Shadowing Practice: Would you send your child to a private school?#tvshow - Learn English Speaking with Video
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79 sentences
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1
You have five minutes to convince me why private school is better for my son than public school.
2
I'll only need four.
3
I already pay taxes for public school.
4
Why would I spend an extra four grand a year on private?
5
First of all, St. Orlando's is a year -round school.
6
No summer vacation?
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I could just stick my kids in public summer school for free.
8
Certainly.
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But I'm sure the teachers here are just as lazy.
10
Oh, we don't have teachers.
11
We hire specialists in their field.
12
We call them consultants.
13
Did I mention that 99 % of our students go on to Ivy League schools?
14
The other 1 % go straight to med school.
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The first step to Dr. President.
16
We send more kids to Harvard than any other school in Orlando.
17
I'll pay the whole year up front, but you have to give me a substantial early bird discount?
18
It's not that simple.
19
We need letters of recommendation, transcripts, an interview.
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We're highly selective.
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So I have to earn the privilege to pay your ridiculous tuition?
22
If my son doesn't get into Harvard, I want a full refund.
23
Headmaster.
24
So, Evan, what's a current item in the news that interests you?
25
Sheep cloning.
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I think it would be a boon for the sweater industry.
27
Who do you admire?
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Whom do I admire?
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Tell me about your family.
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They're all good eggs.
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We rent a house in North Orlando.
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My parents rent a steakhouse.
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We're just your typical American family who's overcome incredible odds to achieve big dreams.
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That's all of our questions.
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No red flags.
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We'll be in touch with you very soon.
37
Evan, it's here!
38
The hell?
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You didn't get in?
40
And they still sent us these?
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I guess they don't think I belong in their echelon.
42
No. Someone made a mistake.
43
You messed up, Deirdre.
44
Evan didn't get into St. Orlando's.
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It was your letter of recommendation.
46
Uh, you mean the one that you wrote and I just signed?
47
What?
48
It was not a strong signature.
49
They taped it off at the end, conveying doubt.
50
Private schools are picky.
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Unless your family has gone there for generations, there's really no guarantee.
52
But Evan is overqualified.
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Maybe it's not him.
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These schools don't just evaluate the student.
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They evaluate the whole family.
56
Why would my family be rejected?
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Word in the birding community?
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St. Orlando saw you as renters who work in the service industry.
59
And I heard sometimes you hide your mother -in -law in the pantry.
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The landlord.
61
Quick, hide your grandmother.
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You still haven't added her to the lease?
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No, it's 100 extra bucks a month.
64
Are you going to pay it?
65
Move, move, put her in the pantry.
66
Go, go, go, go, go.
67
We'd like to buy your house, but with one stipulation.
68
You get our son into St. Orlando's.
69
Your wife works there, right?
70
She gets our son in, you've sold your house.
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We can work something out.
72
What are you doing?
73
Saving money on dry cleaning and making my blazer smell like London.
74
I know you're excited about private school, but I hope being around all those rich kids doesn't change you.
75
What do you mean?
76
Like how Chris O'Donnell went to private school and sent a woman and almost lost his integrity.
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You don't need to worry.
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This blazer won't change me.
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I may look larger than life, but I'm still little boy six.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 79 sentences and 570 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:52. The speaker talks fast, about 199 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ (noun) — An act of recommending.
- evaluate /ɪˈvaljʊeɪt/ (verb) — To draw conclusions from examining; to assess; to appraise.
- admire /ədˈmaɪɹ/ (verb) — To regard with wonder and delight.
- earn /ɝn/ (verb) — To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
- egg /ɛɡ/ (noun) — An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals, often housing an embryo within a membrane or shell…
- ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ (adjective) — Deserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd.
- guarantee /ˌɡæɹ.ənˈtiː/ (noun) — Anything that assures a certain outcome.
- tape /teɪ̯p/ (noun) — Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
- odd /ɑd/ (adjective) — Differing from what is usual, ordinary or expected.
- hire /ˈhaɪɹ/ (verb) — To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment.
- vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — An extended trip or journey away from home for rest or pleasure.
- belong /bɪˈlɒŋ/ (verb) — To have its proper place.
- discount /ˈdɪskaʊnt/ (noun) — A reduction in price.
- substantial /səbˈstænʃəl/ (adjective) — Having a substance; actually existing.
- specialist /ˈspɛʃəlɪst/ (noun) — Someone who is an expert in, or devoted to, some specific branch of study or research.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- get into (verb) — To move into (an object), such that one ends up inside it.
- get in (verb) — To get into or inside something, literally or figuratively.
- mess up (verb) — To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss.
- work in (verb) — To find time or space for, amid other things.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 21 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, substantial /səbˈstænʃəl/, specialist /ˈspɛʃəlɪst/, sheep /ˈʃiːp/
- Long words — get the stress right: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, integrity /ɪnˈtɛɡɹəti/, stipulation /ˌstɪp.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
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 recommendation, evaluate, admire.
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 gone · haven't added · you've sold |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is overqualified · be rejected |
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.