Shadowing Practice: This Spider-Man has the moves - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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The reason I started dancing was all because of Janet Jackson.
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I don't actually know which song it was, but one of her songs when I was a baby used to send me into a dancing frenzy.
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And my mum thought I had natural rhythm, so she was like, you should go to a dance class.
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So I used to go every Saturday in the YMCA in Wimbledon, which was just a kid's dance class, and then it escalated from there.
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And then I got onto the West End and started trying to dance professionally.
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I love hip -hop and hip -hop is one of those dances
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that evolves so quickly and it goes in and out of different phases
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and there's so many different styles and I was someone
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that was like I want to be really good at every style rather than focusing on one in particular.
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So I'm just I'm pretty competent in different fields of street dance.

What Speaking Skills Can You Build with This Video?

This clip is perfect for practicing conversational fluency and storytelling. It focuses on sharing personal experiences—like how a passion for dance began—using natural, flowing language. Whether you’re preparing for IELTS speaking practice or just want to sound more confident in daily chats, this dialogue helps you master the rhythm of recounting memories and explaining motivations.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions to Add to Your Toolkit

  • "The reason I started... was all because of..." – Great for introducing a backstory.
  • "it escalated from there" – Use to describe how a small start grew into something bigger.
  • "I was someone that was like..." – A casual way to share your mindset or goals.
  • "pretty competent in different fields of..." – Useful for talking about skills across areas.
  • "goes in and out of different phases" – Perfect for describing trends or changing interests.

Fix Your Weak Spots: Rhythm and Connection

The speaker’s tone is relaxed but engaging, with smooth transitions between ideas. A key challenge here is linking words naturally—notice how "so" and "and then" connect sentences without feeling forced. This is where the shadowing technique shines: repeat the dialogue aloud, mimicking the pace and pauses. Tools like a shadowing app or shadowing site can help you practice shadow speech in real time, improving your ability to match native rhythm. Pay attention to how "used to" is pronounced softly ("yust to")—this casual reduction is common in spoken English and essential for sounding natural. By focusing on these details, you’ll turn awkward pauses into seamless speech, whether you’re talking about dance or your own hobbies.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →