Shadowing Practice: Your dream doesn’t have to stay the same forever. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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19 sentences
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Sometimes you set a goal and then as you're moving towards it, it changes.
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Or maybe what you thought you wanted is no longer what you wanted.
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So how do you kind of correlate that?
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Having that clarity and intention so you have a direction of where you're going, but not so much that you're really blocking or limiting what you don't know yet.
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I think a part of that is overthinking, you know.
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Yeah, there's me going.
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A part of that is just like, let's keep it simple.
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I would say the first thing is give yourself permission to dream big.
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Let's start with that.
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that allow yourself to dream big, okay?
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And then have that biggest vision that you currently can hold.
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And that is where you want to go and start taking steps towards it.
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I am not a believer in having a vision and sitting and meditating on it.
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I'm a believer in striving, you know?
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I do believe in manifesting, but I think that a part of it is you going after what you want and putting the effort.
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So, you know, go after that vision.
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And you know what? as you go, as you succeed, as you reinforce that confidence, naturally that vision will grow.
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There's a lot of times that we cannot envision something really, really big if we are in a place that's still at the very, very beginning of the dream.
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So I think there's no harm in that dream evolving with us as we pursue it.

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Speaking Goals for This Clip: Flexibility and Fluency in Expressing Growth

This video targets the fluency milestone of discussing evolving dreams and goals with clarity and natural flow. Learners will practice articulating shifts in ambition, balancing intention with adaptability, and using conversational phrases to explain personal growth—key skills for real-world discussions about aspirations.

Phrase Bank: Reusable Expressions for Talking About Evolving Dreams

  • "correlate that" – to connect or make sense of conflicting ideas
  • "give yourself permission to" – to allow oneself to act without guilt
  • "biggest vision you currently can hold" – the most ambitious goal you can imagine right now
  • "striving" – actively working toward a goal
  • "naturally that vision will grow" – over time, your goals will expand organically
  • "evolving with us as we pursue it" – changing and developing as we work toward it

Fix Your Weak Spots: Rhythm and Intonation in Reflective Speech

The dialogue’s reflective tone—balancing confidence with openness—makes it ideal for practicing the shadowing technique (or "shadow speech"). To improve English pronunciation and flow, focus on mimicking the speaker’s pauses after phrases like "I think a part of that is" and the rising intonation in questions like "So how do you kind of correlate that?" These nuances create natural rhythm, a common weak spot for learners. Use shadowspeaks (repeating the speaker’s words immediately after) to master the cadence of thoughtful conversation. Pay attention to how "manifesting" and "striving" are stressed—emphasizing the first syllable in "manifesting" and the second in "striving" adds clarity. With consistent shadow speak practice, you’ll sound more confident when discussing personal growth, turning stilted sentences into smooth, engaging dialogue.

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 →