Shadowing Practice: Why Your Phone Feels Better Than Real Life - Learn English Speaking with Video
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113 sentences
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Most screen addiction content is going to focus on discipline.
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So I want to focus on something a little bit different, like a different angle of this.
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Looking at the phone as a parallel or substitute world.
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And I want to talk on the trappings and the allure of
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that parallel world that offers so very much to us while demanding virtually nothing from our physical bodies.
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A lot of the time when we pick up the phone and we doom scroll, we get simulation without effort, connection without vulnerability, information without transformation.
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And of course, there are anecdotes and examples and exceptions and times where that is not the case,
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where we can get more out of our online experience.
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Yes, obviously, that's not what I'm talking about in this video.
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I'm talking about the time wasters that we're all guilty of, myself included.
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and it's where the addiction isn't even
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so much with the phone itself right that's what I'm getting at it's this addiction to the frictionless existence
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that it offers take away the phone entirely throw it out
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this is an age -old problem
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this is a tale as old as time Plato was writing about it in the Republic with the cave
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you know a metaphor for ignorance and a metaphor for the comfortable illusion.
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The phone is just the most effective, most powerful, most efficient cave that we've ever seen in human existence.
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Stick with me, man.
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Where is the draw to step out of the cave?
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Why would I put the phone down?
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This is where we get into the bigger issue, I think.
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This is why I think willpower fails us, and it's not discipline is the answer, because
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we're exhausting ourself kind of attacking a symptom rather than acknowledging the
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kind of sad truth that many people don't like themselves
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or this world enough they don't have enough faith
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or belief in this world enough to even want to get off their phone you know what i mean
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and i hold no judgment to
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that i used to hate me i used to hate this world
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if i saw a video like this back in my undergraduate uh freshman year of undergraduate i would have said
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that i'm either an idiot or a liar and that i don't know what i'm talking about and this world
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sucks and has nothing to offer and there's no point in getting off the phone
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because i can still remember being in my freshman year you know i would sleep in my dorm room
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and i'd wake up in the morning
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I'd see the sunlight beaming on the the wall I could see it there
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and that kind of signifier of the new day would exhaust me immediately right I had just woken up
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but I was
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my soul and spirit were just crushed they were so feeble
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and I I would get sick to my stomach
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you know how am I going to make it through another day
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I cannot do this I do not want to do this
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and all I could think to do or want to do or drag myself to do is pass the time.
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Of course, right?
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I'm going to grab my phone.
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I'm going to pass the time because what is the point otherwise?
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What am I entering into out there?
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Why is it worth it, right?
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So for me, the question and focus on this lately has been, how can I make my real world more compelling or more worth it?
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It's a world that I'm more invested in than my phone.
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That's the focus.
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That's the aim.
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And that's obviously easier said than done.
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And please tell me your thoughts on how to do that.
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I came up with three kind of themes that took me from that guy freshman year who hated myself, hated the world, was a nihilist,
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and didn't want to do anything, you know, to where I am now where I feel hopeful even though I like you might know
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I have this heart condition that's not going away heart failure is happening actively
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I know I know my end
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I know how it's going to happen unless I mean of course I can always get hit by a car
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or something but like death is right there the absurdity and
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futility of this world is not lost upon me
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but I feel hopeful and happy and excited to to go out and live my life anyway.
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What brought me to that were purpose, creation, and adventure, largely, right?
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I think these three pillars, purpose, creation, and adventure, did so much for me.
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And this is where the part of the video I'm going to shift
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because we could get into an idiosyncratic conversation that's not
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so helpful to you if I don't know your specific case and and stuff like that.
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I want to shift this more now to the day -to -day.
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How do I actually get off my phone?
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Uh, and how I, me right now in today's day and age can get off my phone.
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Cause man, I'm with you in this fight.
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I am also addicted to my phone and on this thing way too much.
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Uh, and what I'm.
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what I'm trying to do is put myself in environments that demand my presence.
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I think that's a huge factor that can help us, right?
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When I'm hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, boxing, when I'm doing these physical things, I can't be on my phone and I won't be on my phone.
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And that's one of the categories, that's physical struggle.
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But there's also creative work.
