Shadowing English Practice: A Day in the City
Welcome back! 👋 Today, we’re going to practice shadowing English through a story.
What is shadowing?
Shadowing is when you listen to English and repeat what you hear as closely as possible — copying the pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. It’s one of the best ways to train yourself to:
✅ Sound more natural and fluent
✅ Improve your listening skills
✅ Train your mouth to produce English sounds automatically
How Today’s Practice Works
Here’s the 3-step method we’ll use:
Listen first — Read or listen to the story naturally.
Break it down — Look at smaller chunks of text, with explanations of vocabulary, idioms, and intonation.
Practice together — Repeat the full sentence or passage, naturally and smoothly, just like a native speaker.
Today’s story is called A Day in the City, where we’ll follow Daniel through his busy day in New York.
Part 1: The Morning ☀️
Listen
Daniel woke up late, and as soon as he saw the time, his heart sank. He rushed out of his tiny apartment, practically flying down the stairs, hoping to catch the subway before it left.
Break it Down
Daniel woke up late, and as soon as he saw the time, his heart sank.
He rushed out of his tiny apartment, practically flying down the stairs, hoping to catch the subway before it left.
Key Vocabulary & Tips
His heart sank → sudden disappointment or worry
Practically flying down the stairs → exaggeration showing speed
Intonation tip: Stress words like late, time, flying, hoping
Practice Together
Daniel woke up late, and as soon as he saw the time, his heart sank. He rushed out of his tiny apartment, practically flying down the stairs, hoping to catch the subway before it left.
Part 2: At the Office 💼
Listen
Breathless and slightly sweaty, Daniel arrived at his office building…
(→ Here, keep the same Listen → Break it down → Key vocabulary → Practice together format as Part 1. The repetition makes the lesson structured and easy to follow.)
Part 3: Lunch Break 🍝
Focus on expressions like stomach was growling, overheard, arguing in hushed voices
Intonation: stress descriptive words like growling, delicious, hushed, attention
Part 4: Evening in the City 🌆
Key idioms: let the neon lights wash over him, exhausted but content, wouldn’t want it any other way
Intonation: stress expressive words like neon, crowded, exhausted, content
Great job! You just shadowed an entire story about a day in the city.
In this lesson, you practiced:
Idioms and phrasal verbs
Advanced vocabulary
Natural rhythm and intonation of English speech
👉 Try repeating this story again tomorrow. Each time you shadow, you’ll get smoother and more confident.
Remember: practice makes progress!
FREE WORKBOOK: Speak English Fluently
See you in the next shadowing lesson! 🚀
