Shadowing Practice: xxxacscd - Learn English Speaking with Video

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539 sentences

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The All right, Jim, your quarterlies look very good.

How are things going at the library?

Oh, I told you, I couldn't close it, so...

So you've come to the master for guidance?

Is this what you're saying, grasshopper?

Actually, you called me in here, but yeah.

All right, well, let me show you how it's done.

Yes, I'd like to speak to your office manager, please.

Yes, hello, this is Michael Scott.

I am the regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Paper Products.

Just wanted to talk to you, manager, a manager.

All right, done deal.

Thank you very much, sir.

You're a gentleman and a scholar.

Oh, I'm sorry.

Okay, I'm sorry.

My mistake.

That was a woman I was talking to.

So, she had a very low voice.

Probably a smoker.

So that's the way it's done.

I've, uh, I've been at Dunder Mifflin for 12 years, the last four as regional manager.

Uh, when I come through here...

Ah!

See, we have the entire floor.

So this is my kingdom, far as the eye can see.

Ah!

This is our receptionist, Pam.

Pam!

Pam Beasley.

Uh, Pam has been with us, um, for forever.

Right, Pam?

Well, I don't know.

If you think she's cute now, you should have seen her a couple of years ago.

What?

Uh, any messages?

Um, yeah, just a fact.

Oh.

Pam, this is from corporate.

How many times have I told you that there's a special filing cabinet for things from corporate?

You haven't told me.

It's called the waste paper basket.

Look at that.

Oh, look at that face.

People say I am the best boss.

They go, God, we've never worked in a place like this before.

You're hilarious.

And you get the best out of us.

Um...

I think that pretty much sums it up.

I found it at Spencer Gifts.

Can I play for you?

Ba -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da -da.

I want no gifts for you, ba -da -da -da -da -da -da -da.

My job is to speak to clients on the phone about quantities and type of copy or paper.

You know, whether we can supply it to them, whether they can pay for it. And, um...

I'm boring myself just talking about this.

What's up?

I still love that after seven years.

What's up?

Oh, wow.

What?

Nothing.

Okay, all right.

See you later.

All right.

Take care.

Back to work.

I don't know, just before lunch.

That would be great.

Corporate really doesn't interfere with me at all.

Jan Levinson -Gould.

Jan, hello.

I call her Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Right, not to her face because, uh, well, not because I'm scared of her. Because I'm not.

But, um, yeah.

All right, was there anything you wanted to add to the agenda?

Mmm, me no get an agenda.

I'm sorry?

I didn't get any agenda.

Well, I faxed one overdue this morning.

Really?

Because I didn't, uh, I didn't, did we get a fax this morning?

Uh, yeah, the one...

Then why.. why is it in my hand?

Because a company runs on efficiency of communication, right?

So what's the problem, Pam?

Why didn't I get it?

You put it in the garbage can that was a special filing cabinet.

Yeah, that was a joke.

That was a joke that was actually my brother's, and it was supposed to be with bills, and it doesn't work great with fax.

Do you want to look at mine?

Yeah.

100

Yeah, I would.

101

Thank you.

102

Okay, since the last meeting, Alan and the board have decided that we can't justify a Scranton branch and a Stanford branch.

103

Oh, okay.

104

No, Michael, don't panic.

105

No, no, no, no, no, no. This is good.

106

This is good.

107

This is fine.

108

Michael, listen.

109

Okay, don't panic.

110

All the alarm bells are gonna go on.

111

We haven't made any decisions yet.

112

I've spoken to Josh and Stanford.

113

I've told him the same as you and it's up to either you

114

or him to convince me that your branch can incorporate the other.

115

Okay, no problem.

116

This does, however, mean that there's going to be downsizing.

117

Me no wanna hear that, Jan.

118

Because downsizing is a bitch.

119

It is a real bitch.

120

And I wouldn't wish that on Josh's men.

121

I certainly wouldn't wish it on my men. Or women.

122

Present company excluded.

123

Sorry.

124

Is Josh concerned about downsizing himself?

125

Not downsizing himself, but is he concerned about downsizing?

