Shadowing Practice: Who's Outside My Door | SPINE-CHILLING STORIES - Learn English Speaking with Video
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41 sentences
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1
This is the story of Grandpa's visit.
2
Don't turn out the lights.
3
It was time for bed, and after Emily's mom said goodnight, she told Emily that her grandpa might stop by.
4
Emily said goodnight and quickly fell asleep.
5
A little while later, Emily woke up when she heard footsteps in the hallway that stopped at her door.
6
She looked over and saw a shadow of someone's feet.
7
Hello, she said.
8
but no one answered.
9
Emily thought it was strange that the person just walked away,
10
but she tried to put it out of her mind and she rolled over and went back to sleep.
11
But later in the night, she was woken up again by the footsteps in the hall.
12
By this time, she was starting to get nervous.
13
She tried to calm herself down and tell herself that it was probably just her mom.
14
She called out again, Hello? But no one responded.
15
Hello?
16
She yelled in desperation.
17
The door slowly creaked open.
18
Someone was standing there.
19
They stepped into the room, but it was too dark to tell who it was.
20
Finally, Emily could see that it was her grandpa.
21
He smiled, and Emily sighed a big sigh of relief.
22
I wanted to come visit you before I have to leave, her grandpa said.
23
Emily said she was so glad he did.
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I want you to have this, Grandpa said.
25
And he handed Emily an old photo.
26
Thank you, Grandpa.
27
You and Grandma look so happy.
28
It's late now.
29
I have to go, Grandpa said.
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Emily happily fell back fast asleep.
31
The next morning, Emily's mom came into her room.
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Emily, your Grandpa...
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Oh, look what he gave me!
34
Where did you get that?
35
Emily's mom asked, her voice shaking with fear.
36
When Grandpa was here last night, he came in and said goodbye.
37
For a moment, Emily's mom couldn't speak.
38
Finally, she said, Your grandpa didn't come over.
39
He passed away suddenly last night.
40
In this picture, Emily's mom said, We buried this picture with Grandma when she passed away last year.
41
It was the only copy we had.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Who's Outside My Door”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Emily, grandpa, mom. This video has 41 sentences and 353 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:20. The speaker talks at a natural 151 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
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| grandpa noun | /ˈɡɹæm.pɑː/ | grandfather. |
| asleep adjective | /əˈsliːp/ | In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting. |
| sigh verb | /saɪ/ | To inhale a larger quantity of air than usual, and immediately expel it; to make a deep single audible respiration, especially as the result or involuntary… |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| happily adverb | /ˈhæp.ə.li/ | In a happy or cheerful manner; with happiness. |
| bury verb | /ˈbɛɹi/ | To outlive. |
| yell verb | /jɛl/ | To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement. |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
| desperation noun | /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of despairing or becoming desperate; a giving up of hope. |
| footstep noun | /ˈfʊtstɛp/ | The mark or impression left by a foot; a track. |
| creak verb | /kɹiːk/ | To make a prolonged sharp grating or squeaking sound, as by the friction of hard substances. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pass away verb | To die. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| call out verb | To specify, especially in detail. | |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. | |
| fall back verb | To retreat. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| look over verb | To check quickly; to make a brief or cursory visual inspection of. | |
| roll over verb | To make a rolling motion or turn. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was starting · was standing |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to leave · have to go |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/, desperation /ˌdɛspəˈɹeɪʃən/
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 grandpa, asleep, sigh.
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.