Shadowing Practice: Life Lesson from a 96-YEAR-OLD. - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Well, I'm 96.
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How are you supposed to feel at 96?
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A lot of people don't live that long and I'm here.
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Death doesn't bother me.
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I don't really think it ever bothered me when I was 19, your age.
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I was flying combat missions and they were shooting at me.
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I didn't like being shot at, who the heck would?
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But the idea of dying was not like, oh my god, I might die.
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And I still don't feel that way about it.
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I guess I've been a dancer most of my life.
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I never liked my own dancing because I was too conscious of my own flaws.
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Well, I wanted to be perfect.
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I think all dancers do.
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When I watch old videos of myself today, I think I'm not as bad as I thought I was.
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I still see the flaws, but I don't expect to be perfect anymore.
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So why make a fuss about it?

About This Lesson

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.