Shadowing Practice: What Makes a Place Feel Like Home | Easy English Podcast - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
Wait, wait, wait.
2
Say that again.
3
I said there's nothing on my walls.
4
Nothing?
5
Mike, you moved in three years ago.
6
I know.
7
I have pictures.
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They're in a box under the bed.
9
Under the bed?
10
So you basically live in a hotel.
11
It's not a hotel.
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Hotels have art.
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Okay, hold on.
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Hello, everyone, and welcome to Everyday English Academy, where we make English simple and enjoyable.
15
I'm Sarah.
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And I'm Mike, the man with the empty walls.
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Hi everyone, wherever you're listening from right now.
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So why is that box still under your bed?
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I don't know.
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I think I always feel like I'm moving soon, so why bother, right?
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Ah, so you never really settled in.
22
Hmm.
23
Settled in.
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For our listeners, that means you start to feel relaxed and comfortable in a new place, right?
25
Exactly.
26
You unpack your things, you find your favorite coffee shop, you learn which neighbor is loud.
27
Oh, I know which neighbor is loud.
28
The guy upstairs plays the drums at 10 p .m.
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Every night?
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Only on Tuesdays, which is somehow worse.
31
And you can use settle in for other new things, too.
32
A new job, a new school.
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I'm still settling in at work.
34
Or it took my son a few weeks to settle in at his new school.
35
Wait, you don't have a son.
36
It's an example, Sarah.
37
Okay, okay.
38
But honestly, I'd say you're about 40 % settled in.
39
Forty?
40
That's harsh.
41
You have a box under your bed, Mike.
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Okay, fair.
43
But it makes me think, what actually makes a place feel like home?
44
Because it's not the walls, right?
45
Well, walls help.
46
Okay, walls help a little.
47
But I can't judge you too much.
48
When I moved into my first apartment, I lived out of boxes for four months.
49
Four months?
50
And you're laughing at my one box?
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Hey, I said I can't judge you too much.
52
Okay, for everyone listening, live out of boxes means you move to a new place, but you don't unpack.
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So every day you open a box to find your clothes, your shoes, your toothbrush.
54
Yes, and unpack means you take everything out of the boxes and put it where it belongs, which I did not do.
55
What was that like?
56
Every morning was a little treasure hunt.
57
Where's my hairbrush?
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Box number six.
59
Where's my phone charger?
60
Nobody knows.
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Did you at least label the boxes?
62
You know, write on each box what's inside?
63
I did, but I labeled them at two in the morning, so the box that said kitchen had my winter boots.
64
Winter boots in the kitchen box.
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And I couldn't find my plates anywhere, so for two weeks I ate cereal out of a coffee mug.
66
Okay.
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Honestly, that's a little bit smart.
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Thank you.
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Survival skills.
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So when did it change?
71
When did it start to feel like your place?
72
Hmm.
73
I remember the exact day.
74
It was a rainy Sunday.
75
I was bored.
76
So I finally opened every single box.
77
Books on the shelf, plates in the kitchen.
78
Where plates should be.
79
What a crazy idea.
80
And then I sat on the sofa, I looked around, and I just felt at ease. At ease.
81
Oh, I like that one.
82
At ease means you feel relaxed and calm.
83
No stress, no worry.
84
Your shoulders just drop.
85
Like, ha.
86
Ha.
87
I can feel my shoulders dropping just listening to you.
88
And you can use it with people, too.
89
Like, my new boss is really friendly.
90
I feel at ease with her.
91
Or the opposite.
92
I never feel at ease at the dentist.
93
Nobody feels at ease at the dentist, Mike.
94
True.
95
But okay, I want to defend myself a little bit here.
96
Go ahead.
97
Defend your empty walls.
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My apartment does feel like home, even without pictures.
99
Because I know it so well.
100
What do you mean?
101
Okay, so in my kitchen, there's this one spot on the floor, right in front of the fridge.
102
And when you step on it, it goes eek.
103
Oh, a creaky floor.
104
Yes, creaky.
105
That means something makes a long, high noise when you step on it or move it, like an old door or old wooden stairs.