126

Oh.

127

Question, how long do we have to act?

128

Oh, Todd Packer, terrific rep.

129

Do you mind if I take it?

130

Pac -Man.

131

Hey, you big queen.

132

Oh, that's not appropriate.

133

Hey, is old Godzilla coming in today?

134

I don't know.

135

I don't know what you mean.

136

Look, I've been meaning to ask you one question.

137

Does the carpet match the drapes?

138

Oh, my God.

139

Oh.

140

That's.. horrifying.

141

Horrible.

142

Horrible person.

143

So do you think we could keep a lid on this for now?

144

I don't want to worry people unnecessarily.

145

No, absolutely.

146

Under this regime, it will not leave this office just like that.

147

So what does downsizing actually mean?

148

Well, you guys gotta update your resumes, just like I'm doing.

149

I bet it's gonna be me.

150

Probably.

151

It's gonna be me.

152

Yeah, it'll be you.

153

I have an important question for you.

154

Yes.

155

Oh, are you going to Angela's camp party on Sunday?

156

Yes.

157

Stop.

158

That is ridiculous.

159

Am I gonna tell them?

160

No, I'm not going to tell them.

161

I don't see the point of that.

162

As a doctor, you would not tell a patient if they had cancer.

163

Hey!

164

Hey!

165

This is Mr. Scott.

166

Guilty!

167

Good to be a charm!

168

Ryan Howard from the temp agency.

169

Uh -huh.

170

Daniqua sent me down to start today.

171

Howard?

172

Like Moe Howard.

173

Three stooges.

174

Yep.

175

Watch this.

176

This is Moe.

177

Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock.

178

Me!

179

Ha ha!

180

Ah, right here.

181

Three shoes.

182

High five.

183

Oh, Pam.

184

It's a guy thing, Pam.

185

I'm sort of a student of comedy.

186

Watch this.

187

Here you go.

188

I'm Hitler!

189

Adolf Hitler!

190

I don't think it would be the worst thing if they let me go. Because then I might...

191

I just, I don't think it's many little girls' dream to be a receptionist.

192

I like to do illustrations.

193

Um, mostly watercolor.

194

A few oil pencil.

195

Um, Jim thinks they're good.

196

Dunder Mittflin, this is Pam.

197

Sure.

198

Uh, Mr. Davis, let me call you right back.

199

Yeah, something just came up.

200

Two minutes.

201

Thank you very much.

202

Dwight, what are you doing?

203

What?

204

What are you doing?

205

Just clearing my desk.

206

I can't concentrate.

207

It's not on your desk.

208

It's overlapping.

209

It's all spilling over the edge.

210

One word, two syllables.

211

Demarcation.

212

You can't do that.

213

Why not?

214

Safety violation.

215

I could fall and pierce an organ.

216

We'll see.

217

See, this is why the whole downsizing thing just doesn't bother me.

218

Downsizing?

219

Downsizing?

220

I have no problem with that.

221

I have been recommending downsizing since I first got here.

222

I even brought it up in my interview.

223

I say, bring it on.

224

You just still have these messages from yesterday.

225

Relax, everything's under control.

226

Uh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

227

Oh, that's important.

228

Right.

229

Oh, this is so important, I should run to answer it.

230

Shut it up.

231

Shut it up.

232

Shut it up.

233

Shut it.

234

Shut it.

235

Shut it.

236

Shut it.

237

Shut it.

238

Shut it.

239

Come on!

240

Six million dollar man!

241

Steve Austin!

242

Actually, that would be a good salary for me, don't you think?

243

Six million dollars?

244

Memo to Jan.

245

I deserve a raise.

246

Don't we all?

247

I'm sorry?

248

It's nothing.

249

If you're unhappy with your compensation, maybe you should take it up with HR.

250

Okay?

251

Not today, okay?

252

Pam, just be professional.

253

I think I'm a role model here.

254

I think I garner people's respect.

255

Attention all Dunder Mifflin employees, please.

256

We have a meeting in the conference room.

257

ASAP.

