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What is 'shadowing'? Pronunciation Shadowing Tutorial

BeginnerBritish accentPronunciation5 min

Shadow this video one sentence at a time: listen, say it back, and get a score for every word.

Practice this video Watch on YouTube

Hard words

The longest, least common words in this video. Say them slowly before you start.

Transcript: 58 sentences

Tap a sentence to start the drill right there.

  1. 0:00 Do you worry that people can't understand your English?
  2. 0:04 Do you feel nervous when it's your turn to speak?
  3. 0:09 Do you want to sound more like this?
  4. 0:12 I'm going to make a cup of tea.
  5. 0:13 Do you want one?
  6. 0:14 There's a technique called 'shadowing' that can help you with this.
  7. 0:18 In this video, I'll show you exactly how it works and how to use it.
  8. 0:25 I think I might have mentioned it.
  9. 0:27 This is Lillia.
  10. 0:29 She's shadowing a video from our series Pronunciation Shadowing.
  11. 0:34 Or she was trying to until I interrupted her.
  12. 0:40 Sorry.
  13. 0:40 Shadowing involves listening to a fluent speaker and repeating what they say almost at the same time.
  14. 0:48 This helps train your pronunciation, fluency, and listening all at the same time.
  15. 0:55 It particularly helps your rhythm and intonation.
  16. 0:59 So now we know why shadowing is useful, but how do you actually do it?
  17. 1:08 First, you need to choose the right audio or video for you.
  18. 1:13 Short clips work best with clear intonation and natural pacing.
  19. 1:17 You can shadow anything, a conversation or someone just speaking on their own, but it's good if the topic is interesting or useful to you.
  20. 1:28 Fortunately, you can find lots of interesting and useful videos and podcasts to shadow on our website, www.bbclearningenglish.com
  21. 1:39 So now that you've got your audio, it's time to shadow.
  22. 1:44 You need to find a quiet space to practice in and make sure you have a good pair of headphones.
  23. 1:51 The best thing to do now is to practice with short sections and repeat them.
  24. 1:57 Here are four simple steps you can follow for effective shadowing.
  25. 2:05 Step one: listen without speaking.
  26. 2:09 Listen carefully to the intonation and the rhythm of the speech, just like you're listening to a song.
  27. 2:16 Step two: listen again and read along with the text.
  28. 2:22 I think I might have mentioned it.
  29. 2:24 Step three: repeat with a short delay.
  30. 2:29 Try not to look at the text, but keep it near you just in case.
  31. 2:34 I think I might have mentioned it.
  32. 2:37 Step four: try to shadow with your eyes closed.
  33. 2:42 I think I might have mentioned it.
  34. 2:44 And if you need to just pause, rewind and play the same part again.
  35. 2:50 When shadowing, it's good to focus on certain pronunciation features.
  36. 2:56 You could be trying to improve your pronunciation of 'and' or 'to' in sentences.
  37. 3:01 Or maybe you're listening for silent letters.
  38. 3:05 Our series Pronunciation Shadowing is perfect for this.
  39. 3:09 In this series, a BBC Learning English presenter will read a short paragraph and give you tips on a specific pronunciation feature in the text.
  40. 3:20 For example, Becca helps you with the pronunciation of 'would you' in this episode.
  41. 3:27 Would you?
  42. 3:27 Would you like any milk or sugar?
  43. 3:33 Shadowing will take time and practice, so it's good to motivate yourself by measuring your progress.
  44. 3:41 Record yourself reading the text for the first time.
  45. 3:45 I think I might have mentioned it.
  46. 3:49 It might feel a bit weird at first, but that's normal and you'll soon get used to it.
  47. 3:55 When you've had lots of practice, record yourself again at step four, where you're shadowing without the transcript.
  48. 4:02 I think I might have mentioned it.
  49. 4:05 Try not to criticise yourself too much and think about the small areas that you've improved in.
  50. 4:11 You might have linked two words together, corrected your pronunciation of a certain word, or your intonation might sound more natural in places.
  51. 4:21 So you've learned why shadowing is useful, some tips on how to do it and how to measure your progress.
  52. 4:29 Now it's time to do it yourself.
  53. 4:32 We have an entire series designed to help with this called Pronunciation Shadowing.
  54. 4:39 There are stories, dialogues, and tips for you to shadow with pronunciation features to focus on.
  55. 4:46 Click here to watch our shadowing series pronunciation shadowing and click here to see our other pronunciation content.
  56. 4:57 Have you tried shadowing before?
  57. 4:59 Do you have any advice?
  58. 5:01 Write a comment below.

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