Shadowing Practice: The power of poetry ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Pippa.
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In this episode we're discussing poetry.
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For some, poetry is what you study at school,
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then forget, while for others it becomes an important part of their life.
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Have you ever read or written any poetry, Neil?
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Well, I haven't written any poetry since I was at school.
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I would love to read more poetry,
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but I just don't get it really.
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I find it difficult to understand.
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A good place to hear poetry is an open mic night,
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a live event where anyone is allowed to stand up on stage to sing or recite poems.
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Here, BBC reporter Maria recites her open mic poem about a
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friend who suffered a stroke for BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World.
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This first poem, I wrote it about a friend who I love dearly.
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It's called Stroke.
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You're awake and trying to grasp who it is.
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I pull my mask past my lips and you study my face.
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Eyes wide.
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I've enough stuff to tell you,
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I say, sinking into a chair.
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I stare.
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Sometimes if you go to an open mic night,
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people can really touch your soul with what they're saying.
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And even if you're having a bad day,
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life can feel so much better after going to an open mic night.
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For Maria, poetry has the power to heal emotions and touch your soul,
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meaning to affect you deeply on an emotional or spiritual level.
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In this episode, we'll hear more about the positive power of poetry and,
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as usual, we'll learn some useful new words and phrases.
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And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary,
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plus a quiz and worksheet, on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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But first, I have a question for you, Pippa.
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Just now, you used the phrase,
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positive power of poetry, repeating the same initial p sound across a string of words.
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Doing this is a common feature of poetry, but what's it called?
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Is it a assonance, b alliteration, or c simile?
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Hmm, finally my English degree might come in handy,
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and I'm going to say b alliteration.
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Well, we'll find out at the end,
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and I hope you don't get embarrassed, Pippa.
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Now, poetry helped Maria overcome sadness,
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but could its power to heal work in other areas too?
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Hot Poets is a group helping people understand the science behind global issues like climate change.
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They go to meetings, like the UN Climate Conference,
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and listen to scientific papers being presented.
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Then they write a poem about it all,
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and perform that back to the audience.
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Here's hot poet Liv Talk reciting her poem to BBC World Service's People Fixing the World.
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It starts with an adventure at sea.
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A big blue murder mystery where the killer is not the whale,
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but an epic humanity fail of overfishing and polluting at unimaginable scale.
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Liv's poem is based on a study into biodiversity.
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It's a complex research project that many find hard to understand.
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Here, Liv discusses this with Myra Anubi for BBC World Service programme People Fixing the World.
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And Liv, I mean, so what you've identified is that there is an issue around the communication of science.
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Yes, a lot of this jargon is really hard to understand
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or a lot of the science is quite impenetrable to normal people,
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so it's instantly a turn off.
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Science uses lots of jargon,
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specialist or technical vocabulary, which is quite different from everyday language.
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For example, a scientist might use the word precipitation,
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while in everyday English we would say rain.
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Jargon can make scientific papers impenetrable,
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an adjective meaning impossible to understand and worse,
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it makes science a turn-off,
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something that people dislike or find uninteresting.
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Hot poets try to change all of that by making complex environmental ideas easy to understand through poetry.
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And it works, says Cat Bruce,
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the environmental scientist whose study Liv based her poem on,
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talking here with Myra Anubi for BBC World Service's People Fixing the World.
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What did it mean for you,
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Cat, hearing the poem, having actually experienced everything It still gives me goosebumps when I hear it now.
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I think it's everything that I wish I could say and put into words myself.
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I feel like Liv just has done that.
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Liv's poem gave Kat goosebumps,
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meaning she was so emotionally affected that the hairs on her skin stood up, making tiny bumps.
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Maybe poetry can't fix everything,
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but for Kat it's making an impact for good.
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Now, what was the answer to your question, Neil?
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Well, you seemed very clear,
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Pippa, that when you use a string of words beginning with the same sound, it's called alliteration.
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And you're absolutely right.
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Phew.
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OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt,
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starting with open mic night,
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a live event where anyone is allowed to perform poems or music on stage.
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If something touches your soul,
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it affects you deeply on an emotional or spiritual level.
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Jargon means special words and phrases that are used in a particular profession or subject.
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The adjective impenetrable means impossible to understand.
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A turn-off is something that people dislike or find uninteresting.
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And finally, if you get goosebumps,
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the hairs on your skin stand up because you're cold,
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emotionally affected or afraid.
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Once again, our six minutes are up,
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but remember you'll find lots more episodes as well as a quiz and worksheet for this one on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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See you again soon, but for now it's goodbye!
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Goodbye!

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will explore the enriching world of poetry while enhancing your English speaking skills. By examining the transcript from the BBC Learning English episode on the power of poetry, you’ll practice important vocabulary and expressions that capture the essence of emotions and creativity. Engaging with poetry not only broadens your understanding of literary devices but also improves your ability to articulate thoughts and feelings. Prepare to dive into a realm where words evoke deep emotions, helping you improve your IELTS speaking practice and overall fluency.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Open mic night: A live event where individuals perform poetry or music.
  • Soul: The spiritual or immaterial part of a human being that is often associated with emotions.
  • Positive power: The beneficial influence or effect of something.
  • Alliteration: The repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words.
  • Heal: To recover from emotional or physical pain.
  • Climate change: A long-term change in global or regional climate patterns.
  • Recite: To repeat aloud from memory before an audience.

Practice Tips

To maximize your learning experience, consider using a shadowing app to practice the dialogue from this episode. Here are some tailored tips for effective shadow speech:

  • Listen closely to the rhythm and pace at which the hosts speak. The dialogue flows effortlessly, so try to match their tone and speed during your practice.
  • Repeat key phrases and vocabulary as you hear them, paying attention to pronunciation and intonation. This will help you improve your speaking clarity, making it easier to express yourself in conversations.
  • Engage in shadowspeak by recording yourself reciting lines from the transcript. Listening to your recordings will help you identify areas for improvement and boost your confidence.
  • Join a local poetry or open mic group if possible, allowing you to practice your speaking skills in a supportive environment.

By integrating the power of poetry into your practice, you will not only enhance your vocabulary but also learn to convey emotions effectively. As you learn English with YouTube, remember to focus on the beauty of language and its ability to connect with others.

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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