Accent test

Shadowing: English practice material

Shadowing means repeating speech a fraction of a second behind the speaker, copying the rhythm and melody as well as the words. Below are 15 sentences graded from short to long. Listen, shadow, then check whether your version was understood.

Shadow these sentences

Press Listen and speak along with the voice. Do it three times, then press Say it and say the sentence alone.

  • What do you do for a living
  • I have been working here for three years
  • Could you say that again more slowly
  • I am not sure I understood the question
  • Let me think about it for a second
  • That is a good point and I agree with it
  • We should probably talk about it tomorrow
  • I would rather finish this before the meeting
  • It took longer than we expected but it works now
  • The first thing I did was check the documentation
  • If I had known about it earlier I would have told you
  • What I like most about this job is the people I work with
  • I am looking for a role where I can learn from a stronger team
  • There are a couple of things I would like to clarify before we start
  • Thanks for explaining that, it makes a lot more sense to me now

Runs in your browser with its built-in speech recognition (Chrome, Edge, Safari). Nothing is installed and no account is needed.

How to shadow, step by step

  1. Listen once without speaking. Notice which words are stressed and which almost disappear.
  2. Shadow with the text. Speak together with the voice, slightly behind it. Do not pause it.
  3. Shadow without the text. Look away and keep going. You will miss words; that is expected.
  4. Record or check. Say the sentence alone and compare with the original.
  5. Repeat tomorrow. Ten minutes a day beats one hour a week.

What shadowing trains

Reading aloud trains single words. Shadowing trains what happens between them: rhythm, weak forms, linking and intonation. Those are the things that make speech sound natural and the things textbooks explain worst.

It also trains listening. To repeat a sentence in real time you have to hear the unstressed words, which is exactly what learners miss in fast speech.

Choosing your own material

  • Pick audio slightly below your level: you should understand 90% without the text.
  • Use one speaker for a few weeks so you absorb one consistent model.
  • Short clips of 20 to 40 seconds work better than long ones.
  • Interviews and podcasts are better than films: the speech is clearer and the sentences are the ones you will use.

Questions people ask

Does shadowing really work?

Classroom studies report gains in listening comprehension and in rhythm and intonation after a few weeks of daily shadowing. It does not replace conversation, because you are not building your own sentences.

How long should I shadow each day?

Ten to fifteen minutes. Past that, attention drops and you start mumbling.

Should I understand everything first?

Yes. Shadow material you already understand, otherwise you are copying noise.

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