258

People I respect, heroes of mine, would be Bob Hope, um,

259

Abraham Lincoln, definitely, Bono, and probably God would be the fourth one.

260

And I just think all those people really helped the world in so many ways.

261

that it's, um, it's really beyond words.

262

It's really incalculable.

263

Now, I know there's some rumors out there, and I just kind of want to set the record straight.

264

I'm assistant regional manager.

265

I should know first.

266

Assistant to the regional manager.

267

Okay.

268

Um, can you just tell me, please?

269

Just tell me quietly.

270

Can you whisper it in my ear?

271

I'm just about to tell everyone.

272

Please.

273

Okay.

274

Do you want me to tell them?

275

You don't know what it is.

276

Can you tell them, with my permission?

277

I don't need permission granted.

278

Go ahead.

279

Corporate has deemed it appropriate to enforce an ultimatum upon me.

280

And Jan is thinking about downsizing either the Stanford branch or this branch.

281

I heard they might be closing this branch down.

282

That's just a rumor going around.

283

This is my first day.

284

I don't really know.

285

Yeah, but Michael, what if they downsize here?

286

Not gonna happen.

287

It could be out of your hands, Michael.

288

It won't be out of my hands, Stanley.

289

Okay?

290

I promise you that.

291

Oh, can you promise that?

292

On his mother's grave.

293

Well...

294

What?

295

No. Well, yeah, it is a promise.

296

And, frankly, I'm a little bit insulted that you have to keep asking about it.

297

It's just that we need to know.

298

Yeah, absolutely.

299

I know.

300

I...

301

Hold on a second.

302

I think Pam wanted to say something.

303

Pam?

304

You, uh.. had a look that you wanted to ask a question just then?

305

I was in the meeting with Jan, and she did say that it could be this branch that gets the axe.

306

Are you sure about that?

307

Pam?

308

Maybe you should stick to the ongoing confidentiality agreement of meetings.

309

Pam, information is power.

310

So you can't say for sure whether it's going to be us or them, can you?

311

No, no, no, no, Stanley.

312

No, you did not see me in there with her.

313

I said if corporate wants to come in here and interfere, then they're going to have to go through me.

314

Right?

315

You know, you can go mess with Josh's people, but I'm the head of this family, and you ain't gonna be messing with my children.

316

If I left, what would I do with all this useless information in my head?

317

You know?

318

Tonnage price of manila folders?

319

Pam's favorite flavor of yogurt, which is mixed berry.

320

Jim said mixed berries?

321

Oh, wow.

322

Yeah, he's on to me.

323

Um...

324

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

325

Watch out for this guy.

326

Dwight Schrute in the building.

327

This is Ryan, the new temp.

328

What's up?

329

Nice to meet you.

330

Introduce yourself. Be polite.

331

Uh, Dwight Schrute.

332

Assistant regional manager.

333

Assistant to the regional manager.

334

So, uh, Dwight, tell him about the, uh, the kung fu and the, uh, car and everything.

335

Uh, yeah.

336

I got a 78 280 Z.

337

I bought it for $1 ,200.

338

Fixed it up, so now we're at $3 ,000.

339

That is his profit.

340

Yeah.

341

New engine, suspension.

342

I got a respray.

343

I got some photos.

344

Damn it!

345

Jim!

346

Okay.

347

Hold on, hold on.

348

Judge is in session.

349

What is the problem here?

350

He put my stuff in Jell -O again.

351

That's real professional.

352

Thanks.

353

This is the third time, and it wasn't funny the first two times I did, Jim.

354

It's okay here.

355

But people sometimes take advantage because it's so relaxed.

356

Ama...

357

Volunteer sheriff's deputy on the weekends.

358

And you cannot screw around there.

359

That's sort of one of the rules.

360

What is that?

361

That's my staple.

362

No, no, no, no!

363

Do not take it out.

364

You have to eat it out of there.

365

Because there are starving people in the world, and which I hate, and it is a waste of that kind of food.

366

Okay, you know what?

367

You can be a witness.

368

Can you reprimand him, please?

369

How do you know it was me?

370

It's always you.

