Shadowing Practice: You Asked Andy Burnham | PMQs: People's Major Questions - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
48 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Don't get me sorted on...
2
I'm going to use whatever political capital I have.
3
Oh my goodness, the biggest question.
4
How did it go today?
5
This is the real one.
6
After PMQs comes people's major questions.
7
The real PMQs.
8
Where do you see the UK in two years on the way back?
9
What are your plans for improving public transport nationwide?
10
Rail services are not where they need to be.
11
So I'm going to have a rail summit and I think we need to look at everything more punctual, no cancellations.
12
There's a lot that can be done to simplify railfares and hopefully then bring a cost of living benefit for people.
13
So looking at all of those things.
14
What is being done about university costs?
15
They are out of control.
16
Yeah, I do worry about this.
17
They've got the high interest rates and it feels like the debt is never coming down.
18
It's not easy being young these days and we need to make it better.
19
Any changes to the NHS?
20
Waiting times for A &E are over seven hours.
21
Any plans to improve this?
22
There are thousands
23
and thousands of people in hospital beds every day who are medically fit to be discharged from hospital
24
but can't be because the care isn't there.
25
So if you want to fix the NHS you've got to fix social care.
26
It would be
27
terrible for me to look back in later life thinking I had a chance to fix social care
28
and I was too scared to do it.
29
Well it's not going to be me, just give me a bit of time.
30
What are your plans to limit illegal immigration into the country?
31
Well, there's good news on this front.
32
Small boat crossings have halved over the summer.
33
These days, sometimes it's hard for people to recognise progress
34
because there's so many voices out there on social media painting different pictures, but those are the facts.
35
Let's take that, build on it, and keep the numbers coming down.
36
How will your government support
37
Britain's pubs and their declining business?
38
Well, I'm a big pub person.
39
It's so important.
40
British history, British heritage is wrapped up in our in our pubs I said we would cut business rates for pubs
41
and that will come in soon they need support
42
and they'll get it from me in this government oh my goodness the biggest question the Smiths
43
or solo Morrissey I am definitely going to go for the
44
Smiths on this one thoughts on our new right back
45
I'm glad we've got one he's experienced
46
I'm talking about Ainsley Maitland Niles of course I think he was a midfielder then went to Lyon
47
and played right back there so is the midfielder right back for us
48
because we've been waiting for one for a long time.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C11
137 sentences
HIGHLIGHTS: Andy Burnham Wipes The Floor with Kemi Badenoch at PMQs
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11,014
36 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
81 sentences
Rory Stewart MP | Good Morning Britain Interview
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
61 sentences
Liam Gallagher Answers his Most Googled Questions | According to Google | Radio X
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
189 sentences
JD Vance On The US Economy, Trump Administration’s Handling Of Epstein Files | The View
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
133 sentences
THE BETTER TEAM WON! 😤 | Pep Guardiola | Man Utd 2-0 Man City
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B287
24 sentences
Dinner Party Debate: Should We Work a Four-Day Week?
American AccentBritish AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
400 sentences
210826 BBC Points West, Evening News
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
23 sentences
Listening #english #speakenglish
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
26 sentences
Prime Minister Carney's message on Thanksgiving
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
125 sentences
Deal To End ‘Bruising’ Birmingham Bin Strikes On The Table | Ollie Cole
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
948 sentences
Danny Malin: A New Chapter & Honest Catch-Up
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “You Asked Andy Burnham”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: pub, fix, plans. This video has 48 sentences and 474 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:20. The speaker talks fast, about 203 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 8 of its 48 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 |
|---|---|---|
| pub noun | /pʌb/ | A public house where beverages, primarily alcoholic, may be bought and consumed, also providing food and sometimes entertainment such as live music or… |
| rail noun | /ɹeɪ(ə)l/ | A horizontal bar extending between supports and used for support or as a barrier; a railing. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| midfielder noun | A player who operates behind the attackers and in front of the defence. | |
| immigration noun | /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/ | The act of immigrating; the passing or coming into a country of which one is not native born for the purpose of permanent residence. |
| decline verb | /dɪˈklaɪn/ | To move downwards, to fall, to drop. |
| heritage noun | /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/ | An inheritance; property that may be inherited. |
| crossing noun | /ˈkɹɔsɪŋ/ | Cross-breeding. |
| summit noun | /ˈsʌmɪt/ | The highest point of a hill, mountain, or similar geographical feature. |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| nationwide adjective | /ˌneɪ.ʃənˈwaɪd/ | Extending throughout an entire nation. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| discharge verb | /dɪsˈtʃɑɹdʒ/ | To accomplish or complete, as an obligation. |
| cancellation noun | /kænsəˈleɪʃən/ | The act, process, or result of cancelling; as, the cancellation of certain words in a contract, or of the contract itself. |
| medically adverb | /ˈmɛd.ɪ.kli/ | For medical purposes. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Don't get me sorted on...
- I'm going to use whatever political capital I have.
- What are your plans for improving public transport nationwide?
- What are your plans to limit illegal immigration into the country?
- Britain's pubs and their declining business?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we've, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: immigration /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/, nationwide /ˌneɪ.ʃənˈwaɪd/, cancellation /kænsəˈleɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: immigration /ˌɪmɪˈɡɹeɪʃən/, cancellation /kænsəˈleɪʃən/
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 pub, rail, goodness.
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.