Shadowing Practice: The Life of a Single Mother In the Hood-Brandy - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Okay.
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What's your name?
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Brandy.
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Brandy?
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Yeah.
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Brandy, you grew up here in Montgomery?
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Yes, sir.
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How old are you?
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23. 23.
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And I have three kids.
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You have three kids.
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Three daughters.
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These are your kids running around the yard here?
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Yeah.
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These are kind of projects down here in Montgomery?
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These are the projects.
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These are the projects?
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Definitely.
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Is there a name for these projects?
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Pattison Court.
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Pattison Court.
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Pattison Court?
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Yeah.
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and how old are you 23 yeah 23 three kids you're
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married no where's the dad you have three kids with the
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same guy no they actually have their own fathers all three
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all three is it are the dads around i mean um put it
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that way um i mean i can't do that's why they they're around but they don't I don't do shit.
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Yeah.
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I guess one or two.
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But no, for the most part, I do everything.
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I take up my own kids.
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And you're working?
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Yeah.
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Where do you work?
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I work from home.
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Where's that?
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From home, I work for United Healthcare.
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Oh, I see.
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Yeah.
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So you have a nice job.
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I mean, anywhere I want to be,
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but they pay the bills.
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Is it hard to make ends meet?
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Not really, but you know,
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sometimes I wish it just would have been just still me.
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and not having to kill for three kids.
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Wishing you had some help?
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Not even that.
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I just wish I never,
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I didn't, I wish I would've used protection and not had three kids.
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So all you young girls out there,
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if you can, wrap it up and make sure you don't get pregnant because at the end of the day,
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mama's baby, daddy's baby.
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At the end of the day,
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the baby's coming home with you and he can leave whenever he want to leave.
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And you stuck with that little crying ass baby like me.
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How far did you go to school?
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Oh, I graduated in Assum College.
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Oh, good for you.
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Yes.
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Yeah, you're doing good.
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Yeah, and I still take classes now as a medical assistant at South University.
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So you're trying?
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Definitely.
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I mean, because I have three daughters,
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like, yeah, I have three daughters.
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So I don't want them to just look like I'm just,
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you know, I don't want them to see different guys in and out of the house.
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Like, even though they got three different dads,
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they don't see three different guys running in and out of the house.
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I mean, I made sure I graduated.
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I could have dropped out of school when I had my older daughter.
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It was hard, but hey, I did it.
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I got through it.
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I'm losing you, Wayne.
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I'm taking you too fast.
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Have you ever thought about leaving Montgomery?
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I have, but I don't know where to start.
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Have you traveled?
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Yeah.
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I've been to Washington, DC,
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New Jersey, South Carolina, North Carolina.
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I've been a couple places, Houston, Florida, you know.
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But I am thinking I'm leaving Montgomery.
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This ain't the place for me or my kids.
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And it's not really a lot of work here.
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Like, if I want to work, it's limited jobs.
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Like, then if I do get a job,
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they're not really working around your schedule with your kids.
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You know.
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Your kids are well behaved?
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They are.
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They're running around here.
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Is this your daughter?
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Yeah, I don't know who she took and get out the car.
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Thank you.
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Beautiful girl.
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I don't know who she took.
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This is my These are your other kids?
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this is like number one child she talked to us delaney let me see you somebody wants to drive
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your shoes on the wrong feet what's your name you're beautiful what you say
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wait you're pretty kids thank you like i'm trying to make
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a living for myself i i can like my end go
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for the end of the show i'm trying to buy me i'm trying to buy me a house
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that'd be nice I want my kids to have a backyard like somebody just got kicked out here like
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last weekend is it dangerous here yeah very like not not right here in this little
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why are you calling me okay it's not right here in this little cut
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not right here in this little cut but I mean you know it's dangerous everywhere
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somebody's got cute right there you know I don't know like this is not this is not my end game I
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won't be here for long you deserve better than this I
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will have better than these my kids will have their news
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what were your what was your childhood like what were your parents like I
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mean my dad he just you know I just I consider him somebody
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when they go got some milk and then come that
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but my mama she she always showed up
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and she show up now like um that probably I got something to turn
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because my mom like I feel like if somebody
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if I have a baby
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and my mama watch my baby she don't mind watching my
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kids she she the reason I wouldn't made another child
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but she wouldn't watch my last baby she bad she'll watch my oldest too
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but she won't watch the last baby
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and she said she don't to go to sleep what's your
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favorite thing about living here in montgomery i don't have a
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favorite thing about living here i hate it here what do you hate the most jobs the housing like
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i just hate everything about it i don't know you're right on a busy street i'm like definitely
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that's why if my kids outside on my side with them yeah
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and you uh you have dreams of doing something else with your life yeah another job something like
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that i'm going to school to become a doctor you're going
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to school yeah before then become about ob-gyn i'm going to college i'm getting my bachelor's of science
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and um medicine that would be great it's gonna be great that'll change your life yeah Yeah.
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And I'm ready to change it, honestly.
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Do you have regrets in your life?
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Huh?
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Do you have regrets in your life?
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My baby daddies.
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I regret having three baby daddies, you know.
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I got a lot of regrets.
