Shadowing Practice: Will our relationship cope? - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Hi babes. Actually I feel like you know when you have those days where your hair just isn't the one. You said you were going to say something smooth. I did it. I said hi babes are you well? FOR THE WELLNESS.
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Hi babes. Actually I feel like you know when you have those days where your hair just isn't the one. You said you were going to say something smooth. I did it. I said hi babes are you well? FOR THE WELLNESS.
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YES. I'M SORRY. WHAT DID YOU SAY?
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HI BABES ARE YOU WELL? I am well Rosie.
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Funny you should say that actually because today I thought of a video idea called the wellness scale. I thought I would Hello welcome to the internet. Ask you a series of questions based on a number of different scenarios and we've got to rate each other or ourselves on how well place from one to ten.
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Ten being ten being really well.
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On how we cope. On the wellness scale then would not be COVID-19 and ten be like a meditation nirvana.
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Yeah ten is how well what's five?
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Balanced person. No the most balanced person would be ten. The most calm the most like composed. Half of that Rosie.
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Sleep deprivation. On a scale of one to ten how well do we cope with functioning after after a night of sleep. You cope ten out of ten. Do you think so?
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How sleep deprived are you nine because you're I only say nine because I feel like ten how sleep deprived you are I only say nine because ten would be like you're so you're being tortured with sleep. THAT'S NOT THE WELLNESS SCALE ROSIE. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND how it works. NO IT'S HOW WELL we cope. No I know. And you cope ten. Yeah but how sleep deprived you are you're nine. I'm saying you're so sleep deprived out of ten not the wellness scale on A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN SLEEP DEPRIVED. IT'S A DIFFERENT SCALE.
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I'D SAY YOU cope four. You get us at five every day. Back in the day Rosie there's no chance you would have done that. Not without a migraine. Number two tantrums in public. How well do we stay calm and composed during a full toddler meltdown? A toddler meltdown. So it's Ziggy meltdown. Yeah. To be fair to him he doesn't have a toddler anymore. He doesn't have public tantrums. He's had them at home and I'd say we cope really well. I'd say we cope ten. Yeah.
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Yeah. Am I just blowing my own horn? I think we cope ten. I think we cope really well. I actually think in life as well not just with tantrums but I think with hard things you cope well and I cope well.
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Not ten. This is where I'm going to fail. Messy house. When the house looks like a toy bomber has gone off how well do we cope without getting stressed? I I cope one. It doesn't stress me out. It stresses me out. I actually there'll be like a toy mess right and Rosie's like oh it's going to take hours it's such a huge mess I'm like it's literally not you just pick these things up and put them there.
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And I can see where it goes and I'm like it's not that I am so affected by my surroundings to the point that if they're brilliant I'm so happy. If they're bad I actually want to leave the house and never come back. I can't I can't cope. Dirty nappies. How well do you handle changing really messy dirty nappies without gagging or I think I'm a boss with that you're terrible. No I never used to be.
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I can do dog poo.
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I yeah I can't do dog sick. I can do I can do sick better than I can do poo sometimes. I can't do sick or poo I dog poo tell Ziggy sick when you get to toddler poo it's like a different ball game. I pick up dead animals though. Rosie's like sorry I can't that's like no I can't do that.
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I can pick up a rat mouse. You get rid of spiders though. I like spiders. You get rid of I can't with a spider.
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I actually think we complement each other really well. How do you babe it's like we're a match made in heaven isn't it? You you're a boss remember when there was that massive spider you got out. That was fancy. That was fancy.
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Yeah I got away with it.
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I never kill them ever. The way we get Ziggy to clean his teeth I've got a little tiny spider in the bathroom called Steve and he used to be really scared of spiders because you were scared of spiders and there was generational trauma coming through.
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But I was like no come and see Steve and every day he goes to the bathroom and he goes where is Steve? I'm brushing my teeth and I'm like I'm so calm. You are really good. You do you know you're so creative and good with the kids. Food battles. When the kids refuse proper meals how well do you cope on the stress wellness scale?
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Stressing me out stresses me out loads.
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They're not going to starve ever. This this weekend it was a really bad eating weekend.
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They were very picky. They had lots of treats and lots of rubbish and I was like I hate this. So I was like right let's get some omega three in them. Last weekend it was treat treat treat treat treat treat bribery treat treat treat.
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Do you think we've coped quite well mentally over the last few years? Well I mean I've had a breakdown you've had a breakdown. What's your lowest point been? I mean my postpartum depression anxiety was pretty bad wasn't it? And then and then I think the lowest point for me was I went on antidepressants and then I got constipated and then it was a very very frightening situation. I think that was my lowest point. Well I was crouched in the shower a glimpse of myself in the silver reflective shower plug. That was my rock bottom literally my rock bottom. Unfortunately Rosie this video is a paid partnership with BetterHelp.
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Honestly how and supported and HOW HAVE THEY MADE IT BETTER AND HELPED?
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Now we expected it to be we're still on the journey babe. And we really are.
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And it does seem to be like this but overall we're very happy and happy that we've done it. I feel like our scores will eventually improve on the wellness scale. I don't think they're that bad at the moment to be honest. How are you I think we're doing really well.
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You had a bad time I had a bad time and now we're both We had a conversation the other day we were like god our marriage is actually really strong for how how much pressure and how how hard it's been in the last few months. When we got married everyone kept saying to us the first year is the hardest. My dad kept saying it. I was like dad are you right?
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I think that's because your dad's from the generation where nearly our one year anniversary soon. Nearly our ten year anniversary is it?
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No we've had the ten year. We've had a lot of experience with therapy. We've always said it whether you're on top of the world or whether you're really struggling. I do think that checking in with a therapist is actually really good. And sometimes catching it before it catches you as well that's something I've learned.
