Shadowing Practice: The Battle for Tenure | The Big Bang Theory - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Let's go over our emotional responses one last time.
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Okay.
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Professor Tupperman is dead, and that makes us...
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Sad.
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The fact that there are so many people here tonight doesn't make us cranky and claustrophobic.
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It makes us...
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Glad.
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Giving Mrs. Davis the box set of roots was...
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Bad.
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Yeah, however...
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No. Yeah, fine, bad.
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Unbelievable.
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You have some nerve showing up here just to schmooze with the tenure committee.
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You're here.
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Excuse me.
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I'm here to pay my respects to Professor Tupperware, or whatever his name is.
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So am I.
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His passing makes me feel bad.
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Well, well, well, Sheldon, fancy meeting you here.
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I guess the train store in Glendale wasn't having a cotillion after all.
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And you, you said you weren't coming here either.
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I would take accident.
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You don't know what I said.
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I'd like to know why Penny's here.
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I'm here to support my man, just like you.
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What are you going to do?
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Take people's drink orders and get them wrong? Do it.
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No!
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What, does she do it yet?
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She plans on flirting with members of the tenure committee to further Leonard's cause.
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Well, that's a fine how do you do.
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Don't just stand there, take your breaths out.
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Ooh, meerkat fight.
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You're all wasting your time.
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Sheldon is the most qualified for the job, and no amount of gravity-defying bosom's gonna change that.
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Seriously, is that tape?
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Like, how are they staying up like that?
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Way to hit him with both barrels.
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You two should be ashamed of yourselves, using women to advance your cause with sexuality, and whatever Amy plans on doing?
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Are you implying that my girlfriend has no sexuality to exploit?
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Yes.
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Okay, because that was not clear.
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Sheldon!
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What?
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That was ambiguous.
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Well, now it's big-ious.
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What are you gonna do about it?
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Um...
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You could talk some smack about his mother.
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Well, yes, of course.
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He wouldn't like that at all.
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Last night, I was feeling in need of sexual release when I happened to come across your mother.
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OK, OK, guys, what are we doing here?
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I don't know what you're doing, but I was about to insinuate that I had coitus with Raj's mother for a dollar.
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Well, you do what you want, but I don't want to lose my friends over tenure.
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Friends are forever.
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So is tenure.
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What?
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I'm just going to go home and let my work speak for itself.
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You're right.
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This is beneath me.
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Like your mother was last night.
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How about it, children?
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What do you think I should do?
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Well, you'll always be an academic success, but I seriously question whether you'll make any more friends.
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Well, I don't want any more, but let's go. Are you kidding?
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I would love to babysit for you.
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I could not ask you to do that.
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Nonsense.
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Children love me.
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Something about me just makes them laugh and laugh.
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No. We cannot lose to that, jerk.
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Yeah.
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Screw it.
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I'm going in.
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Hold on.
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At least screw it, I'm going in is what I said to your mother last night.
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Don't worry, I didn't really say that.
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I find the concept of coitus ridiculous and off-putting.
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Should have taken my breasts out while I had the chance.
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Mrs. Davis?
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Mrs. Davis?
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Mrs. Davis?
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Mrs. Davis, I know you're in there.
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I saw your car in the parking lot.
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What?
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I just found out that you recommended myself, Dr. Hofstadter, and Dr. Kuttharpali to be on the shortlist for tenure.
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Well, despite your quirks, the three of you are very accomplished in your respective fields.
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I don't know what you mean by quirks, but I do want to express my gratitude.
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You didn't bring another gift, did you?
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No, no. No, I learned my lesson.
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I understand that was inappropriate.
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Good.
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Anyway, thank you.
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You're welcome.

Why practice speaking with this video?

This episode of "The Big Bang Theory" presents a rich context for improving your English speaking skills. Watching the characters interact in a comedic yet emotionally charged environment allows learners to understand functional language in real-life situations. The dialogue is not only entertaining but packed with varied emotional responses, ranging from sadness to humor. By practicing speaking with this video, you can enhance your conversational skills, learn how to express emotional nuances, and develop confidence in your language use. Engaging with the text through shadow speak techniques will significantly help in improving English pronunciation and understanding the cultural references embedded in everyday speech.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the conversation, several key grammatical structures and expressions can be analyzed:

  • Expressing emotions: Words like "sad," "glad," and "bad" are used to articulate feelings concisely. Practicing these can help learners identify and express their own emotions in English.
  • Interrogative forms: Phrases such as "What are you going to do?" and "Why are they here?" showcase effective question formation that encourages dialogue.
  • Colloquial expressions: Terms like "have some nerve" and "fancy meeting you here" are examples of informal language that are often used in day-to-day conversations, enriching conversational fluency.

Utilizing these structures while practicing allows learners to sound more natural and relatable. Incorporating them into shadowspeak sessions can lead to significant improvements in language proficiency.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing with this transcript, learners should pay attention to the following tricky words and phrases:

  • Inconsistent names: "Tupperman," pronounced as "Tupper-man," can be a challenge, especially in rapid dialogue.
  • Using "schmooze" and "cotillion": These terms may require special attention due to their uncommon usage and pronunciation.
  • Emphasizing emotional responses: Notice how stress and intonation play a role in conveying sarcasm and humor. Phrases like "Yes, of course" can convey differing emotional tones depending on delivery.

By focusing on these aspects and practicing in tandem with the video, learners can overcome common pronunciation traps and develop a clearer, more articulate speech pattern. Engaging in shadow speech will help you attain a more authentic accent and improve your overall fluency.

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.