Shadowing Practice: The IT Crowd - Yesterday's Jam | Full Episode | Series 1 Episode 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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475 sentences
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1
Oh, yeah.
2
Hope this doesn't embarrass you, Jen,
3
but I find the best thing to do with a new employee is to size them up with a long, hard stare.
4
- Yeah.
5
- So!
6
- So?
7
First date?
8
Yes.
9
Scary?
10
Yes.
11
Don't be scared.
12
Well, I'm not really scared.
13
You should be.
14
Well, I'm a little bit scared.
15
Well, don't be!
16
Make up your mind.
17
Ha ha ha!
18
So here you are.
19
Yes, erm, really looking forward to...
20
Getting to grips with - I'm gonna put you in IT.
21
Because you said on your CV you have a lot of experience with computers.
22
I did say that on my CVS.
23
I have a lot of experience with that.
24
Computer.
25
thing, you know, emails.
26
Sending emails, receiving emails, deleting emails.
27
I could go on. Do.
28
The web.
29
Using mouse...
30
Mices.
31
Using mice.
32
Clicking.
33
double -clicking, computer screen of course, the keyboard They...
34
Bit that goes on the floor down there.
35
The hard drive.
36
Correct.
37
Uh -huh.
38
Well, you said you seem to know your stuff.
39
Top seven.
40
Got a good feeling about you, Jen and they need a new manager.
41
Oh, fantastic.
42
So, the people I'll be working with, what they like.
43
Standard nerds!
44
PHONE RINGS -
45
Oh.
46
Thank you.
47
Hello, IT.
48
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
49
OK, well, the button on the side, is it glowing?
50
Yeah, you need to turn it on.
51
The button turns it on.
52
Yeah.
53
- Yes.
54
Yeah, you do know how a button works, don't you?
55
No, not on clothes.
56
Hello, IT.
57
Yeah, huh?
58
Have you tried forcing an unexpected reboot?
59
No, no, there you go.
60
No, there you go.
61
I just heard it come on.
62
No, no, that's the music you hear when it comes on.
63
Now, that's the music you hear when-- I'm sorry, are you from the past?
64
You see, the driver hooks function by patching the system call table, so it's not safe to unload it unless another thread's about to jump in there and do its stuff.
65
And you don't want to end up in the middle of invalid memory.
66
Hello?
67
Oh really?
68
Ray, why don't you come down here and make me then?
69
Huh?
70
What, you think I'm afraid of you?
71
I'm not afraid of you!
72
You can come down here anytime and I'll be waiting for you!
73
Thank you.
74
I told her.
75
Oh, God, it's about time you got back.
76
It's been all go.
77
You had a job?
78
Girl on fifth.
79
Did you and her hit it off?
80
Define hit it off.
81
Did she continue talking to you once you'd fixed her computer?
82
No. And while I was working on it, she rested a cop on my back.
83
No. Yeah.
84
Unbelievable.
85
Yeah, I mean, they have no respect for us up there.
86
No respect whatsoever.
87
We're all just drudgens to them.
88
Yes.
89
If there were such a thing as a drudgeon, that is what would be to them.
90
It's like they're polly -wally when there's a problem with the printer, but once it's fixed...
91
They toss us away like yesterday's jam.
92
Yes!
93
Yesterday's jam!
94
That is what we are to them!
95
Actually, you know what?
96
That doesn't really work as a thing.
97
Because jam lasts for ages.
98
Hello, IT?
99
Have you tried turning it off and on again?
100
Unisex toilets?
101
You have unisex toilets.
102
I can't hear my bill.
103
That's the sort of place this is, Jan.
104
A lot of sexy people not doing much work.
105
and having affairs.
106
Wow!
107
Oh, my God, look at that view.
108
- Okay.
109
I feel like I'm on top of the world.
110
Well, Jen, this is where I leave you.
111
Floor 34.
112
OK, where am I going?
113
All the way down to the basement.
114
Good luck.
115
Get out of the left.
116
Get out of the left.
117
Get out of the left.
118
Get out of the left.
119
Get out of the left.
120
Get out of the left.
121
Get out of the left.
122
Get out of the left.
123
Get out of the left.
124
I'm going to go.
125
- Yeah.
126
I'm sorry.
127
I'm not.
128
Oh, one, two!
129
Oh, my God!
130
Oh, my God!
131
Oh, God!
132
OK.
133
HE SIGHS Hello?
134
Hello?
135
Thank you.
136
Thank you.
137
Thank you.
138
Thank you.
139
Yes, I believe it was Tolstoy, so...
140
Oh, it seems we have a visitor.
