Shadowing Practice: 'The Empty Pot' read by Rami Malek - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Welcome to Storyline Online, brought to you by the SAG-AFTRA Foundation.
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I'm Rami Malek, and today I'm going to be reading to you one of my favorite books, This is The Empty Pot, written and illustrated by Demi.
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A long time ago in China there was a boy named Ping who loved flowers.
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Anything he planted burst into bloom. Up came flowers, bushes, and even big fruit trees, as if by magic!
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Everyone in the kingdom loved flowers too. They planted them everywhere, and the air smelled like perfume.
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The Emperor loved birds and animals, but flowers most of all, and he tended his own garden every day.
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But the Emperor was very old. He needed to choose a successor to the throne.
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Who would his successor be? And how would the Emperor choose?
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Because the Emperor loved flowers so much, he decided to let the flowers choose.
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The next day a proclamation was issued: All the children in the land were to come to the palace.
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There they would be given special flower seeds by the Emperor.
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"Whoever can show me their best in a year's time," he said, "will succeed me to the throne." This news created great excitement throughout the land!
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Children from all over the country swarmed to the palace to get their flower seeds.
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All the parents wanted their children to be chosen Emperor, and all the children hoped they would be chosen too!
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When Ping received his seed from the Emperor, he was the happiest child of all.
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He was sure he could grow the most beautiful flower.
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Ping filled a flowerpot with rich soil. He planted the seed in it very carefully.
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He watered it every day. He couldn't wait to see it sprout, grow, and blossom into a beautiful flower!
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Day after day passed, but nothing grew in his pot.
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Ping was very worried. He put new soil into a bigger pot. Then he transferred the seed into the rich black soil.
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Another two months he waited. Still nothing happened.
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By and by the whole year passed.
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Spring came, and all the children put on their best clothes to greet the Emperor.
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They rushed to the palace with their beautiful flowers, eagerly hoping to be chosen.
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Ping was ashamed of his empty pot.
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He thought the other children would laugh at him because for once he couldn't get a flower to grow.
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His clever friend ran by, holding a great big plant.
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"Ping!" he said. "You're not really going to the Emperor with an empty pot, are you?
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Couldn't you grow a great big flower like mine?" "I've grown lots of flowers better than yours," Ping said. "It's just this seed that won't grow." Ping's father overheard this and said, "You did your best, and your best is good enough to present to the Emperor." Holding the empty pot in his hands, Ping went straight away to the palace.
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The Emperor was looking at the flowers slowly, one by one.
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How beautiful all the flowers were! But the Emperor was frowning and did not say a word.
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Finally he came to Ping.
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Ping hung his head in shame, expecting to be punished.
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The Emperor asked him, "Why did you bring an empty pot?" Ping started to cry and replied, "I planted the seed you gave me and I watered it every day, but it didn't sprout.
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I put it in a better pot with better soil, but still it didn't sprout!
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I tended it all year long, but nothing grew.
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So today I had to bring an empty pot without a flower. It was the best I could do.
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When the Emperor heard these words, a smile slowly spread over his face, and he put his arm around Ping.
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Then he exclaimed to one and all, "I have found him! I have found the one person worthy of being Emperor!
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"Where you got your seeds from, I do not know. For the seeds I gave you had all been cooked.
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So it was impossible for any of them to grow.
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"I admire Ping's great courage to appear before me with the empty truth, and now I reward him with my entire kingdom and make him Emperor of all the land!" What I love about The Empty Pot is it does allow me to look inside and realize just how much truth means.
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Because ultimately the only consequences are feeling like you're courageous, and honorable, and a bigger person, and I guarantee you, the truth always wins.
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So thank you to The Empty Pot for such a strong message. Keep telling the truth.
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Thank you guys for watching Storyline Online. Make sure to check out all of our stories.
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Keep watching and definitely keep reading.

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Why practice speaking with this video?

Practicing speaking through Rami Malek's reading of The Empty Pot offers a unique opportunity to enhance your English skills. The storytelling format is engaging and helps learners connect emotionally with the content. As you shadow Rami's narration, you can adopt his expressive delivery and emotional tones. This is crucial for developing your speaking skills, especially when it comes to conveying feelings and intentions through your voice.

Moreover, by using a shadowing app or shadowing site, you can listen and repeat phrases in real-time, mimicking the nuances of pronunciation and rhythm. This technique deepens your understanding of the language and boosts your confidence, allowing you to engage in more complex conversations in English.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Throughout the reading, several key grammatical structures and expressions stand out:

  • Past Simple Tense: The narration frequently utilizes the past simple tense, which is essential for telling stories. For example, "There was a boy named Ping" introduces the character effectively.
  • Reported Speech: Phrases like "the Emperor asked him" provide insight into communication dynamics. This structure is invaluable when discussing events that involve conversations.
  • Conditional Clauses: The statement "If you could grow a great big flower like mine" illustrates hypothetical situations, a key element in English conversations.
  • Direct Speech: The use of direct dialogue, as in "I admire Ping's great courage," is both engaging and a vital skill for informal interactions.

Employing these forms in your speaking practice will enhance your fluency and help you express ideas clearly and effectively.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you shadow Rami Malek, pay attention to the following pronunciation challenges that might trip you up:

  • Emp-er-or: The pronunciation of "Emperor" often confounds learners due to its multi-syllabic nature; practice breaking it down into syllables: em-per-or.
  • Courage: This word is an excellent example of how vowels may shift based on accent; ensure you emphasize the 'courage' as it allows you to articulate more clearly.
  • Proclamation: Many learners struggle with "proclamation." Focus on the rhythm of the word: pro-cla-ma-tion, stressing each syllable equally will enhance your clarity.

Utilizing the shadowing technique to practice these words will help you overcome these pronunciation hurdles and refine your spoken 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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