To practise shadowing, spend about 15 minutes a day on a short English clip that you mostly understand. Listen to the whole clip once. Then repeat it after the speaker, one sentence at a time, record yourself and compare your attempts with the original. Finish by speaking at the same time as the recording. Stay with one clip for a few days before you move on to another.
A 15-minute shadowing session
- Minutes 1 to 2: listen. Listen to the whole clip without speaking, so that you know what it is about.
- Minutes 3 to 5: read. Read the text and look up new words. Mark the places where the speaker pauses and where words run together.
- Minutes 6 to 10: repeat each sentence. Let the player stop after every sentence. When a sentence is hard, listen to it again and say it a few more times.
- Minutes 11 to 13: compare. Play your recording straight after the original. Pick one place where they differ and practise that part on its own.
- Minutes 14 to 15: speak along. Drop the pause and speak along with the whole clip, without looking at the text.
Fifteen minutes is only a starting point. A short session every day is usually easier to keep up than a long one once a week.
Choosing a clip
- Length: one to three minutes. Split anything longer over several sessions.
- Difficulty: with the text in front of you, you can understand most of it. If you have to look up more than half the words, choose something easier.
- Speed: start with slow, clear speech. Once you are used to that, move on to conversation at natural speed.
- Accent: choose the accent you want to copy, and practise with it for a while.
- Text: it is best to have the words in writing too. When you add an audio file or a podcast to Practice Shadowing, the app splits the minutes you pick into sentences with their text.
The page on shadowing materials suggests where to find audio.
Common mistakes
- Picking a clip that is too fast. You end up mumbling along without copying anything.
- Keeping your eyes on the text. Reading a text aloud is reading practice. In shadowing, you follow what you hear.
- Not listening back to yourself. While you are speaking, it is very hard to hear where you sound different from the original. A recording shows you where.
- Changing the clip every day. A clip has to be repeated a few times before the words come easily.
- Fixing everything at once. Work on one point at a time, such as the sound at the end of a word or one pause.
Shadowing online with Practice Shadowing
The player has four ways to pause:
- Waiting pause: stops after each sentence and goes on when you have finished speaking. It suits the step where you repeat each sentence.
- Fixed pause: stops for a set time after each sentence, then goes on.
- Speak along: no pause. Use it for the last step of the session.
- Tap to continue: waits until you tap. Use it when you want more time on a sentence.
The "I am done" button is always on screen. Before you start, a one-second room check suggests earphones if the room is noisy. Each time you repeat a sentence, it is recorded on your device, so you can compare it with the original. Scoring is optional: the result shows the words a speech recogniser heard, and it is not a grade of your pronunciation.
Try a sample clip on the home page, pick a lesson at your level or open the app.
Questions
How long should I practise shadowing each day?
There is no number that is right for everyone. About 15 to 20 minutes a day on a short clip is enough to start. Short, regular practice is usually easier to keep up than long sessions now and then.
How do I practise shadowing correctly?
Listen before you speak, and copy the rhythm and intonation as well as the words. After a few attempts, listen to your recording and fix one thing. Drop the pause and speak along only when the sentences feel familiar.
How do you do shadowing?
Shadowing is speaking along with a recording. Reading the text aloud is a different exercise. The first time through, you can look at the text to see each word. Then look away from it and say what you hear, including the pauses and the places where words run together.
Is there an app for English shadowing?
Yes. Practice Shadowing is a web app, and you can add it to your phone's home screen. The player stops after each sentence and waits until you finish speaking, and each attempt is recorded so you can compare it with the original. It is free during its launch.
Do I need headphones for shadowing?
They are not required. Headphones or earphones with a microphone help when the room is noisy, and when you speak along with the recording. In Practice Shadowing, the room check suggests when to use them.