If you’ve been enjoying shadowing to develop your control of stress and rhythm in English, I’ve create a few additional short audios and transcripts you could use to practise with. You could focus on just the main stress of each audio, or also analyse content and function words. It’s up to you!
British people: cold or shy?
Transcript:
Some people say British people are a bit cold. I’m not sure about that. I think we are probably actually quite shy, not cold. We also don’t like to inconvenience or bother anyone. Or invade people’s personal space. For that reason, we feel a bit nervous to make the first move to turn an acquaintance into an friend. For example, asking someone to go for a drink or coffee could be quite a big deal for us. Does that sound strange to you? What are people like in your country?
Living abroad
Transcript:
I’m British, but I have lived in Spain for 5 years now. I have always been curious about different cultures, and even when I was young I was sure that I wanted to live abroad at some point in my life. So, I’m really happy that I’ve been able to build a life for myself between two places and two cultures. Both countries have different things to offer, and different drawbacks, that’s for sure! The quality of life, cost of living, and work-life balance is better in Spain, but the UK is definitely a better place to live if you want to grow professionally. And, of course, it will always be home for me in a personal and cultural sense.
Generative AI
Transcript:
I’ve been really impressed with Generative AI! I suppose we all have. I suppose that 10 years ago the average person never could have imagined anything like it. It has definitely taken the world by storm. I think what impresses me is how versatile it is. You can use it as a personal assistant to help with daily routine tasks, or dive deep into theoretical discussions with it. I can’t even imagine how the technology will develop in the future!
A problem at work
Transcript:
So, I’ve got this problem at work these days. My colleague is being a bit rude to me. She often makes comments that make me feel small, and like my work isn’t valuable or useful. Also, she keeps taking credit for projects she hasn’t actually done any work on. It’s really frustrating! I think some members of the team are aware of it. But the boss isn’t… I don’t know how to handle it. What would you do?
Moving house
Transcript:
How are you doing?
Well, I’m quite excited! Actually, I’m moving house soon, and, after 5 years living in the same place, it’s going to be a big change. I’ll be moving from the south of Spain to the north, from a lively university city to a quiet seaside town. I’m looking forward to a change of pace, a slower life, and more contact with nature. Actually, I can’t wait!
A trip abroad
Transcript
Last year I went on a fantastic trip to Thailand and Cambodia. The trip was really special because I went with my whole family. It’s very hard to find time to all get together these days, so it was amazing to have a full two weeks together. I think our favourite part of the trip was probably visiting Angkor Wat in Cambodia, which is an amazing city and temple complex from the 12th century and it’s all just tucked away in the jungle. We all thought it was absolutely fascinating, and we had some wonderful guides who explained the history to us. I hope we can take another trip together soon!
Extra ideas
As well as the audios above, I’d also recommend shadowing with small chunks of the BBC podcast 6 minute English. The presenters offer examples of very clear, measured Standard Southern British pronunciation, whilst the guests often speak in a faster, less controlled way, with a range of different accents. You may also like to try TED talks for really clear examples of controlled speech broken carefully into chunks.
Happy shadowing!