Shadowing Practice: What's your favourite snack? ⏲️ 6 Minute English - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hello.
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This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English.
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I'm Neil.
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And I'm Beth.
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It seems people around the world are in love with snacks.
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From old favourites like popcorn and crisps to new inventions like the chocolate sandwich, snacks are big business, with an estimated $1.5 trillion a year spent globally on snacking.
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Let's listen as British food historian Annie Gray and Argentinian chef Barbara Oyavari tell BBC World Service programme The Food Chain what they like to snack on between meals.
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I like salted peanuts and I love a banana.
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Preferably together, actually, I find that they hit the spot.
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My favourite snack is called chipa.
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It's a small round bun made with cassava, cheese, butter, milk and salt.
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Barbara's favourite snack is a cheese bread called chippa, while for Annie it's the combination of peanuts and banana that hits the spot, an idiom meaning that it's exactly what you want.
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Neil, what's your favourite snack?
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Well, I want to say something healthy but actually, you know, I really love a bag of crisps.
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Oh, me too.
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Yeah, crisps are good.
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Well, whatever you like to nibble on, in this episode, we'll find out why we are so in love with snack food.
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As usual, we'll learn some useful new words and phrases.
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And remember, you'll find all the vocabulary and a quiz on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
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OK, but first I have a question for you, Beth.
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According to a recent YouGov survey, which of the following snacks is most popular amongst Brits?
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Is it a crisps, b confectionery and chocolate, or c savoury snacks and biscuits?
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Well, we both just said crisps, so I'm going to say crisps.
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Well, we'll find out the answer later in the programme.
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Someone with a professional interest in snacking is Christine Cochrane, president of Snack International, the trade association for the industry.
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Here, Christine shares her ideas about why we love to snack with BBC World Service programme, The Food Chain.
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A snack is an affordable luxury.
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So if you've had a bad day or money is tight, this is something that you can turn to.
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And I think that is why you see it as so popular.
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Consumers, especially in the United States, are looking for smaller, more convenient portions.
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They're not always going to be able to sit down and have three meals a day, right?
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So they're eating on the go.
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And the other thing that you see is this desire for very specific functional ingredients, right?
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So mental clarity, gut health, muscle development, these sorts of things.
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Again, they're nicely packaged in snack sizes.
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Snacks are often seen as a little luxury, but to be successful, a snack must also be affordable, an adjective meaning not expensive.
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Snacks, which are cheap enough for most people to buy, will sell even if money is tight – a phrase used to describe a situation where there's only just enough money to live on.
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Thanks to snacks, today fewer people sit down to eat a proper meal.
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Instead they eat on the go.
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If you do something on the go, you do it while you're busy travelling or moving around, rather than at home.
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Many modern snacks target a specific function.
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For example, an energy drink might claim to improve your gut health or your mental clarity – a term describing a state of mind which is focused and engaged, not dull or foggy.
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But not everyone is a fan of modern packaged snacks, such as the bag of crisps and chocolate bars which fill our shops.
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Originally from Argentina, Barbara Oyavari now lives in Florida, USA.
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Here, Barbara tells BBC World Service's The Food Chain how she encourages her nine-year-old son to choose more natural snacks.
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Personally, I enjoy cooking and eating more natural, simpler snacks, but of course I can't swim against the current.
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And if my nine-year-old wants to eat the little baked snacks that have cheddar.
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Ironically, it is something baked with cheese in it, which is similar to what I enjoy.
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It's just the modern twist to it.
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Barbara wants her son to eat healthy, homemade food, although he prefers modern packaged snacks.
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Barbara complains she can't swim against the current.
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The idiom swim against the current means to act differently from other people, often because you do not mind being different.
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Well, Neil, all these snacks have made me hungry.
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Now isn't it time to reveal the answer to your question?
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Yes, it is.
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I asked, according to a recent YouGov survey, which of the following snacks is the most popular amongst Brits?
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Crisps, confectionery and chocolate or savoury snacks and biscuits?
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And the answer was...
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b.
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Confectionary and chocolate, which 45% of Britons indulge in weekly, according to that survey.
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OK, let's recap the vocabulary we've learnt, starting with the phrase hits the spot, which describes something which is exactly what you want or need.
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If something is affordable, it's cheap enough that most people have enough money to buy it.
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The phrase, money is tight, means you only have just enough money to live.
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The idiom, on the go, means doing things while you're busy travelling or moving around.
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Mental clarity is a state in which your mind is fully focused and active, not dull or foggy.
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And finally, people who swim against the current or the tide do or say things differently from most other people.
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Once again, our six minutes are up, but why not head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com to try the quiz and worksheets for this episode.
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See you again soon!
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Goodbye!
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Why practice speaking with this video?

The video "What's your favourite snack?" offers a delightful way to practice English speaking by discussing a topic that many people can relate to: snacks. The conversational nature of the dialogue between Neil and Beth, alongside the expert opinions shared by food historians and chefs, creates a rich context for English learners. Engaging in discussions about personal tastes in snacks allows you to express preferences, describe experiences, and practice everyday conversation skills. By participating in the dialogue or repeating phrases, you can effectively improve your English pronunciation and fluency. By shadowing the speakers, you'll pick up not just vocabulary but also the rhythm and intonation of natural speech, enhancing your overall speaking confidence.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key phrases and grammatical structures stand out:

  • "hit the spot": This idiomatic expression means that something perfectly satisfies a need or craving. It's useful when discussing preferences, particularly in casual settings.
  • "money is tight": This phrase is a common way to describe financial constraints. It is particularly relevant in discussions about affordability and value.
  • "to eat on the go": This structure is used to indicate eating while doing other activities, which reflects a modern lifestyle. Practicing this phrase helps learners use it in their own conversations about busy routines.
  • "little luxury": This expression emphasizes something enjoyable that isn't expensive, allowing you to describe simple pleasures in life.
  • "preferably": A word that indicates a preference for one option over another. This is helpful in making choices clear in discussions.

These phrases, along with their context, can aid English learners in conducting conversations about food, preferences, or lifestyle choices during their english speaking practice.

Common Pronunciation Traps

As you engage with the video content, pay attention to specific words and expressions that might be challenging to pronounce:

  • "crisps": This British term can confuse learners from different English backgrounds where "chips" is more common. Practice the sharp, short sound of the 'i' vowel followed by the 's' sound.
  • "affordable": The stress on the second syllable can be tricky. Break the word into syllables - af-FORD-able - and practice saying it to ensure clarity.
  • "confectionery": This word has a complex structure. Concentrate on pronouncing the softer 'ush' sound in the middle to avoid blending too closely with other syllables.
  • "on the go": This phrase requires a smooth flow between words. Practicing this expression will help learners sound more natural and fluent.

By focusing on these pronunciation challenges while shadowing the speakers, you can improve English pronunciation and boost your confidence in using these terms in conversation. Consider using resources like shadowspeaks for additional practice.

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.

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