Shadowing Practice: Unit 9: Suspicious visitors ( Interchange 1) - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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And in other news...
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Two prisoners escaped from the state prison this morning.
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They are traveling in a dark SUV.
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These men are dangerous and have guns.
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The governor says suspicious.
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Thank you.
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Sarah, would you like another cup of coffee?
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No thanks.
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Honey, Do we know anyone that has an SUV?
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An SUV?
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The Thompson 7 SUV, the green one, This one's not green.
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- It's not?
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What color is it?
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- I can't tell.
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It's red or brown.
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It's dark. Where is it?
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It's parked in front of the house and there are two people inside.
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Really?
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Mm -hmm.
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And now they're getting out of it.
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What do they look like?
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One man's tall and he's got dark hair and he's wearing sunglasses.
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And how about the other one?
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He's short.
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He's wearing a baseball cap and sunglasses too.
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I think they're coming here.
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They're coming.
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Sarah, you keep watching.
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I'm gonna call the police.
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The police?
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Why are you calling the police?
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There was a news report on the radio a moment ago.
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Two men escaped from the state prison this morning.
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They're dangerous and they have guns.
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They're traveling in a dark SUV.
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Well hurry up.
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Go call the police.
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- Thank you.
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I'm not sure.
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- Thank you.
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Yes.
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I'd like to report two suspicious persons.
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353 Elm Road.
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Say hello.
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George Adams, A -D -A -M -S.
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What are they doing now?
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They're standing in the driveway and they're looking around.
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They're standing in the driveway looking About how old are they?
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Can you tell?
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The short one is about 20.
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The short one's about 20.
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And the tall one looks like he's in his 40s.
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And the tall one looks like he's in his 40s.
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George, they're walking up to the front door.
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It's all right, Sarah.
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Help us on the way.
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Wait.
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Yes, thank you so, so much.
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Bye.
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Wait a minute.
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I can see them now.
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George, the tall one.
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It's...
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Cousin George.
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So this is the right address.
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It's been so long I wasn't sure I remembered.
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Cousin Harry.
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What are you doing here?
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town so we decided to stop in and say hello.
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Last time you saw my daughter Alexis here, she was just a baby.
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Hi.
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Hi.
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Alexis, look at you.
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You're all grown up.
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It is great to see you both.
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Come on in.
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Wow.
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Sounds like a rough neighborhood.

Why practice speaking with this video?

The video "Unit 9: Suspicious Visitors" offers a thrilling context for English learners to practice speaking. This engaging narrative revolves around a potentially dangerous situation, making it an excellent resource for stimulating conversation. As you engage with dialogues about suspicious characters and police procedures, you will become more comfortable discussing various scenarios in English. Practicing with real-life contexts, like those depicted in this video, enhances your vocabulary and builds your confidence when speaking.

Utilizing shadow speech techniques while watching will allow you to mimic authentic speech patterns naturally. By repeating after the speakers, you immerse yourself in the dialogue and enhance your pronunciation. As a learner, you can utilize this shadowspeak method to effectively internalize everyday expressions, making it a valuable tool for your English speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In the video, several key grammatical structures and expressions are highlighted that can greatly improve your fluency:

  • Modal verbs for obligation and necessity: Phrases like "I’m going to call the police" and "They’re coming" indicate actions that need to be taken urgently. Understanding how to use modal verbs helps you express necessity and intent in various contexts.
  • Descriptive language: Phrases such as "dark SUV" and "dangerous men" provide essential vocabulary for describing people and situations. Learning to describe nouns in detail is crucial for any effective communication.
  • Questions for clarification: The dialogue contains several questions, such as "What do they look like?" and "How about the other one?" This teaches you how to seek clarification, a vital skill in conversations.

As you practice these expressions, frame your own sentences using the same structures, which will enhance your ability to communicate effectively in English.

Common Pronunciation Traps

Throughout the video, certain words and phrases present challenges in pronunciation that learners should be aware of:

  • "SUV": This abbreviation may be unfamiliar to some learners. Pay attention to the pronunciation and ensure you can articulate this term clearly, as it often comes up in conversations about vehicles.
  • "Suspicious": This word can be tricky due to its syllables. Practice breaking it into parts: sus-pi-cious, to master the flowing rhythm of the word.
  • Intonation in questions: Notice how the speaker’s intonation rises at the end of questions. Mimicking this will help you convey questions accurately in your speaking.

To become comfortable with these pronunciation traps, utilize resources like learn English with YouTube to practice repeatedly. Listening and shadowing the native speakers will facilitate improvement in your spoken English.

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 →