Shadowing Practice: The Printer Is Broken Before the Big Meeting - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
27 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Oh no, not again! Come on, printer!
2
Hey, Lily. What's the matter?
3
The printer stopped in the middle of my job.
4
I need twenty copies for the two o'clock meeting.
5
Okay, let's have a look. Don't panic.
6
First, open this door on the side.
7
Wow, look! There's paper stuck inside.
8
Pull it out slowly. Be careful, it's hot.
9
Got it! The whole sheet came out.
10
Great. Now close the door and press Start.
11
Um, Dave... now there's a red light.
12
Really? Let me see... oh, it's out of ink.
13
Oh, no. Do we have any more?
14
Well, the new ones usually come on Fridays.
15
But the meeting starts in fifteen minutes!
16
Wait, I know! There's another printer upstairs.
17
Upstairs? Can I use it from my computer?
18
Yes. Just choose "Second Floor" from the list.
19
Okay, I'm sending it now. Thank you so much!
20
Run! It's faster than the lift.
21
Yes! Twenty copies, and it's only five to two.
22
See? You didn't need to worry.
23
Oh! Wait... I just got a message from the boss.
24
Oh? What does it say?
25
The meeting is moving to tomorrow morning!
26
Ha! Well, at least you're ready early.
27
That's true. Let's go and get a coffee.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A2325
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A1255
Can You Swim? What Can You Do?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
B1191
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A21,328
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2535
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21,207
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2221
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1221
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2672
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1233
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B156
Discipline Beats Motivation
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A178
Lunch Break: What Do You Want to Eat?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1141
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A284
Where Are My Keys? A Busy Morning
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2241
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2134
IELTS Listening Part 3: A Survey on Student Sleep
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
B2421
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B143
Back from Japan: Telling a Friend About My Trip
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A153
What's in My Lunchbox?
British AccentKidsDaily Conversation
C1316
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B139
26 sentences
Two Developers Before a Release: The Login Bug Is Back
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B14
106 sentences
Ed Edited It - Studio C
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
332 sentences
Real-Life English Conversations | Learn to Speak with Confidence
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A29
26 sentences
Borrowing a Pen at Work – Simple English Conversation | Coworkers
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
65 sentences
The Co-Worker Everyone Wishes They Had | Utopia
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B117
45 sentences
(A2 -B1) At Work 📖 Reading Comprehension
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
28 sentences
AEF3e SB2 PE Ep1 Introduction
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B114
24 sentences
English Shadowing Training - Sarah Jenkins's Diary 2
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
124 sentences
Why You Think Everyone is Watching Your Mistakes | Coffee English Talk | B1
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B19
135 sentences
Shadowing 30+ Daily English Phrases with Native Speaker — British Accent Modern RP Practice
British AccentBusiness EnglishTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B11
61 sentences
Business Partner B1 Unit 5.3.2
Business EnglishWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Printer Is Broken Before the Big Meeting”. This video has 27 sentences and 201 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:43. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 8 of its 27 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| printer noun | /ˈpɹɪntɚ/ | One who makes prints. |
| upstairs adverb | /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/ | Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level. |
| sheet noun | /ʃit/ | A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper. |
| panic noun | /ˈpænɪk/ | Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare. |
| fifteen noun | /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ | An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut. |
| twenty noun | /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i] | The numbers twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29). |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| careful adjective | /ˈkɛɹfəl/ | Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious. |
| lift noun | /lɪft/ | An act of lifting or raising. |
| copy noun | /ˈkɑpi/ | The result of copying; an identical or nearly identical duplicate of an original. |
| message noun | /ˈmɛs.ɪdʒ/ | A communication, or what is communicated; any concept or information conveyed. |
| computer noun | /kəmˈpju.tɚ/ | A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large… |
| choose verb | /t͡ʃuːz/ | To pick; to make the choice of; to select. |
| coffee noun | /ˈkɑfi/ | A beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water. |
| worry verb | /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ | To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do we have any more?
- Can I use it from my computer?
- You didn't need to worry.
- Let's go and get a coffee.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 printer, upstairs, sheet.
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.