Shadowing Practice: The Day Of The Dead - phần 1- Luyện Nghe Tiếng Anh theo phương pháp A.J. Hoge - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Day of the Dead.
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Day of the Dead.
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I arrive in Guatemala on the Day of the Dead,
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November 1st. I'm curious about this holiday,
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so I go to the cemetery to see what's happening.
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What I find is quite interesting.
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The atmosphere is like a party.
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There are people everywhere.
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Families are sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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They clean the graves and add fresh flowers.
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I walk through the cemetery and admire the beauty of all the colorful flowers.
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There's also color in the sky because many kids are flying kites.
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Some families are having a picnic next to the graves.
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They eat, drink, and chat together.
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People laugh and smile.
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In the United States, cemeteries are always somber.
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We certainly never have festivals or parties next to graves.
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We don't laugh or play music or fly kites in cemeteries either.
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I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
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I like the way they remember and celebrate those who have passed away.
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I like that they acknowledge death instead of denying it the way Americans do.
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I like that there is life as well as death in their cemeteries.
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Guatemalans call it the Day of the Dead,
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but it is also a day to appreciate life.
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ok this is the vocabulary for day of the dead
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so day of the dead
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I arrive in Guatemala on the day of the dead November
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1st I'm curious about this holiday holiday is the normal word we use for festival Some people say festival,
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but holiday is more common.
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Christmas is a holiday.
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Halloween is a holiday.
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So holiday is a common word,
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the most common word we use.
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Okay, so I say, I'm curious about this holiday,
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so I go to the cemetery.
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Cemetery is a place for dead people.
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Many, many dead people in a cemetery.
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So that's what a cemetery is, right?
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A place for dead people.
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Cemetery.
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It's a large area, usually.
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Large place.
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Cemetery.
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Okay.
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In the next paragraph, I say,
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the atmosphere is like a party.
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Here atmosphere means the general feeling of a place.
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For example, I might say this house has a happy atmosphere.
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It means the place has a happy feeling maybe it's very
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warm maybe a lot of nice people there many reasons
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but atmosphere means the feeling of a place place the atmosphere so the cemetery
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had an atmosphere a feeling like a party many people everywhere and people were sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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A grave is a place where one dead person is buried.
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One dead person is in a grave,
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one dead body in a grave.
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Many graves in a cemetery.
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So a cemetery has many, many graves.
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So each grave has one body,
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and then many graves in a cemetery.
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Okay, they're sitting around the graves of their dead ancestors.
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An ancestor is a person who comes before you in your family.
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For example, your grandfather or grandmother is an ancestor.
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Or your great-grandmother is an ancestor.
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So all the people in your family older than you,
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who came before you, these people are ancestors.
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Ancestors.
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Ancestors.
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Let me say errs.
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Ancestors.
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Okay.
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They clean the graves and add fresh flowers.
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The families clean the graves.
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And I walk around through the cemetery and I admire,
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I appreciate, I like I admire the beauty of all the colorful flowers there's also color in the sky
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because many kids kids means children
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so many children many kids are flying kites kites are paper
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or or plastic with a string and you fly them in the wind.
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Usually children fly kites.
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That's kites.
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Some families are having a picnic next to the graves.
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Picnic is when you eat outside, right?
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Eat outside with many people.
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That is a picnic, a picnic.
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Okay, and the people, they eat, drink, and chat together.
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They laugh and they smile.
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This is different than the United States.
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In the United States, cemeteries are always somber.
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Somber means very serious.
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Serious, somber.
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serious and not fun serious and not fun somber somber
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so in America in the United States cemeteries are somber they are somber very serious not fun somber
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And we certainly, we never have festivals or parties next to graves.
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We don't laugh or play music or fly kites in cemeteries either.
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And then I say, I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
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I find that.
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Here, find means realize.
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I realize that I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
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I find.
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I realize.
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I find that I prefer.
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I realize that I prefer.
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I understand that I prefer.
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Okay, so here find has a different meaning than normal.
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A little bit.
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So I find that I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
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Approach.
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Here, approach means way.
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Okay, I prefer the Guatemalan way the Guatemalan method.
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I prefer the Guatemalan way.
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I prefer the Guatemalan approach.
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I like the way they remember and celebrate those who have passed away.
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Passed away.
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To pass away means to die.
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It's very polite, very polite and very soft way to say die.
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If someone's mother dies, you can say,
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I'm sorry your mother passed away.
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I'm sorry your mom passed away.
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I'm sorry she died.
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I'm sorry she passed away.
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Passed away is softer and more polite.
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Okay, next sentence I say,
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I like that they acknowledge death.
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Acknowledge means to recognize, to see and recognize.
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Instead of denying it, denying is the opposite of acknowledge.
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Deny means avoid, to say no to something.
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To avoid something is to deny it, to deny it.
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The opposite of deny is acknowledge.
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Acknowledge and deny.
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Opposites.
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Okay, so they don't deny death the way Americans do.
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I like that there is life as well as death in their cemeteries.
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Guatemalans call it the day of the dead,
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but it's also a day to appreciate life.
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Appreciate means celebrate, to understand and like something, to appreciate.
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Okay, that is all of the vocabulary.
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Listen to the vocabulary lesson a few times.
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Read the text several times.
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Listen to the audio article a few times.
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And then, finally, listen to the mini-story many, many times.
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A lot.
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Every day.
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Okay.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will engage in English speaking practice by exploring the cultural significance of the Day of the Dead, as seen through the eyes of a visitor in Guatemala. You will practice listening and repeating phrases that describe the vibrant atmosphere of this unique holiday, allowing you to not only improve your vocabulary but also enhance your pronunciation. This lesson will give you a deeper understanding of the context in which these expressions are used, benefiting your overall communication skills.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Day of the Dead - A holiday honoring deceased loved ones, celebrated primarily in Latin America.
  • Cemetery - A place where the dead are buried, which holds a different cultural significance in various countries.
  • Atmosphere - The general feeling or mood of a place, such as the festive environment observed during this holiday.
  • Curious - Eager to learn or know something, a sentiment that drives the exploration of cultural traditions.
  • Celebration - A joyful occasion, reflecting how life is remembered alongside death during the Day of the Dead.
  • Fresh flowers - Symbolic offerings that beautify graves, enhancing the vibrancy of the cemetery on this day.
  • Picnic - A meal eaten outdoors, which underscores the communal aspect of the holiday.
  • Acknowledge - To recognize or accept the existence or truth of something, in this case, the reality of death.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning using the shadowing technique, focus on the rhythm and intonation of the speaker in the video. The pace is relatively moderate, making it ideal for shadow speech practice. Start by listening to small segments, then repeat them aloud to mimic the pronunciation and emotional expression. Aim to pay close attention to how the speaker describes the atmosphere of the Day of the Dead, as this practice will help you convey feelings in your own speech.

As you engage in this IELTS speaking practice, remember to incorporate the key vocabulary as much as possible. Discuss your thoughts on the significance of holidays in different cultures, which will not only help you use new words but will also provide valuable content for your speaking tests. Embrace the lively imagery from the descriptions and allow that energy to reflect in your spoken English. This approach to learning will aid you in achieving fluency and confidence in your English communication skills.

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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