Shadowing Practice: What Shawn Ryan Saw That Made Him Quit Politics - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
149 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
What have you learned from it, from this chapter?
2
What have I learned?
3
Well, I probably only retained 10% of the information that comes through the studio, to be honest with you.
4
And everybody expects me to be a resident expert on anything.
5
I can't remember shit.
6
And then I think I know something, and I had dinner with you last night, and I realized I really don't know.
7
I don't either.
8
Yeah, it's the ignorant meeting the ignorant.
9
But what have I learned?
10
I've learned I never want to involve myself in the US political system or vouch for any man again
11
I've learned Wait let's just stop there
12
so you didn't start out a hyper political person I remember
13
when your podcast started my nephew told me about it he loved it
14
that's how I met you because my nephew was
15
so impressed by you and it was mostly on military issues
16
and then there was this period where you i don't know got involved but you got closer to the political process
17
and now you're saying you don't want anything to do with that no i never i just i just don't why
18
well i mean i think we kind of discussed it last
19
time i just every uh everything is a lie we like
20
that became like a coin term i guess
21
but everything everything is a lie i mean every every politician
22
i've sat across from with maybe the acceptance the exception of
23
eli crane who i disagree with on a lot of yep i feel i i hate
24
that i even have to say that i don't i don't agree with everything
25
everything they have to see you know why the do we have to say
26
that i like eli um he's very you know pro-israel i'm not
27
but um but he can articulate why he is and whatever i respect i I respect it.
28
At least it's not just regurgitating.
29
Yes.
30
You know, like most people.
31
But everybody else, it's just, you know, it's been a lie.
32
And then the other thing is, I mean, which really shouldn't bother me, but you talk to somebody and then it's like,
33
how dare you platform that person?
34
And it's like, actually, I probably just did you a favor
35
because he just spent four hours lying to me on my podcast
36
that you're going to be able to use for his next political campaign.
37
Exactly.
38
You're too fucking stupid to figure that out, aren't you?
39
but um but i mean it's you know and they do
40
and uh and
41
and i just i don't know you know i put a
42
a lot of faith in a lot of these guys
43
and women you know that have come on
44
and really uh the only one
45
that really impressed me was Joe Kent you know in the
46
long run everybody else has just been a a wash or just
47
or a complete disaster just a lying piece of what about
48
you everyone as we discussed last night at dinner I am
49
still trying to figure out what all of this means as someone who campaigned for Trump
50
and told everybody Trump is the option to the Uniparty.
51
You got Republicans, Democrats are on the same side, but Trump is not.
52
He's on a different side, maybe even the public side.
53
And then Trump, the last hope, winds up aligning with Chuck Schumer and just joins the Uniparty in the most obvious way.
54
At that point, you have to ask yourself, is there a political solution to the problems that we have?
55
And I don't know the answer, but I'm starting to think maybe there isn't.
56
I don't know.
57
I feel as discouraged as you do, though.
58
I don't articulate it quite as well and forcefully as you do, but I kind of feel that way.
59
So, but I'm interviewing you.
60
So let me ask you, you're out of politics.
61
So where does that leave you?
62
What matters?
63
What takes its place?
64
um i i think uh i mean just i'm not sure
65
yet i'm still you know we talked last night i'm kind
66
of going through not kind of i'm going through a crazy spiritual transformation right now
67
and uh i think i think god needs to be highlighted and maybe some in some good stuff i mean um
68
nobody's i mean you just you can't put faith in in man at all
69
and it's kind of sad to watch everybody scurrying around trying to find the next guy
70
and and who's it gonna be and and
71
and you can already see people just like blindly like putting their faith into another human being
72
and it's sad and
73
and spent a lot of time i i became obsessed with evil like obsessed with it and uh
74
on and it started with the kids stuff
75
which i'm i'm still i'll probably never stop
76
that that's just a passion of mine
77
that i you know i can i can handle it like i can handle the subject matter
78
and i think it's important
79
and i know you know we've done a lot of good there
80
and um by educating parents and kids about what's actually going on and I mean,
81
roadblocks, for example, we did an episode on what was going on on roadblocks.
82
And I think we took like five or $6 billion off the cap table in one day or one week, I mean.
83
And I think, that's good.
84
But so where am I going?
85
Wait, can you back up?
86
You became obsessed with evil? yeah i just well i think it started you know with covid
87
and and and um the lgbtq stuff
88
and i don't i don't really care about i don't care what adults are doing but you know eight-year-old kids
89
that that just really bothered me like it still does really bothers me
90
and um so that's kind of where it started and then
91
and then and then it's just everywhere you look you know everywhere you look is a lie and
92
the institutions are lying the the the politicians are lying the
93
everybody's lying people are manufacturing narratives just for just to create controversies
94
so they can you know boost their views
95
and I don't know who to believe I don't know what to believe anymore at all and um
96
I mean every everything even here like uh what's what's his
97
name Steve Steve he's a reporter here the Somalia fraud that's going on oh yes Steve Robinson yeah yeah love
98
that guy he's a great man
99
but it just I just uh I got I just I
100
don't know I just became obsessed with like uncut all this shit that's going on in the world
101
and it's dark man so you felt it was your job to uncover evil
102
yeah and and uh you know i i say
103
that oh i can't be influenced like i don't let advertisers influence me
104
and i don't let uh politicians tell me what to do
105
even though they're calling me trying to you know tell me
106
what to do don't talk about the land sale in utah
107
don't talk you know don't talk about actually this guy really
108
helped me with my campaign actually i don't really give a who helped you with her campaign um
109
but now i lost where i was going with this
110
but well you said you became obsessed with evil uncovering evil you focused on evil
111
and that somehow led to a spiritual transformation
112
yeah well so it never ends is basically what i'm getting oh i was talking about audience
113
and i was talking about being influenced and then and then
114
and then everywhere you go people are patting you on the back
115
and pat you on the button you know good job you know you're doing god's work you're doing this
116
and you see the views and you see the comments
117
and you see the likes and you you see the all the the reaction videos
118
and everybody's just praising you and um
119
and it gets to you i didn't realize it was getting to me
120
but it's not It's not the criticism that destroys you.