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Old houses are full of creaky things.
107
Creaky doors, creaky beds.
108
Exactly.
109
And I know exactly where that spot is.
110
At night, when I get a glass of water in the dark, I step over it like a ninja.
111
A ninja in pajamas.
112
A very quiet ninja in pajamas.
113
And I don't even think about it.
114
My feet just know.
115
Okay, I actually love that, because a visitor would never know that.
116
Right.
117
When my brother stayed with me, he went to the kitchen at midnight, stepped right on it, and the next morning he said,
118
your apartment is haunted.
119
Haunted?
120
Like with ghosts? With ghosts.
121
I said, no, it's just the floor.
122
Relax.
123
See, that's interesting.
124
The creaky floor is annoying, but it's your annoying floor.
125
Yes, it's familiar.
126
Familiar.
127
Good word.
128
Something is familiar when you know it really well because you've seen it or heard it many, many times.
129
Like my creaky floor.
130
I've heard it about 10 ,000 times.
131
Or a familiar face in a crowd.
132
Or a familiar song on the radio.
133
Or a familiar sound.
134
Like my fridge.
135
It makes this soft humming noise.
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All day long.
137
Humming.
138
So a low, soft sound that doesn't stop.
139
Right.
140
And last month, I stayed in a hotel.
141
And the room was too quiet.
142
No humming.
143
I couldn't sleep.
144
Ah, you missed your fridge?
145
I missed my fridge.
146
I'm not proud of it.
147
Okay, but I get it.
148
For me, it's not sounds, though.
149
It's smells.
150
Ooh, like what?
151
My grandma's house.
152
Every time I walked in, there was this scent of oranges and old books.
153
Oranges and old books?
154
That's a strange mix.
155
It's a wonderful mix.
156
She always had a bowl of oranges on the table, and she had about a thousand books.
157
And scent is a lovely word.
158
It's basically a smell, but usually a nice one, right?
159
Right.
160
You wouldn't say the scent of old socks.
161
No, that's just a smell.
162
A bad smell.
163
Exactly.
164
But the scent of fresh bread, the scent of flowers, a candle with a lovely scent.
165
All nice things.
166
And a scent can take you back in time, right?
167
You're walking down the street, you smell something, and suddenly you're eight years old again.
168
Yes.
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Last week, I walked past a fruit shop, smelled oranges, and I almost called my grandma.
170
Oh, that's sweet.
171
And now I'm curious.
172
Everyone listening, what does home smell like for you?
173
Your mom's cooking?
174
Coffee?
175
The sea?
176
Tell us in the comments.
177
Just one sentence.
178
Like, my home smells like… and finish it.
179
I'll go first.
180
My home smells like coffee and slightly burnt toast.
181
Every morning?
182
Every morning.
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My toaster and I have a difficult relationship.
184
But seriously, smells are powerful, especially when you're far from home.
185
Oh, don't remind me.
186
Why?
187
What happened?
188
Okay, this is a bit embarrassing.
189
When I was 22, I moved to another city for work for a whole year.
190
New job, new apartment, and I didn't know anyone.
191
That sounds hard.
192
It was.
193
The first few weeks, everything felt strange.
194
And one night, I was doing my laundry, you know, washing my clothes, and I thought, why do my towels smell wrong?
195
Wrong?
196
They didn't smell like home.
197
So I called my mom and asked, Mom, what soap do you use in the washing machine?
198
No way!
199
Yes.
200
And the next day, I went to the supermarket and bought the exact same one.
201
Mike, that's so cute.
202
It's not cute.
203
It's embarrassing.
204
It's both.
205
Did it work?
206
Honestly, yes.
207
The first night, I put my face in the towel and I thought, But, okay, I can do this.
208
Aww, the power of scent.
209
But the soap wasn't enough.
210
What really helped was a little restaurant near my office.
211
Ooh, what kind of place?
212
A tiny family place, six tables.
213
And after a few weeks, the owner knew my name.
214
She knew my order.
215
If I didn't come for a few days, she said, where were you?
216
Are you okay?
