0:00 Hello everyone and welcome to English with Lucy.
0:04 This is the first video of my very special five-day shadowing challenge.
0:09 Shadowing is a technique where you speak along with or just after another speaker.
0:16 The goal is to copy the speaker's pronunciation,
0:19 rhythm, and intonation, helping you to sound more natural in English.
0:24 It will take you less than 30 minutes per day to make a noticeable
0:28 improvement in your English.
0:30 Across the next 5 days,
0:32 we're following a connected
0:34 story while you practice
0:36 six short texts, two at each level,
0:39 B1, B2, and C1.
0:42 On day one, we're focusing on vocabulary.
0:45 Day two is grammar.
0:47 Day three is pronunciation,
0:49 and day four is a conversation.
0:51 On day five, you'll do a review and then a final test.
0:55 Now, here's the exciting part.
0:57 I've created a free
0:59 online course to help
1:02 everything you learn over these 5 days
1:04 really stick in your mind.
1:06 It's called the consolidation course.
1:09 You'll get extra lessons,
1:11 interactive vocabulary banks, and engaging
1:14 exercises that go far beyond what we can cover here.
1:18 Each day, new materials
1:20 unlock to match that day's lesson.
1:22 You can access day one right now by signing up using the link in
1:27 the description box, or you can scan the QR code on screen.
1:31 Once you've signed up, you can start the exercises
1:34 for free straight away.
1:36 Oh, and one more thing.
1:37 When you join the consolidation
1:39 course, you will automatically
1:41 be added to my Black Friday waiting list.
1:44 I save my biggest discounts
1:46 and best offers on my B1,
1:49 B2, and C1 courses for Black Friday.
1:53 So, if you're serious about taking your English to the next level,
1:56 you'll want to be on that list.
1:58 I've already decided my Black Friday offer,
2:00 and it's bigger and better than ever.
2:04 So, click the link below or scan the QR code to unlock the consolidation
2:08 course and join the waiting list for Black Friday.
2:11 Let's start with B1,
2:13 the intermediate level of English.
2:16 The first time, shadow me, or
2:18 pause and repeat after me if you want to.
2:21 You'll hear the text again after we've looked at the vocabulary.
2:25 I'm planning my next big adventure
2:28 and I'm keen to do a road trip
2:31 and rent a cottage
2:32 in the countryside somewhere.
2:37 Let's go through some words and phrases. First keen.
2:42 If you're keen to do something,
2:44 you want to do it very much.
2:46 Use the long e sound.
2:49 Keen and the weak form of to before consonant sounds. Keen to do. Keen to do.
2:57 Our next phrase is road trip.
3:00 This is a long trip or holiday that you take by car. Next, cottage.
3:05 A cottage is a small house
3:08 often in the countryside.
3:10 Make sure to get the I
3:12 sound in the second syllable.
3:14 It's cottage, not Use the weak form
3:20 uh again for the article. A cottage.
3:24 Remember, you can practice what you're learning with the consolidation
3:28 course that goes with this video. It's free.
3:31 Now, try shadowing me again.
3:33 I've marked the text on screen with the words and sounds we've talked about.
3:37 I'm planning my next big adventure
3:40 and I'm keen to do a road trip
3:43 and rent a cottage
3:44 in the countryside Here's the next part of our story at B1.
3:52 Shadow me or listen,
3:54 pause, and repeat after me.
3:56 I'd love to explore
3:58 more of the UK,
4:00 but I keep changing
4:01 my mind about the exact destination.
4:08 We'll look at three pieces of vocabulary now. First, to explore.
4:13 This means to travel around a place to see what it's like.
4:17 The stress is on the second syllable, explore.
4:21 Our next phrase is to change your mind.
4:24 If you change your mind, you change your decision
4:27 or opinion about something.
4:29 And third, we have destination.
4:32 This is the place where someone is going.
4:34 The third syllable is stressed
4:36 and t i o n is pronounced shun. Destination.
4:42 Before you shadow me again,
4:43 let's look at some linking
4:45 sounds that make these words easier to say.
4:48 I add a soft
4:49 w sound to glide between
4:52 to explore to explore.
4:55 I also use a linking
4:57 to join more of more of.
5:01 And I use a soft
5:03 y to link the two vowel sounds in the and exact. The exact.
5:09 Now shadow me again.
5:11 I'd love to explore
5:13 more of the UK,
5:15 but I keep changing
5:16 my mind about the exact
5:23 If you're working towards B1,
5:25 imagine learning English by living it,
5:28 not just studying it.
