Shadowing Practice: U 5.1: DRAG (Audio) | Effortless English || JUN SHARE - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Drag.
2
High price of mom's help is drag on family business.
3
Dear Abby, 20 years ago, my sister and I bought a business from our mother.
4
We all love and respect one another and get along well.
5
We will be finished paying off the business in two years.
6
Our problem.
7
Mom, who is now 77,
8
still draws a salary from us above and beyond the payment for the business.
9
Her workload has lessened greatly, as it should.
10
She could do all of her work in one day and lessen the burden of her salary.
11
However, she says she'd go crazy if she retired.
12
We don't want that.
13
She could still come in as often as she wants and do her personal paperwork,
14
work, banking, letter writing, reading,
15
etc. These are all things she does at work on the clock.
16
If we try to discuss this, mom gets hurt and says,
17
just let me know when I'm not worth the money.
18
We don't want to do that.
19
We would hope she would see the fairness of this and suggest it herself.
20
Business expenses are going through the roof, and there are updates we should make.
21
But we can't do it as long as we are paying mom at the level we are,
22
on top of the money for the buyout.
23
Signed, Daughter's Dearest.
📺 Same Channel
A23
Unit 4.3: Changed (MS - A) | Effortless English || JUN SHARE
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A230
Unit 2.1: A Kiss (Audio)| Effortless English ||JUN SHARE
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
C1194
Unit 1.1: Day Of The Dead (Audio) | Effortless English | JUN SHARE
Travel EnglishDaily Conversation
A229
Unit 3.1: Bubba's Food (Audio) | Effortless English|| JUN SHARE
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
C11
Unit 4.2: Changed (Vocabulary) | Effortless English || JUN SHARE
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
B212
93 sentences
Effortless English - Drag - Audio
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B12
32 sentences
Dining with wealthy friends is quite stressful.#shorts
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
267 sentences
The powerful release of letting go
Business EnglishUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B11
211 sentences
Stepmom left Dad for LUXURY and Now He is a Billionaire | English with Conversational story
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
528 sentences
How To Get A Pay Rise | FUNNIEST MOMENTS OF JULY
Business EnglishInterview EnglishWorking Adults
B12
17 sentences
25 July 2026
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
154 sentences
❤️Good Wife Part 1 | Animated stories | English Story | Daily English Conversation | Window English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B189 sentences
Learn English with Stories ⭐ 60 Years Waiting | Level 3 English Listening & Speaking Practice
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B14
56 sentences
Interchange 1 Unit 2 Video
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
48 sentences
AEF 3.2 Meeting Jenny's Parents
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
50 sentences
CHUYỆN Ở NHỜ TRỌ
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
38 sentences
Conversation 50 getting help
Business EnglishWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 23 sentences and 220 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:21. The speaker talks slowly, about 94 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dragon noun | /ˈdɹæɡən/ | In European mythologies, a gigantic beast, typically reptilian with leathery bat-like wings, lion-like claws, scaly skin and a lizard-like body, often a… |
| salary noun | /ˈsæləɹi/ | A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or… |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| greatly adverb | /ˈɡɹeɪ̯t.li/ | To a great extent or degree. |
| burden noun | /ˈbɝdn̩/ | A heavy load. |
| expense noun | /ɪkˈspɛns/ | A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds. |
| retire verb | /ɹəˈtaɪɹ/ | To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness. |
| paperwork noun | /ˈpeɪ.pɚˌwɝk/ | Routine work involving written documents. |
| fairness noun | /ˈfɛɚ.nəs/ | The property of being fair or equitable. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| lessen verb | /ˈlɛsən/ | To make less; to diminish; to reduce. |
| buyout noun | The acquisition of a controlling interest in a business or corporation by outright purchase or by purchase of a majority of issued shares of stock. | |
| workload noun | The amount of work assigned to a particular worker, normally in a specified time period. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get along verb | To interact or coexist well, without argument or trouble. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| pay off verb | To bribe, especially to deter oversight. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can'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 dragon, salary, clock.
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.