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We've been using BetterHelp for years and years now. It's so convenient it's so easy. To start therapy is scary sometimes and I think that when you take that first step things just become a lot easier. But what's fantastic is with BetterHelp you can just do your first step on your phone. You literally just fill in kind of like a little quiz about you know what you're looking for what's going on what kind of therapist you want you can you know you can choose you have preferences. So you can feel really safe choose someone that you couldn't necessarily go down the road to get because you can get you know when you're online you can you know you've got that access to kind of all these different professionals. More options. And then you literally they try to match you up as soon as they can and then boom you're away. It's funny having having that third party can make you see things that you didn't even know.
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And also with over 7000 reviews online with a 4.3 rating on Trustpilot you know you're in good hands. So if you keen to check out BetterHelp go to betterhelp.com {slash} Rose and Rosie for 10% off your first month. Link in the description box below. Okay so back to the wellness scale Rosie how well do you cope with mum versus mum showdown?
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And what I mean by that is say you're at soft play and another mother disciplines your child for something.
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No it's so unacceptable. I would I would be like no you back off lady.
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Like a rabid dog. I don't cope very well with that at all. Someone told Ziggy off once and I was like it was a grandma and I came running over I said is there a problem?
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Did you do anything wrong? And she was like oh and he had that's up to me to And do you know what he did he came up and went I want to go home. I was like I was like if you've damaged my I was like right.
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I am so going to end you. So at the moment Ziggy hates Rosie.
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Oh it's really horrible. So like no but like obviously children go through phases of having a preference that's fine right? So at the moment Rose is his preference right mama. I actually find that happens and also we went for a phase where I was the preference and he didn't like Rosie. That was like a two year phase. But but that was when he couldn't talk right? But now he can talk. So not only does he prefer Rose fine that's fine right? He actually is go away mommy. And he's like mommy can you go away? And I'm like can you be a bit more polite and he goes sorry.
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Please can you go away mommy? I'm like okay well that's slightly better. He was like he was like mommy get out of the dining room. I was like don't worry I'm going I'm going upstairs.
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And and and he pushes me away he's like mommy can you get out of my bubble please because I've taught him about a bubble right which I learned online. So everyone's got their own visible bubble.
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Invisible invisible bubble. Invisible bubble. Oh he's a visible bubble. Open your ear holes. I did. Everyone's got their own invisible bubble right of personal space right? And it's to help with boundaries so it's about like you know you wouldn't like touch someone and go into their bubble without asking like can I have a hug? Can I have a kiss? Can I do this? Right get off. You're always in my bubble without asking. And he's OH GET OFF MY BUBBLE MOMMY AND I'M like okay. Where he comes up to me right I go right I'm just going to go get washed Ziggy he's like oh can I come and help?
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And I'm like well I've got a shower and I've got to like take off my clothes. Yesterday you went I'm going to have a poo and he was like can I come? And I was like sometimes people want to poo alone and he was like CAN I COME MAMA?
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BECAUSE IN THE END YOU REALIZE he does everything with me. He helped me pick my outfit today as you can tell. Did he choose it? He didn't but he laid it on the floor and then he made me lie down by it to see what it might look like AND I WAS LIKE RIGHT. And at weekends at the weekends I try and put on like a bit of a show and I'm like okay well we've got explorer club at the weekends where I take him for a walk and I make a list of things that we might see like deer. And what's your other club? Cooking club. So they do explorer club they do cooking club. And it's really brought us together and then Rosie came.
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I surprised him. So Rose took the dog and Ziggy and they went on explorer club and I came and surprised them and I found loads of things as well. I was like look mushrooms I took pictures of it. He was like oh it's mommy. Sick bed roulette. How well do I cope when a child is sick and vomiting? You don't cope as well when a child is sick but I actually think you're quite good after being sick get dragging yourself back up and looking after the kids which I think's really fair play. Do you know what I think actually? I think I think I panic more about the idea of being ill. When it actually happens I'm like it's happening it's happening and I'm like right okay Ziggy you're being sick. I'm going to change that before I'm sick and then I'm sick. And then I'm sick. I think you do really well.
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I think you do pretty well too. I do I think I think you're a good nine. I think my years of migraines really helps because I know what it's like. OH MY GOD. GO ON THEN ROSIE ASK me some questions. Well in general wellness right we don't drink any water. I think yes there's always things you could change though, but also like life isn't about a series of set habits and rules and Yes, it is. Life is about Every day is different. What if I think about this every day? You make this amazing song.
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Say it. Say And it goes a new song.
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Yeah, it's like good afternoon. Good afternoon. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, too. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 days. Every day is different and every day is new.
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I love it because we work from home.
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Yeah. We sit on our bums all day drinking coffee, dehydrated, and sleep deprived.
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Yes, as we work together and have no space. We're very co-dependent. Yes.
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Like we see each other 24/7.
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go on many dates, although we have been lately.
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We've been trying to, yeah. We have got to put more effort in our relationship.
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Oh. So, I think on paper, our wellness isn't great, but you know what? I think it's always worse. Our mental wellness is okay. Definitely something better.
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There's room for improvement, but we're not tragic.
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for improvement. Guys, don't forget to check out my Talbott's betterhelp.com/roseandrosie for 10% off your first month. Hit the link in the description box below. You won't regret it. Stay sane, stay balanced, meditate, and be kind to yourself. We will see you very soon.
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Bye-bye.
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About This Lesson