5:29 In my beautiful British English B1
5:31 program, you'll follow our fictional
5:34 character, Grace, as she moves from Scotland to Australia,
5:38 meets new people, and starts a new job.
5:41 Every chapter of her story is filled with the real vocabulary
5:45 you need for daily life,
5:47 travel, work, family, and everyday conversations.
5:51 You'll get 14 vocabulary
5:53 lessons expertly designed by experienced
5:56 curriculum designers and teachers
5:59 with hundreds of interactive
6:00 exercises, downloadable PDFs, and vocabulary
6:04 banks with audio pronunciation
6:06 guides for every new word and phrase.
6:09 By the end, English won't feel like something you're studying.
6:12 It'll feel like something that's already part of you.
6:16 And don't forget, Black Friday week is coming, and trust me,
6:20 you'll be so glad you're on the list.
6:23 The discounts and bonuses
6:25 are unbelievable, and they'll help you begin your journey to natural, confident English.
6:30 We're moving on to B2
6:32 now, the upper intermediate level of English.
6:35 Here's the next part of the story.
6:37 Remember, shadow me this time if you want to
6:40 or listen, pause, and repeat after me.
6:43 I've got quite a modest
6:45 budget, so I need to be careful with money,
6:48 but I've decided to just go for it.
6:51 I really want to make the most of my precious time off.
6:59 Let's go through some vocabulary.
7:01 Modest means small in amount or not expensive.
7:05 A budget is the amount of money available to spend on something.
7:09 So, a modest budget
7:11 is a fairly small amount of money.
7:13 Like with cottage, pronounce the final syllables
7:17 with an i sound. Budget.
7:21 Not modest or budget. Modest. Budget.
7:25 Next, the phrase to make the most of something,
7:28 meaning to use or enjoy something as much as possible.
7:32 Notice the weak form
7:33 of, not of, to make the most of something.
7:37 And finally, we have
7:39 precious, which means very important
7:41 and valuable, something you don't want to waste.
7:45 It's pronounced precious with a sh, not precious. Precious.
7:52 Make sure you've joined the consolidation
7:54 course to explore these ideas in more depth
7:57 and see how they work in real life.
7:59 All right, shadow me again.
8:01 I've got quite a modest
8:03 budget, so I need to be careful with money.
8:07 But I've decided to just go for it.
8:10 I really want to make the most of my precious time off.
8:17 Are you ready for the next part?
8:19 Shadow me now or listen,
8:21 pause, and repeat after me.
8:23 The idea of going somewhere
8:25 fairly isolated has captured my imagination.
8:29 It would give me the chance to truly relax.
8:33 I always struggle to do that in a city
8:36 or anywhere that's absolutely packed.
8:42 Now, our vocabulary first,
8:45 isolated, meaning far away from other people, buildings or places.
8:51 Stress the first syllable. Isolated.
8:55 To capture means to make someone feel very interested
8:59 or excited about something.
9:01 Notice how I pronounce it.
9:05 Capture with a ch sound in the middle.
9:09 In the passage, it was used in the collocation captured my imagination.
9:14 Next, the verb to struggle
9:16 means to find something difficult
9:18 or to have trouble doing it.
9:20 We often say you struggle to do something.
9:23 And our final word
9:24 packed meaning completely full.
9:27 You can say this place is packed
9:29 meaning very crowded with lots of people
9:32 or packed with the documentary
9:35 was packed with fascinating facts.
9:38 Shadow me again now.
9:40 The idea of going somewhere
9:42 fairly isolated has captured my imagination.
9:47 It would give me the chance to truly relax.
9:50 I always struggle to do that in a city
9:54 or anywhere that's absolutely packed.
9:59 If you're ready to reach B2
10:01 and speak with real fluency,
10:03 you will love my beautiful British English B2 program.
10:07 You'll follow our character Ryan,
10:09 who's just moved to the UK,
10:11 as he settles into a new life,
10:13 finding a flat, making friends,
10:15 navigating British culture, and learning to fit in.
10:19 Through his story, you'll learn hundreds of expressions,
10:22 idioms, and collocations that we Brits use to talk about relationships,
10:28 work, money, and everyday situations.
10:31 You'll get 12 expertly
10:33 designed vocabulary lessons with hundreds of interactive
10:37 exercises, downloadable PDFs, and vocabulary
10:40 banks with audio pronunciation
10:42 guides for every expression.
10:44 By the end, you'll stop translating in your head.
10:47 English will simply flow.
10:49 And keep an eye out for Black Friday because it will be the moment
10:52 you turn your English goals into a reality.
10:56 We're talking big discounts,
10:58 incredible bonuses, and a chance to take your fluency
11:01 further than ever at the best price ever.
