Shadowing Practice: This Encounter With a Stranger Was a MIRACLE! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Excuse me, I really love your style.
2
Oh, thank you.
3
You look so lovely.
4
Oh, thank you.
5
Thanks a lot.
6
I'm a portrait photographer.
7
Oh, really?
8
So I take pictures of people and I walk around and I try and find somebody who looks interesting.
9
Yeah.
10
So I can show you what I do.
11
Yeah.
12
What's your name?
13
Sarah.
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Sarah.
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Where are you from, Sarah?
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You're from London or?
17
Shanghai.
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Shanghai.
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Yeah.
20
So where are you from?
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I'm from Ireland.
22
Have you ever been to Ireland?
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Haven't yet.
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How old are you, Sarah?
25
20s?
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You can guess first.
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It's always a bad thing to ask somebody to guess.
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But I'm gonna say 25?
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Actually 37.
30
37?
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Wow.
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Because you look much younger than 37.
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This is my first time.
34
First time in London.
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Yeah.
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Have you been through anything in life?
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Something difficult that taught you something?
38
10 or 12 years ago.
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I got married.
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and then I decided to divorce.
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But my family means my parents, my friends and my parents, they couldn't understand.
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They really feel disappointed.
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No, you have to trust yourself.
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You have to trust your heart.
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Yeah, so I feel so isolated.
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That is a difficult time.
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Are you an only child?
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and I'm very close to them and I never want to disappoint them.
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You have also very good eye contact, Sarah.
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Is that something you've always had or is it something you've learned?
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Or maybe you're not even aware of it?
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I didn't even aware.
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I think this is a connection.
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You are a con person.
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That's why I didn't run away.
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I think I'm beloved by my parents.
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So am I, so am I.
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We say when we have enough love we can share with others.
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People always feel dangerous.
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in the world.
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Of course, have a lot of dangerous risk in the world.
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The love Sight is stronger.
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You're still like hopeful and a romantic person.
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Yes, yes.
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I think love is never fail.
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Do you ever feel lonely?
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Yeah, yes.
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Sometimes it's hard for me to ask for help.
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How has this experience been for you?
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And you can be honest?
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Yeah, I'm trying to think about what kind of magic.
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Magic?
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Yeah. or miracle.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “This Encounter With a Stranger Was a MIRACLE!”. This video has 72 sentences and 369 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:07. The speaker talks at a steady 118 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 18 of its 72 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shanghai verb | /ˈʃæŋ.haɪ/ | To force or trick someone to go somewhere or do something against their will or interest, particularly |
| romantic adjective | /ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/ | Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person). |
| disappointed adjective | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/ | Defeated of expectations or hope; experiencing disappointment; let down. |
| divorce noun | /dɪˈvɔːs/ | The legal dissolution of a marriage. |
| photographer noun | /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/ | One who takes photographs, typically as an occupation. |
| lonely adjective | /ˈloʊnli/ | Unhappy due to feeling isolated from contact with other people. |
| portrait noun | /ˈpɔɹtɹət/ | A painting or other picture of a person, especially the head and shoulders. |
| beloved adjective | /bɪˈlʌvd/ | Much loved, dearly loved. |
| miracle noun | /ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/ | An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin. |
| hopeful adjective | /ˈhoʊpfl̩/ | feeling hope |
| disappoint verb | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnt/ | To sadden or displease (someone) by underperforming, or by not delivering something promised or hoped for. |
| isolate verb | /ˈaɪ.sə.leɪt/ | To set apart or cut off from others. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run away verb | To flee by running. |
| walk around verb | To walk with no planned destination; to meander. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Have you been through anything in life?
- Something difficult that taught you something?
- Are you an only child?
- Is that something you've always had or is it something you've learned?
- Do you ever feel lonely?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, photographer /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fɚ/
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 shanghai, romantic, disappointed.
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.