141
I'm sorry, myself and Maurice were just engaged in quite a serious discussion about books and such.
142
We didn't hear you come in.
143
Wait a second.
144
You said it was Tolstoy.
145
He said what?
146
Oh, never mind that now, Maurice.
147
When have you read Tolstoy?
148
Shut up, Morris.
149
Why are you speaking that weird voice? When did...
150
I don't remember this conversation at all.
151
LAUGHTER Don't let me disturb you.
152
I just wanted to...
153
Don't be silly, you've never...
154
No!
155
Um...
156
Many people come down here to visit.
157
What are you talking about?
158
Who comes down?
159
What people?
160
Why are you giving me the secret signal to shut up?
161
So, um, what can we do you for?
162
I'm the new head of this department.
163
It is my office.
164
Thank you.
165
What?
166
What?
167
Did she just say what I-- I am the head of this department!
168
I thought I was.
169
But it's one of us, certainly not her.
170
I'm gonna sort this out.
171
Roy, you've got a head wound there.
172
Head wound!
173
Bye.
174
I don't want to be rude or anything, but I wasn't informed of any changes to this department.
175
Oh, did they not tell you about me?
176
No, and we are perfectly fine down here, thank you very much.
177
We're more than capable of taking care of ourselves.
178
Sure, sure.
179
You know you're covered in blood.
180
Moss.
181
Amazon thingy.
182
Oh, weird.
183
I know what this is.
184
It's the new Harry Potter.
185
I got the child edition and the adult edition, just to check that there are no differences in the text.
186
Sorry, but I'm not going to be able to deal with that woman.
187
Is nobody else going to get the phone?
188
I suppose I'll get it.
189
No, that is not a phone.
190
I'm gonna have a little lie down.
191
Thank you.
192
Come in!
193
Thank you.
194
Yeah, denim.
195
Yeah.
196
Yeah.
197
No, no, no, no, no. No, they've been fine so far.
198
Yeah.
199
I think we're gonna get on great.
200
Yeah, I know.
201
All right, then.
202
You take care.
203
All right.
204
Yeah, well, yeah.
205
OK.
206
OK.
207
Take care.
208
Take care.
209
OK, bye.
210
Bye.
211
Oh, so, hello.
212
What can I do you for...
213
What can I do for you?
214
Hello.
215
I was just wondering, do you want me to connect up your phone?
216
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It's working.
217
I was just talking to Denham there. But how?
218
Would you mind closing the door for me?
219
Oh, yeah, sure.
220
Yeah, from the other side. Of course.
221
Like this.
222
That's it.
223
With me on the...
224
Thanks!
225
Oh.
226
LAUGHTER Are you all right?
227
Oh, yes, Moss, I'm fine, the nurse said.
228
I didn't do myself any serious.
229
I'm standing over here!
230
I know, I'm joking.
231
- What are we gonna do about her?
232
Well, I just went in and she was having a pretend conversation.
233
Really?
234
Yes, she's a little bit weird, to say the least.
235
What's up?
236
Oh, just water.
237
Sometimes I get a hot ear and this helps cool it down.
238
She is quite the oddball.
239
Did you notice how she didn't even get excited when she saw this original ZX81?
240
Yeah, and that was weird.
241
It's almost as if she doesn't know anything about computers.
242
What?
243
We did!
244
Oh, don't worry.
245
That's why I always make two cups of tea.
246
Anyway, what were we talking about?
247
Oh, her not knowing anything about computers.
248
What?
249
LAUGHTER - We definitely want to get rid of her.
250
- Agreed, yeah.
251
- Okay, so here's the plan.
252
A plan.
253
Let me put on my slightly larger glasses.
254
LAUGHTER OK, hit me.
255
- Okay, we go in.
256
- When?
257
You know, like in a minute.
258
Will that be enough time for me to get to know the plan?
259
Yeah, you know what?
260
I shouldn't have used the word "plan".
261
I've clearly gotten you overexcited.
262
Would "scheme" be a better word?
263
Although that's just as exciting.
264
I might even need these.
265
All I was gonna say was
266
We go in I make up a load of bollocks about computers and we'll see if she picks up on it
267
Thank you.
268
Yes, I can see why he didn't want to use the word "plan".
269
Let me do the talk.
270
All right.
271
Thank you.
272
Ooh, man, it's possible.
273
OK, we need to get this right, yeah?
274
We need to stay calm.
275
We do not want to go in there half -cocked.
276
- - I don't do it.
277
Thank you.
278
How can I help?
279
Well, we were just wondering, now that you're the boss, would you like us to access the data supplier and connect you up to the Matrix?