371

Are you gonna discipline him or not?

372

Ooh, discipline.

373

Kinky.

374

All right.

375

Here's the deal, you guys.

376

The thing about a practical joke is that you have to know when to start as well as when to stop.

377

Yeah. And, yeah.

378

And, Jim, now is the time to stop putting Dwight's personal effects into Jell -O.

379

Okay.

380

Dwight, I'm sorry, because I've always been your biggest flan.

381

Oh, nice.

382

That's the way it is around here.

383

It just kind of goes around and around and around.

384

You, uh, you should have put him in custody.

385

Oh, hey!

386

Yes!

387

New guy!

388

And he scores!

389

Okay, that's great.

390

I guess, uh, what I'm most concerned with is, uh, damage to company property.

391

That's all.

392

Pudding.

393

Pudding.

394

I'm trying to think of another dessert to do.

395

Do you like, uh, going out at the end of the week for a drink?

396

Yeah.

397

Yeah, well, that's why we're all going out, so that we can have an end -of -the -week drink.

398

Oh, so when are we going out?

399

I don't know.

400

Tonight, hopefully.

401

Okay.

402

A lot.

403

What are you doing?

404

Hey, man.

405

Hey.

406

What's going on?

407

Hi, baby.

408

Hey.

409

Roy's my fiancé.

410

We've been engaged about three years, and we were supposed to get married in September, but I think we're going to get married in the spring.

411

Do you mind if I go out for a drink with these guys?

412

Uh, no, no, come on.

413

Let's get out of here.

414

Go home.

415

Okay, um, I'm gonna be a few minutes out until like 20 past 5.

416

I still have to do my faxes.

417

You know what?

418

You should, uh, you should come with us.

419

Because, you know, we're all going out, and it could be a good chance for you to see what people are like outside of the office.

420

You know, I think it could be fun.

421

No, it sounds good.

422

Oh, no. Seriously, we gotta get going.

423

Yeah.

424

Yeah, yeah.

425

What's in the bag?

426

Let's tell I talk to her later.

427

No, definitely.

428

All right, dude.

429

Awesome. Will do.

430

Do I think I'm being.. invited to the wedding.

431

So, uh, have you felt the vibe yet?

432

We work hard, we play hard.

433

Sometimes we play hard when we should be working hard, right?

434

Um, I guess the, uh, the atmosphere that I've created here is that I'm a friend first and a boss second.

435

Probably, uh, an entertainer third.

436

Just a second, right?

437

Oh, hey, do you, uh, do you like the Jamie Kennedy experiment?

438

Yeah.

439

And punked and all that kind of stuff.

440

Okay.

441

Um, you are gonna be my accomplice.

442

Just go along with it, okay?

443

All right.

444

Just follow my lead.

445

Don't pimp me.

446

All right?

447

Come in.

448

So, uh, corporate just said that I don't want to...

449

Oh, thank you.

450

Pam, Pam, can you come in here for a sec?

451

Just have a seat.

452

I was gonna call you in anyway.

453

Um, you know, Ryan.

454

Um, as you know, there is going to be downsizing.

455

And, uh, you have made my life so much easier in that I am going to have to let you go first.

456

What?

457

Why?

458

Why?

459

Well, theft and stealing.

460

Stealing?

461

Mm -hmm.

462

Um, what am I supposed to have stolen?

463

Post -it notes.

464

Post -it notes?

465

Yeah, God.

466

What are those worth, like, 50 cents?

467

50 cents, yeah.

468

You steal a thousand

469

Post -it notes at 50 cents a piece, and, you know, you've made a profit margin.

470

You know, go run us out of business, Pam.

471

Are you serious?

472

Yeah, I am.

473

Oh, I can't believe this.

474

I mean, I've never even stolen as much as a paperclip, and now you're firing me.

475

But the best thing about it is that, uh, we're not gonna have to give you any severance pay.

476

because that is gross misconduct.

477

And I just cleaned out your desk.

478

I'm sorry.

479

You've been X -Punk.

480

Surprise!

481

It's a joke.

482

We were joking around.