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Like when I write my novels, I'm super focused.
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I'm in it.
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I'm deeply away from my phone and into something else.
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Real conversations.
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This one's massive, man.
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I'm so lucky and so blessed to have such good friends in my life.
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And when we put the phones down and just talk eye to eye,
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I can only undersell how valuable that is and how much it helps me.
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And of course, how much it keeps me off my phone.
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So real conversations is another one.
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Tangible goals is another massive one telling yourself who you want to be and then doing what you must, right?
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Giving yourself a purpose, a reason to wake up in the morning, a focus on what the day is going to be.
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You know, what is the aim of the day?
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All of these things matter
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and help you get more invested in your day -to -day life
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and get you off that phone and off the cycle of just trying to kill time.
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To me, it's all about getting a life with stakes and a life that I am invested in.
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but again there's that sad truth that many don't have
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that belief they don't have that investment in themselves
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and i get it
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and i don't know what is in my ring right
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now that's gross i think it's my hair product um many people don't have the belief
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or investment in themselves and that might be you but
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if you're here on this video that tells me there's enough of a inkling of something
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that is saying i don't like where i'm at i want things to change
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i want things to be better keep pulling that thread keep pulling
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that thread and keep investing in yourself betting on yourself
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and putting yourself into the real world do things
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that demand your focus demand your attention put yourself in front of people
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and give them your attention i think that's all i've got guys i appreciate you
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so much like i really do i appreciate you all
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so much i talked for six years on this channel back
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when it was called save for more you can see it there but uh back when it was called
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say for more six years ago I was just doing these videos over and over again to nobody and to have
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really thoughtful uh individuals here with me in the conversation joining in I'm seriously grateful for
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that I'm so thankful to each and every one of you who gave this video your time
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thank you and I will see you guys in the next one
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Your Phone Feels Better Than Real Life”. This video has 113 sentences and 1390 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:42. The speaker talks fast, about 180 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 84% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| invest verb | /ɪnˈvɛst/ | To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| cave noun | /keɪv/ | A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside. |
| addiction noun | /əˈdɪkˌʃən/ | A state that is characterized by compulsive drug use or compulsive engagement in rewarding behavior, despite negative consequences. |
| freshman noun | /ˈfɹɛʃ.mən/ | a person (of either sex) entering the first year of an institution, especially a high school (ninth grade for US, grade 9 for Canada, grade 7 for Philippines)… |
| adventure noun | /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ | A feeling of desire for new and exciting things. |
| thread noun | /ˈθɹɛd/ | A cord formed by spinning or twisting together textile fibers or filaments into one or more continuous strands, typically used in needlework. |
| parallel adjective | /ˈpæ.ɹəˌlɛl/ | Equally distant from one another at all points. |
| discipline noun | /ˈdɪsəplɪn/ | A controlled behaviour; self-control. |
| undergraduate noun | A student at a university who has not yet received a degree. | |
| exhaust verb | /ɪɡˈzɔst/ | To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely. |
| hopeful adjective | /ˈhoʊpfl̩/ | feeling hope |
| metaphor noun | /ˈmɛt.ə.fɚ/ | The use of a word, phrase, concept, or set of concepts to refer to something other than its literal meaning, invoking an implicit similarity between the thing… |
| gross adjective | /ɡɹoʊs/ | remarkably great, big, vast in an often unpleasant way; (of behaviour) Highly or conspicuously offensive. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Why would I put the phone down?
- I'm going to pass the time because what is the point otherwise?
- What am I entering into out there?
- How do I actually get off my phone?
- You know, what is the aim of the day?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were just crushed · is not lost · is put |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've ever seen · has been |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thread /ˈθɹɛd/, thankful /ˈθæŋkfəl/, thoughtful /ˈθɔːtfəl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, freshman /ˈfɹɛʃ.mən/, efficient /ɪˈfɪʃənt/, exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: virtually /ˈvɚ.t͡ʃə.wə.li/, transformation /ˌtɹæns.fɔɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/, vulnerability /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/, absurdity /æbˈsɝd.ɪ.ti/, dormitory /ˈdɔɹ.mɪˌtɔɹ.i/
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 invest, belief, cave.
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.