Shadowing Practice: To the guy who wants to know why he's lonely and sad - Learn English Speaking with Video

I wanted to point out that everybody feels this way sometimes.

Everybody.

It's happened to me so many times.

It happens to everyone.

And I think a lot of it lies in the fact that humans are social creatures by nature.

And if we aren't fulfilled socially, then we're going to be really unhappy.

And unhappiness manifests itself in many different ways.

You could be depressed, you could be angry, you could just be completely reserved and sad,

and in effect, you draw yourself away from other people, and that makes the problem worse.

So you perpetuate this lifestyle of, I don't trust people, and people don't like me, and people are probably never going to like me, so I will never like people,

and I'm okay by myself.

But the fact is that you're so unhappy because you're alone.

And when you realize that you're lonely, you don't really remember how to fix it because you've spent so much time avoiding people.

So when the time comes when you're just completely sick of being so sad that you just want to fix everything,

and you want to do whatever it takes to make sure that you'll never have to be this sad again, that's when you have to realize

that it really doesn't matter very much what people think of you

and the fact is

that everyone cares what people think about them that's also human nature it'd be crazy

if you didn't I mean I could walk around naked outside

but I do care about being known as the town streaker

so I don't do it but um you should do whatever makes you happy within reason.

And if that means that you're lonely and you want friends, then you have to go places.

You have to get back in touch with those people you haven't talked to in months or maybe even years, and you have to tell them that you want to hang out

or ask them to tell you about any parties that are happening,

and you have to turn yourself from such a reserved creature into a social butterfly.

And that is the hardest struggle.

But once you get to do it, you realize how much it's worth it meeting new people.

Meeting new people is a huge thing in becoming happy.

Because if you're currently not surrounded by people that make you happy, that make you happy to be alive, then you really do need to get new friends.

So one of the easiest ways to do that is to find out about social events, parties, whatever you have to do,

and be confident that you are an interesting person.

No matter what you have told yourself for years, no matter what you've heard negative people say about you, the fact is that if someone only has negative things to say about you,

their opinion honestly doesn't matter because they were never going to give you a chance in the first place.

And if you only have negative things to say about yourself, I'm sorry, but that opinion doesn't matter either.

Because every person is responsible for their own happiness.

And if you really don't want to be sad anymore, you have to take matters into your own hands.

You have to become happy by changing your attitude.

And it really is all about attitude.

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189 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “To the guy who wants to know why he's lonely and sad”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sad, negative, realize, whatever. This video has 38 sentences and 562 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:15. The speaker talks at a natural 173 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
lonely adjective	/ˈloʊnli/	Unhappy due to feeling isolated from contact with other people.
unhappy adjective	/ʌnˈhæpi/	Not happy; sad.
happiness noun	/ˈhæpinɪs/	The emotion of being happy; joy; elation.
naked adjective	/ˈneɪkɪd/	Bare, not covered by clothing.
lifestyle noun	/ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl/	A style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.
depressed adjective	/dɪˈpɹɛst/	Unhappy; despondent.
socially adverb	/ˈsoʊʃəli/	In a social manner; sociably.
butterfly noun	/ˈbʌ.tə(ɹ).flaɪ/	A flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, distinguished from moths by their diurnal activity and generally brighter colouring.
fulfill verb	/fʊlˈfɪl/	To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.).
surround verb	/səˈɹaʊnd/	To encircle something or simultaneously extend in all directions.
manifest noun	/ˈmæn.ɪ.fɛst/	A list or invoice of the passengers or goods being carried by a commercial vehicle or ship.
perpetuate verb	/pɚˈpɛt͡ʃəˌweɪt/	To make (something) perpetual; to make (something) continue for an indefinite time; also, to preserve (something) from extinction or oblivion.
streaker noun	/ˈstɹikɚ/	One who runs naked through a public place as a prank.
unhappiness noun		The feeling of not being happy.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
point out verb	To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body.
walk around verb	To walk with no planned destination; to meander.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	you've spent · haven't talked · have told
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	aren't fulfilled · could be depressed · being known

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 24 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, doesn't. 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.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like lonely, unhappy, happiness.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: To the guy who wants to know why he's lonely and sad - Learn English Speaking with Video

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