483

See?

484

Okay.

485

He was in on it.

486

He was my accomplice.

487

And there was kind of a morale booster thing.

488

And we were showing the new guy around, kind of giving him the feel of the place. So...

489

You sh...

490

God, you were...

491

We totally got you.

492

You're a jerk!

493

I don't know about that.

494

What is the most important thing for a company?

495

Is it the cash flow?

496

Is it the inventory?

497

Nuh -uh.

498

It's the people.

499

The people.

500

My proudest moment here was not when I increased profits by 17%, or when I cut expenses without losing a single employee.

501

No, no, no, no, no. It was a young Guatemalan guy.

502

First job in the country, barely spoke English came to me and said,

503

Mr. Scott, would you be the godfather of my child?

504

Wow.

505

Wow.

506

Wow.

507

Didn't work out in the end.

508

We had to let him go.

509

He sucked.

510

Hey.

511

Hey.

512

Hey.

513

How are you?

514

Good.

515

I thought you were going out for a drink with...

516

Oh, no. No. How's your headache?

517

It's better, thanks.

518

Good.

519

Good.

520

That's great. Is, uh...

521

Yeah?

522

Um, are you, uh...

523

Am I walking out?

524

Are you, yes.

525

Yes.

526

Do you want to?

527

Yeah.

528

Great.

529

Let me just...

530

Oh, boy.

531

Yeah.

532

Listen, have a nice weekend.

533

Yeah, definitely.

534

You too.

535

Enjoy it.

536

I...

537

You know, just...

538

Thank you.

539

Thank you.

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236 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 539 sentences and 2919 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:25. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 104 of its 539 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
steal verb	/stiːl/	To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
knock verb	/nɑk/	To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
whoa	/woʊ/	Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down.
desk noun	/dɛsk/	A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a…
agenda noun	/əˈd͡ʒɛn.də/	A temporally organized plan for matters to be attended to.
horrible adjective	/ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/	Causing horror; terrible; shocking.
relax verb	/ɹɪˈlæks/	To make something loose.
panic noun	/ˈpænɪk/	Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare.
discipline noun	/ˈdɪsəplɪn/	A controlled behaviour; self-control.
berry noun	/ˈbɛɹi/	A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.
interfere verb	/ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/	To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance.
rumor noun	/ˈɹumɚ/	A statement or claim of questionable accuracy, from no known reliable source, usually spread by word of mouth.
fax noun	/fæks/	A document sent, or received and printed, by a fax machine.
pudding noun	/ˈpʊdɪŋ/	Any of various dishes, sweet or savoury, prepared by boiling or steaming or from batter.
practical adjective	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/	Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go out verb		To leave, especially a building.
go around verb		To move or spread from person to person.
clean out verb		To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents.
come through verb		To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
come up verb		To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly.
get out of verb		To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
go ahead verb	/ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/	To proceed with; to begin.
go along with verb		To acquiesce to or comply with a proposal, despite lacking a desire or value for it.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Is this what you're saying, grasshopper?
Can I play for you?
Why didn't I get it?
Do you want to look at mine?
Question, how long do we have to act?

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 106 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, theft /θɛft/, godfather /ˈɡɑdfɑðɚ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/, compensation /ˌkɑm.pənˈseɪ.ʃən/, regime /ɹəˈʒiːm/, shoe /ˈʃu/, suspension /səˈspɛnʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, efficiency /ɪˈfɪʃ.ən.si/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, compensation /ˌkɑm.pənˈseɪ.ʃən/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/

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 steal, knock, whoa.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: xxxacscd - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Funny Succession moments I'll quote out of context forever

The Proposal - "You´re fired..."

Um Senhor Estagiário - Trailer Oficial 1 (leg) [HD]

The Office - Diversity Day

Backrooms dinner scene but with a laugh track

Scenes from "Where Hope Grows (2014)"

How To Get A Pay Rise | FUNNIEST MOMENTS OF JULY

Dwight Schrute's Biggest 'Big Brain' Moments | The Office | TBS

POV: How dedicated they expect you to be at work

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?