280
You just made all that up.
281
You don't know anything about computers, Adminis!
282
Will you stop trying to undermine me?
283
Now get in there and do some work to do with computers!
284
I'll be in there in a minute and check up on you!
285
OK, lady.
286
You've won this round!
287
But we can wait.
288
You will slip up one day and believe you me, we will be there when you do.
289
There will be some piece of evidence
290
that will prove without any shadow of a doubt that you don't know anything about computers.
291
What are you doing?
292
Plugging in your computer
293
It might be something you say
294
But when we notice and believe me we will notice that There's gonna be a long way down for you, sweet cheeks.
295
LAUGHTER .
296
he'll realise in a second.
297
Oh!
298
I cannot believe you're going to tell on me.
299
You're like a pair of horrible old women.
300
What did she say?
301
She said we're like Harlow women.
302
She didn't.
303
Hey guys.
304
- Hey, you've got something to tell me.
305
- Yes, well, it's like this.
306
Look at you! my IT team.
307
Yeah.
308
Team players, each and every one of you.
309
Yeah, well, she has no wrong for people who can't act in a team and my team.
310
Excuse me.
311
Hello?
312
What?
313
Well, if you can't work as a team, you're all fine.
314
That's it, you heard me.
315
Fine.
316
Get to things and go.
317
Hello, security?
318
Everyone on floor four is fired.
319
Discard them from the premises and do it as a team.
320
Remember, you're a team, and if you can't act as a team, you're fired, too.
321
Don.
322
Get on to recruitment.
323
Get them to look for a security team that can work as a team, They may have to escort the current security team from the building for not acting like a team.
324
Team!
325
Team, team, team, team, team.
326
I even love saying the word "team".
327
You probably think that's a picture of my family.
328
Ah -ah.
329
It's the A -Team.
330
Bode, Doyle, Tiger.
331
The Jewelry Man.
332
A whole lot of them.
333
So what do you want to tell me?
334
Well, it's just not working out.
335
HE LAUGHS He's joking!
336
But you said...
337
Not working out?
338
Oh, no!
339
We are getting on like a big house on fire!
340
My ear is getting hot!
341
HE LAUGHS No, you know what?
342
We should leave now because...
343
You're a busy man, and we've taken up far too much of your time.
344
- Jen, could you just get a door for me there?
345
- Absolutely, Roy.
346
So why did you come here in the first place?
347
Um...
348
We set up a voice activation system on your computer.
349
I think you're gonna enjoy it.
350
It might just take a little while to get the pitch right on the voice, but nonetheless go ahead.
351
Thank you very much.
352
Bye bye.
353
Bye.
354
Thank you.
355
How exciting.
356
Hello.
357
LAUGHTER Hello, computer.
358
Hello.
359
- Hello.
360
Hello computer.
361
What good are you?
362
You obviously don't know anything about computers.
363
No, but okay.
364
But I can learn.
365
You know, I mean...
366
For example, moss.
367
You could take me through what you're doing right now.
368
I'd be delighted.
369
I'm just working on a very simple piece of programming code.
370
See you.
371
Oh, God, no, I'm lying again.
372
I didn't understand any of that.
373
I don't know anything about computers.
374
I mean, I'm absolutely useless here.
375
Might as well pack up and go home.
376
- Hi.
377
Is that Roy? around.
378
Thank you.
379
Hello there, little lady.
380
Are you lost?
381
How can I help you?
382
I'm Roy.
383
Oh!
384
You want to be in a fight?
385
Well, here I am!
386
Not the feast!
387
The feast!
388
Yeah, well, maybe there's some fish you...
389
...strain people with a little bit of respect!
390
Is there any chance we spoke on the phone earlier?
391
Oh my god, are those Manolos?
392
Oh, yes!
393
They are gorgeous wicks.
394
No, no, no, I've got them in the sale.
395
Oh, good clever you.
396
I'm never lucky enough to get a bargain like that.
397
Yeah, no, that would be fantastic.
398
Or I'll give you a call.
399
Nice to meet you.
400
Okay.
401
Nice to meet you.
402
Chairman, wow!
403
You just defused that entire situation.
404
What situation?
405
Oh, oh, that, yeah.
406
Oh, my God, does that happen a lot?
407
They're fairly regular, the beatings, yes.
408
I say we're on a bi -weekly beating.
409
It's not all that bad.
410
Come on, Roy, it's pretty bad.
411
Maybe I could help with this, you know.
412
I'm a people person and...
413
People like you need a person to deal with people, a people person like me.