217
Oh, I love that.
218
So that restaurant was your home away from home.
219
Yes, that's the perfect phrase.
220
For everyone listening, a home away from home is a place that isn't your home,
221
but you feel just as comfortable there as you do at home.
222
And it doesn't have to be a restaurant.
223
No, it can be a cafe, a friend's house, a library, even a gym.
224
A gym?
225
Who feels at home at the gym?
226
Some people live at the gym, Mike.
227
Not me.
228
But yes, people also say it about hotels.
229
This hotel is my home away from home.
230
So what made that restaurant so special?
231
The food?
232
The food was good, but mostly it was her.
233
She was so kind.
234
She always gave me extra bread.
235
She asked about my family.
236
It felt like she was taking care of me.
237
That's hospitality.
238
Hospitality, yes.
239
Great word.
240
It's a long word, but the meaning is simple.
241
Hospitality is when you're friendly and generous to guests.
242
You make them feel welcome.
243
And generous means you give a lot.
244
Your food, your time, your attention.
245
Right.
246
And here's a really useful sentence.
247
When you leave someone's home, maybe you stayed with a family or you had dinner at their house, You can say, thank you so much for your hospitality.
248
Oh, that's a good one.
249
It sounds polite, but also warm.
250
Everyone will love you.
251
But honestly, the best hospitality I've ever seen was not at that restaurant.
252
Let me guess.
253
Your grandma.
254
My grandma.
255
You've met her.
256
I have.
257
I visited her one time for one hour, and I ate three meals. That sounds right.
258
I kept saying, no, thank you, I'm full.
259
And she heard, please give me more potatoes.
260
She doesn't understand the word full.
261
It's not in her dictionary.
262
In her house, nobody leaves hungry.
263
That's the rule.
264
And honestly, I think that's part of what makes a place feel like home too.
265
Not just the building, the people and the traditions inside it.
266
Definitely.
267
And a lot of traditions come from the past, from our family.
268
Like your grandma's potatoes.
269
The famous potatoes.
270
That recipe's maybe a hundred years old.
271
It came from her mother and her mother before that.
272
Wow.
273
So that recipe is part of your family's heritage.
274
Heritage.
275
Okay, that one sounds a bit serious.
276
Can you explain it simply?
277
Sure.
278
Your heritage is everything that comes from your family's past.
279
The traditions, the food, the language, the music.
280
Things that are old and really important to a family or a country.
281
So like the songs your grandparents sang or the holidays your family celebrates.
282
Exactly.
283
You might hear, I'm proud of my heritage.
284
Or food is a big part of our heritage.
285
And that recipe was passed down, right?
286
Yes.
287
To pass down something means you give it to the younger people in your family.
288
Grandparents to parents, parents to children.
289
So my great -grandmother passed down the potato recipe to my grandma.
290
And one day, my grandma will pass it down to me.
291
Will she, though?
292
She says I'm not ready.
293
Not ready for the potatoes.
294
Apparently, there are levels.
295
I'm still in training.
296
But it's not just recipes.
297
You can pass down things, too.
298
Jewelry, a watch, furniture.
299
Oh, I actually have something like that.
300
My grandpa's old armchair.
301
Wait, you have your grandpa's armchair?
302
Okay, I take back the hotel comment.
303
Thank you.
304
But I have to be honest, it's a very ugly armchair.
305
How ugly are we talking?
306
It's brown and orange with little flowers on it.
307
And it's a bit creaky.
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When you sit down, it goes Kirk.
309
Another creaky thing.
310
Your whole apartment is creaky, Mike.
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I know, but I love that chair.
312
My grandpa read the newspaper in it every single morning for 40 years.
313
Oh, okay.
314
Now it's not ugly anymore.
315
Now it's beautiful.
316
It's still ugly, but it's my ugly chair.
317
When I sit in it, I feel close to him.
318
That's really lovely.
319
And actually, I have something too.
320
My mom passed down this little wooden spoon to me.
321
A spoon?
322
Don't laugh.
323
It's a very special spoon.
324
It's old, it's a little burnt on one side, and my mom used it for every birthday cake when I was a kid.