121
It's the praise.
122
It's the flattery.
123
Yeah, that destroys you. Because you...
124
But they don't know what God wants.
125
So you got all these millions of people, you know what I mean, interacting with you, telling you these things everywhere you go.
126
And it gets to you.
127
You know, if the last couple of years have taught us anything, it's that the people in charge of public health, public health, don't actually care about public health.
128
Apparently they want you dependent waiting around for the next mandate or the next set of rules.
129
But what if you wanted to take control of your own health?
130
Well, our friends at Curitiba Bay offer great alternatives to these sketchy so-called medicines people like Fauci spent years forcing on Americans.
131
One example is their nasal spray.
132
Curitiba Bay makes a gentle nose cleanser that is awesome, no weird chemicals in it.
133
It's a powerful natural sea salt and hypochlorous acid formula designed to wash out the airborne threats,
134
the irritants, eliminate pathogens, clean out the invisible junk you breathe in every day before it can make you sick.
135
But they make a lot more than that.
136
Curativa Bay has been leading the science on hypochlorous acid since 2016.
137
Your own immune system makes this stuff.
138
They've harnessed it to create an entire line of products to protect your family.
139
They've got advanced skin spray for healing and cleaning up your skin, a non-toxic home disinfectant that destroys pathogens in your house without poisoning your kids or your pets.
140
And you're sitting in the kitchen spraying the stuff near your food.
141
Probably not a good idea.
142
You probably want cleanser that doesn't poison you.
143
The whole point is taking health back, getting control of your own health.
144
Stop waiting for some bureaucrat to protect you.
145
Go to curativabay.com slash Tucker.
146
Curativa, C-U-R-A-T-I-V-A, bay.com slash Tucker.
147
Get 15% off.
148
The government will not protect your health.
149
obviously you got to do it yourself and they can help.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
187 sentences
Megyn Kelly and Tucker Carlson Address Viral "Muslim" Comment and Attacks Over Opinions on Islam
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2114 sentences
Everything changes when you stop playing it safe
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B26
18 sentences
Rep. Jeffries on California Voting Conspiracies
IELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B26
424 sentences
Tekashi 6ix9ine Goes Off on Gucci Mane: Why Wasn’t You Smoking Pooh Shiesty Like Pookie Loc (Part 2)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2764 sentences
DIALOG SECRET SOCIETY | Peter Thiel + Epstein have too much in common…
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
154 sentences
Do You Know When To Stop Talking?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
21 sentences
Scaramucci: Lutnick and Bessent have "Potomac fever" - and I had it too
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
273 sentences
John Cena on Being Initially Hated for His Persona and Turning Heel
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
257 sentences
Piers Morgan's scathing verdict on incoming PM Andy Burnham
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
37 sentences
Watch Rubio Crack Up as Trump Explains Dramatic Shift on Iranian Leaders
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
154 sentences
The View Tried to Corner Stephen A. Smith. It Backfired.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
394 sentences
BLK Overseer Defends Charlie Kirk... Marquett Teaches Him a Lesson
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 149 sentences and 1720 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:09. The speaker talks at a natural 170 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% 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:
- bother /ˈbɑðɚ/ (verb) — To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
- spray /spɹeɪ/ (noun) — A fine, gentle, dispersed mist of liquid.
- politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/ (noun) — One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.
- acid /ˈæsɪd/ (noun) — A sour substance.
- spiritual /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/ (adjective) — Of or pertaining to the spirit or the soul.
- praise /pɹeɪz/ (verb) — To give praise to; to commend, glorify, or worship.
- transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of transforming or the state of being transformed.
- podcast /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ (noun) — A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on…
- poison /ˈpɔɪ.zən/ (noun) — A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested.
- ignorant /ˈɪɡ.nə.ɹənt/ (adjective) — Unknowledgeable or uneducated; characterized by ignorance.
- nephew /ˈnɛf.ju/ (noun) — A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either a son of one's brother (fraternal nephew) or a son of one's sister (sororal nephew).
- impress /ɪmˈpɹɛs/ (verb) — To affect (someone) strongly and often favourably.
- articulate /ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/ (verb) — To make clear or effective.
- formula /ˈfɔː.mjʊ.lə/ (noun) — Any mathematical rule expressed symbolically.
- pet /pɛt/ (noun) — An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- go through (verb) — To travel from one end of something to the other.
- back up (verb) — To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so.
- clean out (verb) — To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.
- clean up (verb) — To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
- come through (verb) — To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 60 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/, pathogen /ˈpæθəd͡ʒn̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, passion /ˈpæʃən/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, articulate /ɑːɹˈtɪk.jə.leɪt/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, controversy /kənˈtɹɒv.ə.si/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bother, spray, politician.
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 | have you learned · have I learned · I've learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be highlighted · can't be influenced · being influenced |
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.