Shadowing Practice: What Is Remembrance Day? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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36 sentences
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Each year in November you may have seen these red poppies worn on people's shirts or shown on TV.
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Do you know what they are used to commemorate?
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They are a symbol of Remembrance Day.
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Remembrance Day is the commemoration of the end of World War I in 1918.
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But what's the story behind Remembrance Day?
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It all began with World War I, also known as the Great War, which started in 1914.
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It began when a bunch of countries including
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Britain, France and Russia went to war against Germany and Austria -Hungary.
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Other countries including Australia and New Zealand also joined in to support their allies.
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The soldiers from Australia and New Zealand were part of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps, and were called ANZACs.
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During the years of World War One, Australia and New Zealand were part of some really horrific battles that saw many people injured or killed,
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such as the landing at Gallipoli.
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Then one day, both sides agreed on an armistice, which is another word for truce.
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The signing of this agreement meant that the fighting would stop.
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So at 11am on the 11th of November the guns went silent after four years of continuous war.
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This was the moment that
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World War One ended.
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Because of this the 11th of November is known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day.
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Now, you might notice that the truce began on the 11th hour of the 11th day on the 11th month.
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This is why every year at 11am on the 11th of November, many countries around the world pause for one
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or two minutes of silence to remember those who have served their country in war.
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Did you know that in 1997 Australia decided to officially change the name of Armistice Day to Remembrance Day?
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This meant that the day recognised and celebrated any Australian who had served in any war or conflict.
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Now, back to those red poppies.
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Why are they so special for Remembrance Day.
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The red poppy was one of the first plants to come up through the grounds of the battlefields of World War I,
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making it the symbol of soldiers' sacrifice.
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Since 1918, red poppies have been made using silk or paper, and sold to raise money for those serving in war,
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or those who have been affected by war – a tradition that continues today.
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During Remembrance Day there are also many ceremonies held around the
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world to pay respects to those who fought in World War One.
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Maybe your town or city even has a cenotaph.
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A cenotaph is a monument built to honour people who were buried somewhere else.
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It's at these cenotaphs that people often lay wreaths and where gatherings take place on special days.
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The 11th of November is a special day to remember those who have fought and continued to fight for Australia.
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Maybe you can make your very own red poppy this Remembrance Day.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “What Is Remembrance Day?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Remembrance, Australia, November, Zealand, armistice. This video has 36 sentences and 487 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:04. The speaker talks at a steady 120 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| poppy noun | /ˈpɑpi/ | Any plant of the genus Papaver or the family Papaveraceae, with crumpled, often red, petals and a milky juice having narcotic properties; especially a common… |
| soldier noun | /ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/ | A member of a ground-based army, of any rank, but especially an enlisted member. |
| symbol noun | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. |
| truce noun | /tɹus/ | A period of time in which no fighting takes place due to an agreement between the opposed parties. |
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
| silent adjective | /ˈsaɪ̯lənt/ | Free from sound or noise; absolutely still; perfectly quiet. |
| ceremony noun | /ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/ | A ritual, with religious or cultural significance. |
| honour noun | /ˈɑnəɹ/ | British, Canadian, Commonwealth, and Ireland standard spelling of honor. |
| sacrifice noun | /ˈsæk.ɹɪ.faɪs/ | Originally, the killing (and often burning) of a human being or an animal as an offering to a deity; later, also the offering of an object to a deity. |
| gathering noun | /ˈɡæð.ɚ.ɪŋ/ | A meeting or get-together; a party or social function. |
| continuous adjective | /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/ | Without stopping; without a break, cessation, or interruption. |
| silk noun | /sɪlk/ | A fine fiber excreted by the silkworm or other arthropod (such as a spider). |
| ally noun | /ˈæl.aɪ/ | A person who co-operates with or helps another; an associate; a friend. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| battlefield noun | /ˈbætəlˌfiːld/ | The area where a land battle is fought, which may not necessarily be a field. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | armistice, which is · those who have · those who fought |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were called · is known · have been made |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have served · have been made · have been affected |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may have · might notice |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: gathering /ˈɡæð.ɚ.ɪŋ/, wreath /ɹiθ/
- Long words — get the stress right: ceremony /ˈsɛɹ.əˌmoʊ.ni/, continuous /kənˈtɪn.juː.əs/, commemorate /kəˈmɛməˌɹeɪt/, commemoration /kəˌmɛməˈɹeɪʃən/
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 poppy, soldier, symbol.
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.