325
So every time you use it...
326
I think of birthday cake, and my mom singing happy birthday very, very badly.
327
That's the best kind of heritage.
328
Cake and bad singing.
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And I'd really love to hear from you here, everyone.
330
Do you have something that was passed down in your family?
331
A recipe?
332
A ring?
333
A chair?
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A spoon?
335
Even an ugly one.
336
Ugly ones are very welcome.
337
Tell us in the comments.
338
You can write, My grandmother passed down her.. and tell us what it is.
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Please, I need to know I'm not the only person with an ugly armchair.
340
Okay, so you have a creaky floor, a humming fridge, and ugly armchair full of memories.
341
Mike, your apartment is starting to sound like a real home.
342
Finally.
343
Thank you.
344
Except for the box under the bed.
345
Except for the box, yes.
346
Wait a second.
347
Mike, did you ever have a housewarming party?
348
Um...
349
You didn't.
350
I was going to.
351
I was just waiting for the right time.
352
For three years?
353
The right time is still coming.
354
Okay.
355
For everyone listening, a housewarming, or just a housewarming, is a party you have when you move into a new home.
356
You invite friends and family to come and see your new place.
357
And guests usually bring a small gift, like a plant or something nice for the kitchen.
358
The idea is that you warm the house with people.
359
It's a new, empty place, and your friends fill it with life.
360
Huh.
361
I never thought about it like that.
362
That's actually really nice.
363
It is.
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And I had the funniest housewarming ever.
365
Was this the four months of boxes apartment?
366
Yes.
367
My friends kept saying, Sarah, where's the party?
368
And I said, I'm not ready.
369
I still have boxes everywhere.
370
And they said, we don't care.
371
And they just came.
372
They invited themselves to your housewarming?
373
They invited themselves.
374
Eight people.
375
I had two chairs.
376
Oh, no. Where did everyone sit?
377
On the boxes.
378
We used boxes as chairs and tables.
379
We ate pizza on the box that said kitchen.
380
With your winter boots inside.
381
With my winter boots inside.
382
But honestly, it was one of my favorite nights ever.
383
After that, the apartment felt different.
384
It had memories now.
385
i love that and it sounds like it wasn't a big fancy party more like a small get -together
386
exactly a get -together another great word a get -together is a small relaxed meeting with friends
387
or family not a big party with loud music
388
and dancing just people food
389
and talking like we're having a little get -together on saturday do you want to come
390
or it's not a party it's just to get together people say
391
that when they don't want you to expect too much right it means please don't dress up
392
and don't expect a dj noted
393
so you know what this means right oh no you're having a housewarming next month i'm inviting myself okay okay
394
but if people come they'll see my kitchen What's wrong with your kitchen?
395
The layout.
396
The layout is crazy.
397
Okay, explain.
398
And explain layout for our listeners, too.
399
Sure.
400
The layout is how a place is organized.
401
Where the rooms are, where the furniture is, where the doors and windows are.
402
When you look at an apartment online, you often see a little drawing from above.
403
That drawing shows you the layout.
404
Exactly.
405
So you can say, I love the layout of this apartment.
406
It's so open.
407
Or the layout is strange.
408
You walk through the bedroom to get to the kitchen.
409
So what's wrong with your layout?
410
My fridge is in a corner, and the fridge door opens into the wall.
411
Into the wall?
412
It only opens halfway.
413
So every time I want milk, I have to push my arm in like this and twist.
414
Every time?
415
Every time.
416
For three years.
417
My left arm is very strong now.
418
Mike, why don't you just move the fridge? Where?
419
The oven is on one side, the washing machine is on the other side.
420
All my appliances are fighting for space.
421
Appliances.
422
Okay, that's a really practical word.
423
Appliances are the machines in your home that do jabs for you.
424
The fridge, the oven, the washing machine, the dishwasher.
425
The microwave, the toaster, my enemy.
426
Your burnt toast friend.
427
And you'll often hear kitchen appliances or home appliances, like the apartment comes with all the appliances.
428
That means the fridge, the oven, everything is already there.