This video explores the concept of the "wellness scale," where the speakers rate their coping mechanisms across various challenging scenarios, such as dealing with sleep deprivation, messy houses, public tantrums, and food battles with children. Throughout this conversational exchange, learners will practice relevant vocabulary, grammar patterns, and real-life speaking contexts. This lesson will help you improve your English speaking practice with light-hearted discussions that reflect everyday situations, enhancing your fluency while also preparing for contexts found in IELTS speaking.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Wellness scale: A metric used in the video to evaluate how well one copes with daily challenges, rated from 1 to 10.
  • Sleep deprivation: The condition of not having enough sleep, an important topic in the video that is relatable for many.
  • Tantrums: Sudden emotional outbursts often seen in young children, which the speakers discuss in terms of their coping skills.
  • Bribery (in the context of parenting): Offering something (like treats) to persuade children to behave or eat properly.
  • Generational trauma: The transmission of certain elements of trauma across generations, briefly discussed when referencing a child's fear of spiders.
  • Personal space: The physical distance one prefers to maintain from others, which is humorously examined in the interaction between the mother and child.
  • Coping mechanisms: Strategies used to manage stress and challenges, this term is repeated throughout their discussions about parenting and personal challenges.

Practice Tips for This Video

To effectively utilize the shadowing technique with this video, focus on the following tips:

  • Slow it down: The speakers engage in casual, often fast-paced dialogue. Start by watching at a slower speed to become accustomed to their accent and pronunciation.
  • Pay attention to intonation: Notice how emotions are conveyed through voice inflection, especially during humorous or serious exchanges, as this will aid your pronunciation practice.
  • Repeat in context: After listening to a section, pause and practice repeating the phrases immediately. This will build your English fluency as you mirror their speaking patterns.
  • Diverse topics: The mix of casual discussion on parenting issues, personal challenges, and lighter moments will expose you to a variety of vocabulary in everyday contexts relevant to IELTS speaking.
  • Emphasize colloquial phrases: Understand the informal language used in the video, such as “babe” and “boss,” to sound more natural in casual conversations.

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.

How to Practice Effectively on ShadowingEnglish

  1. Choose your video: Pick a YouTube video with clear, natural English speech. TED Talks, BBC News, movie scenes, podcasts, or IELTS sample answers all work great. Paste the URL into the search bar. Start with shorter videos (under 5 minutes) and content you find genuinely interesting — motivation matters.
  2. Listen first, understand the context: On your first pass, keep the speed at 1x and just listen. Don't try to repeat yet. Focus on understanding the meaning, picking up new vocabulary, and noticing how the speaker stresses words, links sounds, and uses pauses.
  3. Set up Shadowing mode:
    • Wait Mode: Choose +3s or +5s — after each sentence plays, the video pauses automatically so you have time to repeat it out loud. Choose Manual if you want full control and press Next yourself after each repetition.
    • Sub Sync: YouTube subtitles sometimes appear slightly ahead or behind the audio. Use ±100ms to align them perfectly so you can follow along accurately.
  4. Shadow out loud (the core practice): This is where the real work happens. As soon as a sentence plays — or during the pause — repeat it out loud, clearly and confidently. Don't just mouth the words: mirror the speaker's exact rhythm, stress, pitch, and connected speech. Aim to sound like a shadow of the speaker, not just a word-by-word recitation. Use the Repeat feature to drill the same sentence multiple times until it feels natural.
  5. Scale up the challenge: Once a passage feels comfortable, push your limits. Increase speed to <code>1.25x</code> or even <code>1.5x</code> to train high-speed language reflexes. Or set Wait Mode to <code>Off</code> for continuous shadowing — the most advanced and rewarding mode. Consistent daily practice of 15–30 minutes will produce noticeable results within weeks.

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