11:04 Okay, are you ready for C1?
11:07 This is the advanced level of English.
11:10 Shadow me or listen,
11:11 pause, and repeat after me.
11:14 That's the only fly in the ointment.
11:16 the crowds in some places during high season.
11:21 The Scottish Highlands, a lifelong
11:23 bucket list entry, has emerged as the ideal
11:27 shoulder season Our first phrase is the idiom the fly in the ointment.
11:35 And this is a small problem or disadvantage
11:37 that spoils something that is otherwise very good.
11:40 You'll also hear a fly in the ointment.
11:43 You can use a Y sound to glide smoothly
11:46 between fly and in
11:49 and the and ointment.
11:51 Fly in the ointment. Now, high season.
11:56 This is the time of year when a place receives the most visitors.
12:00 Shoulder season is the time between
12:02 high and low season.
12:04 So, there are some tourists, but not tons.
12:07 Then we have the compound adjective
12:09 lifelong referring to something that has existed
12:12 or lasted for your whole life.
12:15 And finally, bucket list.
12:17 A list of things you want to do or experience in your lifetime.
12:21 Lots of highle vocabulary there.
12:23 Don't forget to join the consolidation
12:25 course to practice what you're learning. Are you ready? Shadow me again.
12:29 Now, that's the only fly in the ointment.
12:33 the crowds in some places during high season.
12:37 The Scottish Highlands, a lifelong
12:40 bucket list entry, has emerged as the ideal shoulder season spot.
12:48 Okay, let's finish the story now.
12:50 Shadow me or listen, pause, and repeat after me.
12:54 It looks like I'll be spoiled
12:56 for choice with its blend of rugged
13:00 historic villages, and the legendary Loch Ness. Okay, vocabulary.
13:10 First, we have the lovely idiom to be spoiled for choice,
13:14 meaning to have so many good options that it's hard to choose.
13:18 Use the weak form f here. Spoiled for choice.
13:22 Next we have blend,
13:24 meaning a mixture of different things that go well together.
13:28 It's also a verb meaning to mix different things well. After that, rugged.
13:34 This refers to rough,
13:36 wild, often rocky land.
13:37 And did you notice this irregular
13:39 ed adjective is pronounced with two syllables? Rugged, not rugged. Rugged.
13:47 Our last word is legendary.
13:50 In this context, it means very famous.
13:53 Loch Ness is famous, legendary.
13:56 But it also plays with another meaning of legendary
14:00 meaning from a legend.
14:02 An ancient story like the Loch Ness monster.
14:05 I pronounce this word with three syllables. Legendary.
14:09 Copy that as you shadow the final line again.
14:12 It looks like I'll be spoiled
14:14 for choice with its blend of rugged
14:17 coastlines, historic villages, and the legendary Loch Ness.
14:26 At the C1 level, English becomes personal.
14:29 It becomes much more about nuance and how you express yourself with precise language.
14:35 In my beautiful British English C1
14:37 program, you'll follow Lotty
14:39 as she starts over,
14:41 builds new friendships, and finds her place in a British village community.
14:46 You'll receive 12 expertly
14:48 designed vocabulary lessons complete with hundreds of reinforcing
14:52 interactive exercises, downloadable PDFs,
14:55 and vocabulary banks covering advanced topics
14:58 like lifestyle, rural and city living,
15:02 comedy, personalities and fitting in,
15:05 job hunting, and freelancing.
15:08 Each week, the language gets richer,
15:11 your understanding becomes deeper,
15:14 and your confidence grows stronger.
15:16 By the end, you'll speak with nuance,
15:18 subtlety, and natural rhythm,
15:21 the way fluent speakers do.
15:22 And don't forget, we're just a few weeks away from Black Friday,
15:26 the time you invest in yourself and your goals.
15:30 The biggest discounts of the year are heading your way, and they'll open the
15:34 door to the advanced
15:36 English you've always wanted.
15:38 Well, my lovely students, you have just finished day one
15:41 of the fiveday shadowing
15:43 challenge, where we focused on vocabulary
15:46 across the B1, B2, and C1 levels.
15:49 I hope you're already starting to feel more confident using these new words and
15:53 expressions in your own speech.
15:56 On day two, we'll continue with the same story,
15:59 but we'll switch our attention to the grammar
16:02 and how it gradually becomes more advanced.
16:04 If you haven't accessed your day one consolidation
16:07 course yet, do that now.
16:10 Now is the perfect time.
16:12 The link is in the description,
16:13 or you can scan the QR code on screen now to get started. It's free.
16:18 I can't wait to see you for day two. Bye.