429
You don't need to buy them.
430
That's so important to ask when you rent a place.
431
It can save you a lot of money.
432
Very true.
433
And your landlord never wanted to fix the kitchen?
434
The landlord is the person who owns your apartment, the person you pay rent to.
435
Actually, she did.
436
Last year, she said, Mike, I want to renovate the kitchen.
437
Renovate.
438
So, repair it and make it new and better.
439
Right.
440
When you renovate a room or a building, you make big changes to improve it.
441
New floor, new walls, new lights.
442
Sometimes even a new layout.
443
That's great news.
444
So why is your arm still doing the twist?
445
Because I said no. You said no?
446
She said it would take six weeks.
447
Six weeks with no kitchen.
448
Workers in my apartment every day.
449
Noise from morning to evening.
450
Okay, that is a lot.
451
And they'd probably take out the old floor.
452
Wait, the creaky floor?
453
The creaky floor.
454
Mike, you said no to a new kitchen because you'd miss your creaky floor?
455
It's not the only reason, but it's one of the reasons.
456
You're very loyal to your floor.
457
But actually, I kind of understand.
458
When I was 16, my parents renovated our whole house.
459
The whole house?
460
The whole house.
461
They changed the layout completely.
462
The kitchen went where the living room was.
463
The living room went upstairs.
464
Very modern, very bright, very beautiful.
465
That sounds great.
466
It was great.
467
But the first night, I went downstairs to get some water, and I walked straight into a wall.
468
Oh, no. Because in my head, the kitchen was still there.
469
My body remembered the old layout.
470
That's like my creaky floor, but the opposite.
471
Your feet knew the old house.
472
Exactly.
473
It took me months to feel at ease again.
474
Same address, same family, but it didn't feel familiar anymore.
475
Huh.
476
So a new layout can make your own home feel like someone else's house.
477
For Lyle, yes.
478
But then we made new memories there, and slowly, it became home again.
479
Okay.
480
That makes me feel much better about saying no to my landlord.
481
Don't use my story as an excuse.
482
Too late.
483
But, you know, this brings me back to my box under the bed.
484
Ah, the box.
485
I think the real reason I never opened it is… I always tell myself, this apartment is just for now.
486
Hmm.
487
So you don't want to put down roots.
488
Put down roots, yeah.
489
That's it exactly.
490
Think about a tree, everyone.
491
A tree has roots under the ground.
492
The roots keep it in one place so it can grow big and strong.
493
So when a person puts down roots, they decide to stay in one place for a long time.
494
They build a life there.
495
Friends, a job, a home.
496
Like, after moving five times, they finally put down roots in a small town.
497
Or, I'm not ready to put down routes yet.
498
I want to travel first.
499
And that's totally fine, too.
500
Some people love moving around.
501
True. But me?
502
I've been moving soon for three years.
503
I think my apartment knows I'm not going anywhere.
504
The creaky floor definitely knows.
505
And maybe it's not about staying forever.
506
Maybe it's just about deciding.
507
Right now, this is my place, even if I move one day.
508
I really like that.
509
You don't need a forever home to feel at home.
510
So, okay, I'm doing it.
511
This weekend, I'm opening the box.
512
Really?
513
Really.
514
And I'm hanging one picture.
515
Just one.
516
Let's not go crazy.
517
One picture!
518
Mike, I'm so proud of you.
519
Please don't make it a big thing.
520
It's a very big thing, and I think it deserves a little practice moment.
521
Everyone, listen to each sentence and say it out loud after us.
522
I'm still settling in here.
523
This feels like a home away from home.
524
We're having a housewarming on Saturday.
525
I love the layout of this place.
526
I finally feel at ease here.
527
Nice work.
528
Try them again while you're cooking or cleaning today.
529
Your kitchen won't mind.
530
Unless it has a creaky floor then it might answer you.
531
Eek.
532
Okay, Mike, tell me the full plan, out loud, so everyone hears it and you can't change your mind.
533
Fine.
534
The plan.
535
This weekend, I open the box.
536
No more living out of boxes.
