Good shadowing audio is a clear English recording, a few minutes long, that you can mostly follow when you listen and that comes with a transcript. The usual free sources are VOA Learning English, public podcasts, public domain audiobooks and YouTube videos. An audio file of your own works too.
Free audio for shadowing
VOA Learning English
VOA Learning English publishes the news in slow, clear English. It is a good place to start, while you still need to hear every word clearly. News is read differently from the way people talk every day, so once you are used to it, add a source with conversation in it as well.
Public podcasts
There are podcasts for English learners, spoken slowly and clearly, and podcasts for native speakers at natural speed. Podcasts are good for practising conversational English, and for getting used to many different voices and accents.
In Practice Shadowing you paste the podcast's public feed link, then pick an episode and the minutes you want to practise. Those minutes are transcribed and split into sentences.
Public domain audiobooks
A public domain audiobook is a recording with no copyright restrictions, so anyone may listen to it and use it. To find one, search for "public domain audiobook", and read the copyright note that comes with each recording.
Usually you hear one voice reading straight through, which suits practising the rhythm and intonation of telling a story. Most of these books are old, so you will hear some phrases that are rarely used now.
YouTube videos
YouTube has English videos on all kinds of topics, and in many of them you can watch how the speaker's mouth moves.
In Practice Shadowing you paste the link of a video that has English captions. The app takes the sentences from the captions without using any of your minutes, and you choose the part you want to practise. The video plays in YouTube's own player, and the app does not download it.
Your own audio
You can also practise with an audio file of your own, as long as you have the right to use it. That might be a recording you made yourself, or a listening exercise whose rights holder allows this use.
In Practice Shadowing you add the file and choose the minutes you want to practise. The app transcribes those minutes and splits them into sentences, each with its text. Transcribing uses your account's daily minutes. Practising with the sentences afterwards uses none.
If you have no file yet, start with the shadowing lessons, sorted by level. They are ready to use straight away, without an account.
How to choose a source
- Mostly understandable when you read along with the text.
- One or two speakers, with little background music.
- Short: one to three minutes for each session.
- In the accent you want to copy.
- On a topic you care about, so you will want to listen to it many times.
Using your audio in Practice Shadowing
Once you have your audio, open the app and choose how to add it: a file, a podcast link or a YouTube link. A file or a podcast episode is transcribed and split into sentences, and a YouTube video gets its sentences from its captions. Then the player stops after each sentence and waits until you have finished saying it.
You can try a sample clip on the home page first, and read how to practise shadowing every day.
Questions
Where can I find English shadowing materials?
The usual free sources are VOA Learning English, public podcasts, public domain audiobooks and YouTube videos. You can also use an audio file you have the right to use, or start with the sample clips in Practice Shadowing.
How long should a shadowing clip be?
One to three minutes for each session. With a long file or a podcast episode, Practice Shadowing lets you choose the minutes you want to practise.
What if my audio has no transcript?
For an audio file or a podcast, Practice Shadowing transcribes the minutes you choose and splits them into sentences with their text. For a YouTube video, the sentences come from the video's English captions.
Can I use any audio file for shadowing?
No. Use only files you have the right to use: recordings you made yourself, material in the public domain, or material whose rights holder allows this use. The terms of use spell this out.
Does practising with a YouTube video use minutes?
No. Finding a YouTube video's sentences uses no minutes, because the sentences come from its captions. The only thing that uses minutes is asking for a score on an attempt, which costs the same whatever the audio.