Shadowing Practice: Working from Home: The Video Call Goes Wrong - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Morning, everyone! Can you all hear me okay?
2
Morning, Mark! Yes, loud and clear.
3
Great. Has anyone heard from Tom this morning?
4
He messaged me. His internet has been slow all week.
5
Hi, everyone! Sorry I'm late. Can you see me?
6
Ha, Tom, your picture has frozen. You look like a statue!
7
Wait, really? But I can see you moving!
8
Okay, you're moving again... but your voice keeps cutting out.
9
Tom, it might be your Wi-Fi. Where's your router?
10
Well... it's downstairs, and I'm working in the bedroom.
11
Try turning off your camera. That usually helps a lot.
12
Okay, camera's off. Is my voice any clearer now?
13
Yes, much better! I can hear every word.
14
Right, let's begin. Tom, could you share the sales update?
15
Tom? We can't hear anything. I think you're on mute!
16
Ugh, not again! And let me turn my camera back on.
17
So, good news. Last month we sold more than we expected—
18
Wait, Tom! There's a cat walking across your keyboard!
19
Oh no, Biscuit! She's just typed something in the chat!
20
Don't worry. I think she agrees with your numbers.
21
I'm so sorry, that's my doorbell. Back in one minute!
22
Okay, while he's away... Jess, how's the new website going?
23
Good news! The design is finished, and the client loves it!
24
Wow, that's brilliant! When can we launch it?
25
If testing goes well, we'll launch next Friday.
26
Ugh, I'm back. The parcel wasn't even for me!
27
Ha! Well, we finished the agenda without you.
28
Great... So, can Biscuit give the sales update next time?
29
Ha, sure, as long as she stays off the keyboard!
30
Deal! Thanks, everyone, and sorry for all the chaos.
📺 Same Channel
A1889
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1740
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1510
Fruit at the Market
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2379
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1262
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2252
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
A2119
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1116
Meeting My New Neighbour
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1143
Breakfast Time
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A199
How Much Is This Bag?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B194
First Day at a New Job
British AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
A193
Ordering Coffee at a London Café
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2129
Buying a Train Ticket to Bath
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
C1140
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B258
Talking to a Neighbour About the Noise
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A157
At the Bakery: Buying Bread
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1107
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A144
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A238
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily Conversation
B2234
B2 Shadowing practice A nervous first dat a a new job
Interview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
B223
26 sentences
Two Developers Before a Release: The Login Bug Is Back
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
387 sentences
Speak English Confidently at Home | Real Conversations | Shadowing English Speaking Practice
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A229 sentences
Asking Your Manager for a Day Off
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
388 sentences
4 NAIL CLIENTS DAY WITH ME 🤍 how is she doing it ?
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B15
64 sentences
My First Work From Home Experience | English Listening Practice.
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B133
166 sentences
Practice Shadowing a Native Speaker 🇺🇸
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B112
24 sentences
English Shadowing Training - Sarah Jenkins's Diary 2
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
75 sentences
Meeting online problems
Business EnglishWorking Adults
B11
190 sentences
Slow and Easy English Conversation Practice with Subtitles
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B13
219 sentences
English SHADOWING STORY Speaking Fluent English with Practice
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B21
290 sentences
我剛抱怨完工作，一轉身才發現老闆全都聽見了｜Real Life Office English
Business EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
331 sentences
How to Handle Customer Service Calls in English (3 Real-Life Role Plays) | Conversation Practice
TOEIC PrepBusiness EnglishDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Working from Home: The Video Call Goes Wrong”. This video has 30 sentences and 279 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:00. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 11 of its 30 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| keyboard noun | /ˈki.bɔɹd/ | A set of keys laid out in a gridlike pattern, used for typing on a typewriter, computer, etc. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| agenda noun | /əˈd͡ʒɛn.də/ | A temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to. |
| chaos noun | /ˈkeɪˌɑs/ | The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony. |
| freeze verb | /ˈfɹiːz/ | Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature. |
| statue noun | /ˈstæt͡ʃu/ | A three-dimensional work of art, usually representing a person or animal, usually created by sculpting, carving, molding, or casting. |
| downstairs adverb | /daʊnˈstɛɹz/ | Down the stairs. |
| parcel noun | /ˈpɑɹsəl/ | A package wrapped, as for shipment or transport. |
| mute adjective | /mjut/ | Not having the power of speech; dumb. |
| doorbell noun | /ˈdɔɹ.bɛl/ | A bell, buzzer, or chime device mounted on or adjacent to a door's exterior, meant to be rung by a visitor to announce one's presence. |
| router noun | /ˈɹaʊ.tɚ/ | Someone who routes or directs items from one location to another. |
| launch verb | /lɔːnt͡ʃ/ | To throw (a projectile such as a lance, dart or ball); to hurl; to propel with force. |
| update noun | /ˈʌp.deɪt/ | An additional piece of information, an addition to existing information. |
| chat verb | /ˈt͡ʃæt/ | To be engaged in informal conversation. |
| brilliant adjective | /ˈbɹɪl.jənt/ | Shining brightly. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cut out verb | To refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something). |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can you all hear me okay?
- Can you see me?
- Is my voice any clearer now?
- Tom, could you share the sales update?
- When can we launch it?
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 | has been · has frozen |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're moving · I'm working |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like keyboard, bedroom, agenda.
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.