414
Oh my God!
415
Ideas are coming, things are happening here.
416
Okay, okay, what would you say, yeah, if I told you that I had a plan to raise your profile upstairs by 100%, what would you say?
417
It can't be done, you're crazy.
418
What do you say, Roy?
419
Roy's passed out.
420
OK!
421
I need a felt -tip pen and some paper.
422
Oh, no!
423
No, really, really, really, it was a true story!
424
Unbelievable!
425
I don't know why we don't go out with you IT guys more often.
426
You're hilarious!
427
Yes, we are!
428
Well, you guys should come down here more often, you know.
429
You should see this, it's a new era for Renham Industries.
430
New era for Renham Industries?
431
Oh, God!
432
But you know what?
433
If you want to hear something really funny, a really funny story, you should hear what happened to Moss
434
and I when we were so drunk in Amsterdam that Moss lost his glasses.
435
Moss!
436
Moss!
437
Come here, come here.
438
Tell them that story about when we were drunk in Amsterdam.
439
Really?
440
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
441
Oh, it's brilliant.
442
Oh, this is great.
443
Oh, you're gonna love it.
444
I'm just gonna get another box of wine.
445
We're going, then.
446
All right.
447
Well, one night we were really drunk.
448
Yeah.
449
And we were so drunk that we decided to hire prostitutes.
450
But when they arrived at the hotel, we were too scared to do anything, so we brought them to a fair.
451
It would be really nice.
452
In the end, they only charge us half, but we'd have to pay for all the rides.
453
Oh, isn't that just the best story?
454
Oh, no. You told me to never tell that story to anyone.
455
Well, what are you talking about?
456
That's a brilliant story, and then you nearly walked into the canal, and you got to that part with the boatman.
457
Oh!
458
You mean the story where I lost my glasses?
459
Yes!
460
- What story did you think I mean?
461
Boss?
462
What did you say?
463
What did you say?
464
It's alright for you two.
465
They're used to being social piranhas.
466
I'm a very popular person usually.
467
That girl earlier that tried to beat me to death with her shoes.
468
Did anybody get her number?
469
That was a nice day at the fair wasn't it? With brandy and crystal.
470
LAUGHTER Hello IT.
471
Yeah, if you try turning it off and on again,
472
Hello!
473
Hello!
474
Hello!
475
Hello!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The IT Crowd - Yesterday's Jam”. This video has 475 sentences and 2651 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:36. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 89 of its 475 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| moss noun | /mɔs/ | Any of various small, green, seedless plants growing on the ground or on the surfaces of trees, stones, etc.; now specifically, a plant of the phylum Bryophyta… |
| laughter noun | /ˈlæftɚ/ | The sound of laughing, produced by air so expelled; any similar sound. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| unisex adjective | /ˈjunəˌsɛks/ | Not distinguished on the basis of sex or gender; suitable for any sex or gender. |
| feast noun | /ˈfiːst/ | A holiday, festival, especially a religious one |
| joking verb | /ˈd͡ʒoʊkɪŋ/ | Kidding, trying to fool. |
| unbelievable adjective | /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/ | Not to be believed. |
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| mouse noun | /maʊs/ | Any mammal of the many rodent families (especially Muridae) that have a small body and a long tail. |
| boatman noun | /ˈbəʊt.mən/ | A sailor on a small vessel (boat), particularly its captain. |
| defuse verb | /diːˈfjuːz/ | To remove the fuse from (e.g. a bomb). |
| discard verb | /dɪsˈkɑɹd/ | To throw away, to reject. |
| embarrass verb | /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ | To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely. |
| oddball noun | /ˈɑːdˌbɔl/ | An eccentric or unusual person. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
| check up on verb | To examine or inspect something in order to determine its condition; to check out. | |
| get back verb | Return to where one came from. | |
| get on to verb | To contact (someone) in order to raise or discuss a certain matter. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Have you tried turning it off and on again?
- Have you tried forcing an unexpected reboot?
- Ray, why don't you come down here and make me then?
- What, you think I'm afraid of you?
- Did you and her hit it off?
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 you tried · It's been · have you read |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | wasn't informed · is fired · can't be done |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was working · was just wondering · was just talking |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be · shouldn't have · should leave |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 111 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thingy /ˈθɪŋi/, nonetheless /ˌnʌnðəˈlɛs/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: activation /ˌæktəˈveɪʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/
- Long words — get the stress right: unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, activation /ˌæktəˈveɪʃən/, whatsoever /ˌ(h)wʌtsoʊˈɛvɚ/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/
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 moss, laughter, scare.
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.