537
Well, out of one box.
538
Good start.
539
I hang one picture, maybe two, and then I'm officially settled in.
540
After only three years.
541
After only three years.
542
Then next month I have a small get together, a housewarming.
543
And you're invited, obviously.
544
You already invited yourself.
545
I did.
546
I'll show everyone my crazy kitchen layout, my appliances fighting for space, and my creaky floor.
547
And the ugly armchair your grandpa passed down to you.
548
The beautiful ugly armchair.
549
And maybe I'll ask my grandma to help with the food.
550
The heritage potatoes.
551
If she thinks I'm ready.
552
And I'll try to show some real hospitality, like the lady at the restaurant.
553
So nobody leaves hungry.
554
Nobody leaves hungry.
555
And I'll light a candle with a nice scent so the apartment smells like something better than burnt toast.
556
Big dreams.
557
And no renovating.
558
No renovating.
559
The floor stays.
560
I'm putting down roots right next to my creaky floor.
561
Honestly, Mike, your place already feels like home.
562
It's all familiar to you.
563
It just needs to look a little more like you.
564
Thanks, Sarah.
565
That's actually really nice.
566
And to everyone listening, Thank you so much for spending this time with us.
567
If you enjoyed this episode, please give it a like and subscribe to Everyday English Academy.
568
It really helps us make more episodes for you.
569
And we can't wait to read about your family treasures.
570
The recipes, the spoons, the rings.
571
And especially the ugly armchairs.
572
Wherever you are right now, a big house, a tiny room, a place you just moved into,
573
We hope it feels a little more like home today.
574
And if it doesn't yet, maybe just open one box.
575
Great advice from the man with the empty walls.
576
Soon to be the man with one picture on the wall.
577
Take care, everyone.
578
See you in the next episode.
579
Bye, everyone.
580
Bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 580 sentences and 3898 words to shadow. The speech runs for 29:05. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- layout /ˈleɪ.aʊt/ (noun) — A structured arrangement of items within certain limits.
- ugly /ˈʌɡli/ (adjective) — Displeasing to the eye; aesthetically unpleasing.
- scent /sɛnt/ (noun) — A distinctive smell.
- settle /ˈsɛtəl/ (verb) — To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc).
- ease /iz/ (verb) — To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- heritage /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — An inheritance; property that may be inherited.
- invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
- recipe /ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/ (noun) — Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients.
- grandma /ˈɡɹænmɑː/ (noun) — Grandmother.
- potato /pəˈteɪ.təʊ/ (noun) — The edible starchy tuber of the plant species Solanum tuberosum.
- hospitality /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ə.ti/ (noun) — The act or service of welcoming, receiving, hosting, or entertaining guests; an appropriate attitude of openness, respect, and generosity toward guests.
- spoon /spuːn/ (noun) — An implement for eating or serving; a scooped utensil whose long handle is straight, in contrast to a ladle.
- wash /wɑʃ/ (verb) — To clean with water.
- relax /ɹɪˈlæks/ (verb) — To make something loose.
- boot /but/ (noun) — A heavy shoe that covers part of the leg.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- pass down (verb) — To hand over, pass through or transfer to a lower level, next generation, etc.
- get together (verb) — To meet, to gather together, to congregate.
- put down (verb) — To insult, belittle, or demean.
- settle in (verb) — To get comfortable or established, as in a new place.
- come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
- move into (verb) — Synonym of move in (To start living or working in a new place)
- step on (verb) — To adulterate (a drug) for the purpose of increasing its bulk, and therefore the profit when sold; to dilute, cut.
- think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 89 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, treasure /ˈtɹɛʒəɹ/, shoe /ˈʃu/, harsh /ˈhɑɹʃ/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/
- Long words — get the stress right: hospitality /ˌhɑ.spɪˈtæl.ə.ti/, dictionary /ˈdɪk.ʃəˌnɛ.ɹi/, supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/
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 layout, ugly, scent.
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 seen · I've heard · I've ever seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is haunted · was passed · is organized |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Tuesdays, which is · person who owns |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was doing · was taking · was just waiting |
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.