Shadowing Practice: True Leaders Stay Humble - Learn English Speaking with Video
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49 sentences
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1
A young lady got a job at a big restaurant as a chef.
2
On her first days, she noticed something strange.
3
There were three main chefs in the kitchen.
4
A man, a woman, and an old woman.
5
The two chefs constantly bullied the old woman, mocked her, because she cooked in a traditional way.
6
One evening, they secretly poured too much salt into her portion.
7
Customers became furious.
8
Many left without finishing their meals.
9
The manager stormed into the kitchen.
10
Do you know how much money we lost today?
11
Why didn't you test the food before serving it?
12
One more mistake and you're fired.
13
The kitchen filled with laughter, humiliation everywhere.
14
They even forced her to eat the salty food herself.
15
But suddenly, the young lady stepped forward.
16
She stopped them, then gently hugged the old woman and comforted her.
17
The old woman looked at her with surprise.
18
Why do you always help me?
19
The young lady smiled.
20
When I was learning, I was bullied too.
21
The next morning, the two chefs became even crueler.
22
As the old woman carried a tray of wine, they secretly made her trip.
23
The glasses crashed to the floor.
24
Wine spilled everywhere.
25
The manager exploded with rage.
26
Then suddenly, he slapped her.
27
The entire restaurant went silent.
28
No one moved.
29
Then the entrance doors opened.
30
The boss had arrived.
31
But the moment he saw the old woman, his face changed.
32
Mom?
33
Everyone froze.
34
What are you doing here?
35
He turned toward the terrified staff.
36
She's the founder of this restaurant and all 20 branches.
37
How dare you even speak to her?
38
The two chefs turned pale.
39
The old woman smiled sadly.
40
I came to see whether the people I hired 10 years ago still remembered our values.
41
She looked around the kitchen slowly.
42
How you treat people here.
43
How patiently you help newcomers adapt.
44
But all I see now is pride.
45
The room stayed silent.
46
Then she turned to the young lady and smiled warmly.
47
You are my new manager.
48
Because this restaurant was never built on ego.
49
It was built on patience, hard work, and respect.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 49 sentences and 351 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:12. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- chef /ʃɛf/ (noun) — The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
- silent /ˈsaɪ̯lənt/ (adjective) — Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet.
- secretly /ˈsiː.kɹɪt.li/ (adverb) — In secret, covertly.
- bully /ˈbʊli/ (noun) — A person who is intentionally physically or emotionally cruel to others, especially to those whom they perceive as being vulnerable or of less power or…
- meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
- founder /ˈfaʊ̯n.dəː/ (noun) — One who founds or establishes (a company, project, organisation, state, etc.).
- comfort /ˈkʌm.fət/ (noun) — Contentment, ease.
- hire /ˈhaɪɹ/ (verb) — To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.
- entrance /ˈɛn.tɹəns/ (noun) — The action of entering, or going in.
- arrive /əˈɹaɪv/ (verb) — To reach; to get to a certain place.
- dare /dɛ(ə)ɹ/ (verb) — To have enough courage (to do something).
- patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/ (noun) — The quality of being patient.
- sadly /ˈsædli/ (adverb) — In a sad manner; sorrowfully.
- cruel /ˈkɹuːəl/ (adjective) — Intentionally causing or reveling in pain and suffering; merciless, heartless.
- freeze /ˈfɹiːz/ (verb) — Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- build on /bɪldɑn/ (verb) — To add additional elements or components to (a framework, a concept, a device, etc.) in order to extend it.
- look around (verb) — To inspect a building or area.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- step forward (verb) — to take one or more steps forward, especially in response to a request for identification
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: chef /ʃɛf/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, humiliation /hjuːˌmɪliˈeɪʃən/, patiently /ˈpeɪʃəntli/
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 chef, silent, secretly.
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.