beauty of Vietnamese people from the countryside and from our roots.
35
That is what I want to tell through my paintings.
36
From the simple colors on a small broken piece of glass more than 30 years ago,
37
the artist has refined reverse glass painting and continues to share positive values through his work.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This video offers a unique window into the art of reverse glass painting, a fascinating technique practiced by a talented artist in Ho Chi Minh City. By watching and listening to this performance, you not only immerse yourself in a rich cultural experience but also enhance your English speaking skills. Engaging with the content allows you to practice your speaking abilities through shadowspeak—a method where you mimic the speaker's expressions and rhythms.

As the artist shares his journey, you will encounter spontaneous poetry and deep reflections about his work, making it a powerful piece for learning English with YouTube. You can benefit from his emotional delivery, which can help you express your own feelings more effectively in English.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The video showcases several key structures that are invaluable for learners. Here are a few notable examples:

  • Present Continuous Tense: Use of phrases like "I am getting ready" illustrates actions in progress, enhancing conversational fluency.
  • Descriptive Language: The artist uses phrases such as "the work takes shape," which can help expand your vocabulary for describing processes and experiences.
  • Conditional Statements: Sentences like "If you make a mistake, you cannot fix it" stress the importance of outcomes based on specific actions, a useful structure in various contexts.
  • Past Simple Tense: Referring to his years of practice, phrases like "he created more than 1,500 paintings" highlight achievements and timelines, crucial for recounting personal stories.

Using a shadow speak approach, you can practice these structures in context, improving both your understanding and ability to use them in conversation.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While viewing the video, you may encounter certain words and phrases that can be challenging to pronounce correctly:

  • “Reverse glass painting”: The rapid flow of this phrase can make it tricky; practice breaking it into parts.
  • “Aspiration” and “awakening”: Pay attention to the vowel sounds and stress patterns to enhance clarity.
  • “Fingernails”: The combination of sounds can present difficulties; focus on the 'n' sounds and ensure that each part is clearly articulated.

By using a shadowing app or simple recording methods, you can listen critically to your pronunciation and make adjustments. This is an essential step in your journey to improve English pronunciation, enabling you to express ideas as beautifully as the art you witness in this video.

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.