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like sometimes i just want to wake up and just not have to fend for nobody besides me
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and i have three people i have three people to fend
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for you know i love them i love them dearly go
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that way i love them go that way i love them dearly why you left my door open
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you're like i love them dearly like but i could have did better i could have chose better
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you know
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but to make sure i wasn't another statistic i mean i
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did get pregnant in high school i made sure i finished high school then dropped out of high school
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and the project is not my end game like i literally
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hate it here i mean it's somewhere they're like by my
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dog it's something it ain't where i want to be it
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paid the bills though like is moving to the country the option
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or is moving to another big city yeah the better option i really just want a house
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i'm sure you can find a better neighborhood in mccommoder yeah
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but man rent
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so high in mccommoder right now well you're gonna have school
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soon for some of these kids you're gonna have school soon
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for some of these kids they do go to school all three of them yeah your small ones look small
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is
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that yours over there preschool yeah she she got to um
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she got to a early head start that's there she got to a early head start
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and my other child in the second grade everybody gotta get
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the out of here everybody got my house like no no
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laying around all day i'm not even laying around all day
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sometimes i do sometimes i be in the depression you know
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but i didn't shoot myself out of it like you know
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what's the problem with the guys oh the dad no like the three dads that are just
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i don't know the three days three days for three days
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the third data the second dad i just don't know
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and the first day i really feel like it didn't it
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didn't even supposed to be in there i feel like i
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ain't i i tend to say he ruined my life
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but he really he really didn't because i do love my child
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but like i wasn't ready for the being my mom
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but i mean i had to put my big girl pants on
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and do it what anything else you want to ask me
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what do you do for for fun oh my god Like I be going to have drinks,
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let me show you.
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I be outside though.
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In my free time, I go outside.
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You have friends?
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Yeah.
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I be so loud, I be drinking in school.
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I go downtown, have a drink.
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Wait.
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Is your Instagram?
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No, this is not shit let's go outside
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a little outside you know have a little drink are you still having fun with your friends yeah yeah
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because i got three kids i don't stop shit somebody gonna watch them yeah yep
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what do you worry about my kids like
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when i do stuff like i'm just thinking for my kids
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and you know i want the best for them man like on some days i volunteer
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and go to my kids school where my oldest daughter's school how many bedrooms you have here there's two
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That's why I'm moving.
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Where I go?
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See them in the classroom with the students.
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You know?
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Um.
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Let me show you.
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I dress up, volunteer and read with the students.
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It's another occasion.
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That's nice.
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Yeah, you know.
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Do the dads not really care about the kids?
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I'm not gonna say that.
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Like, I'm not gonna say they don't really care about their kids like
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it's just what they giving out enough for me they're busy going to school
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the guys are busy going to school no hell no
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when do tattoos I guess when I don't know about these people in their life I don't know
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I can't even say I don't know look at my daddy are drugs a big deal down here Hey,
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everybody on Molly.
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Look at my daddy.
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He be drunk as hell.
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He's sitting around having a drink.
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That's your dad.
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Yeah, we look alike.
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Yep.
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So Molly's a big drug here?
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All the type of drugs.
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Perks.
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I don't do drugs.
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I don't smoke.
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I drink.
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But, you know.
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Germany, leave me alone.
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You sound like an ostrich.
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Anything else?
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Let me ask you one last question, Donna.
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What would you say is the most important lesson you've learned in your life?
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Quick guide first.
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Have faith as small as a mustard seed.
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Well, my faith is bigger than a mustard seed,
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but just make sure you have faith.
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I swear to God, faith will take you a long way.
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You think just, I'm in the projects,
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but I won't be here for long.
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I will not be here long.
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This is literally my last year in the party.
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You go to church?
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No. I used to.
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A lot.
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But my job, I was having to work from 9.30 to 8 at night.
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9.30 in the morning.
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And I work on Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.
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And I'm off the rest of the week.
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So really don't have time for church.
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But I always got time for God.
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That's good.
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Yeah.
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All right, Brandy.
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Thank you so much for sharing your story.
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You're welcome.
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You finna go in to read more people down here?
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Yeah, we're going to look around.
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We all going.
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Thank you.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will engage in English speaking practice inspired by the life of a single mother named Brandy, who shares her experiences growing up in Montgomery. You will improve your English pronunciation and comprehension through shadow speech techniques. By listening to Brandy's story, you will also enhance your vocabulary and understanding of real-life dialogue, focusing on themes such as family dynamics, work-life balance, and personal challenges. This practical lesson aims to help you sound more fluent in everyday conversations while building your confidence in speaking.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Projects: Housing areas often associated with lower socioeconomic conditions.
- Make ends meet: To manage one's financial resources to cover necessary expenses.
- Work from home: A job arrangement that allows you to perform your professional duties from your residence.
- Take care of: To be responsible for and look after someone, especially children.
- Where’s the dad?: A phrase inquiring about the child's father, often highlighting parental roles.
- Wish I never: A colloquial expression of regret or reconsideration about past decisions.
- Do everything: To assume all responsibilities, often used in the context of single parenting.
Practice Tips
To make the most of this English speaking practice session, consider using the shadowing technique, which involves closely following along with the dialogue. Since the video features a conversational and moderately paced speech, focus on the rhythm and intonation used by Brandy. Here are some effective tips to improve your shadow speech:
- Listen and Repeat: Play the video, and listen to a short segment. Pause and repeat what you hear, paying close attention to Brandy’s pronunciation and tone.
- Emphasize Key Phrases: When shadowing, emphasize key vocabulary like "make ends meet" or "work from home" to practice articulating these phrases naturally.
- Record Yourself: Use your phone or computer to record yourself while shadowing the transcript. Playback your recording to notice areas for improvement in your pronunciation.
- Practice in Real Time: Once you feel comfortable, try to keep pace with the video instead of pausing frequently; this will help improve your fluency.
- Engage with the Content: After completing the shadow speech, reflect on the themes discussed in the video. This reflection will help reinforce vocabulary and encourage further discussion.
Utilizing these shadowing techniques will enhance your English speaking practice and enrich your overall language learning experience. By integrating elements from personal stories like Brandy's, you will develop a deeper connection to the language, ultimately improving your 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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