Shadowing Practice: The Holiday - Full Intro by Kate Winslet.avi - Learn English Speaking with Video

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The End so

I have found almost everything ever written about love to be true.

Shakespeare said, journeys end in lovers meeting.

Oh, what an extraordinary thought.

Personally, I have not experienced anything remotely close to that, but I'm more than willing to believe Shakespeare had.

I suppose I think about love more than anyone really should.

I'm constantly amazed by its sheer power to alter and define our lives.

It was Shakespeare who also said love is blind.

Now that is something I know to be true. For some, quite inexplicably.

Love fades.

For others, love is simply lost.

But then of course, love could also be found.

Even if just for the night.

And then there's another kind of love.

The cruelest kind.

The one that almost kills its victims.

It's called unrequited love.

Of that, I am an expert.

Most love stories are about people who fall in love with each other.

But what about the rest of us?

What about our stories?

Those of us who fall in love alone.

We are the victims of the one-sided affair.

We are the cursed of the loved ones.

We are the unloved ones.

The walking wounded.

The handicapped without the advantage of a great parking space.

Yes, you are looking at one such individual.

And I have willingly loved that man for over three miserable years

The absolute worst years of my life the worst Christmases the worst birthdays

New Year's Eve's brought in by tears and Valium

These years that I've been in love have been the darkest days of my life

All because I've been cursed by being in love with a man who does not and will not love me back.

Oh God just the sight of him Heart pounding, throat thickening, absolutely can't swallow.

All the usual symptoms.

Oh, oh Jasper.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 36 sentences and 308 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:52. The speaker talks slowly, about 80 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
curse noun	/kɝs/	A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane.
extraordinary adjective	/ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/	Out of the ordinary; exceptional; unusual.
tear verb	/tɛɹ/	To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
pound noun	/ˈpaʊ̯nd/	A unit of weight in various measurement systems.
define verb	/dɪˈfaɪn/	To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
affair noun	/əˈfɛɹ/	Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
throat noun	/ˈθɹoʊt/	The front part of the neck.
lover noun	/ˈlʌvɚ/	One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.
wound noun	/ˈwund/	An injury, such as a cut, stab, or tear, to a (usually external) part of the body.
cruel adjective	/ˈkɹuːəl/	Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
miserable adjective	/ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/	In a state of misery: very sad, ill, or poor.
sheer adjective	/ʃɪɚ/	Very thin or transparent.
swallow verb	/ˈswɑ.loʊ/	To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat.
fade verb	/feɪd/	To hit the ball with the shot called a fade.
altar noun	/ˈɔl.tɚ/	A table or similar flat-topped structure used for religious rites.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	have found · have not experienced · have willingly loved
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	is simply lost · be found · I've been cursed
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	people who fall · man who does

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, thicken /ˈθɪkən/
Long words — get the stress right: extraordinary /ɪksˈtɹɔːrdɪn(ə)ɹi/, miserable /ˈmɪz(ə)ɹəbəl/, unrequited /ˌʌn.ɹɪˈkwaɪ.tɪd/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like curse, extraordinary, tear.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: The Holiday - Full Intro by Kate Winslet.avi - Learn English Speaking with Video

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