Ravi Kumar lived in the busy city of Mumbai, India. He worked for a large international company. His job was in IT support, helping people with their computer problems. Many of the company’s main offices were in the United Kingdom, in London. This meant Ravi spent a lot of time talking to colleagues and managers in the UK on video calls and phone calls.
Ravi spoke English well. He learned it in school, and he used it every day for his work. But Ravi had a strong Indian accent. Sometimes, people in London asked him to repeat himself. They were always polite, but Ravi felt a little embarrassed sometimes. He also noticed that the British speakers had a certain rhythm and music in their voices that his own English did not have. He thought, “If I could speak a bit more like them, maybe communication would be smoother. Maybe I would feel more confident in important meetings.”
He didn’t want to lose his Indian identity, not at all. He loved his culture and his background. But he saw learning a British way of speaking English as adding a new skill, like learning a new computer program for his job.
One evening, Ravi was searching online for ways to improve his English pronunciation. He read about different methods. Some talked about tongue twisters, others about learning phonetic symbols. Then, he found an article about something called “Shadowing”.
The article explained shadowing like this: You listen to a native speaker, and you try to speak at the exact same time as them. You copy their pronunciation, their speed, their rhythm (the ups and downs), and their intonation (the music of the voice). It sounded interesting, but also a little strange. Talking at the same time as someone else? How could that work?
Ravi decided to try it. He needed good quality audio of a British English speaker. He chose to listen to newsreaders from the BBC. Their English was very clear and generally considered a standard British accent, often called ‘Received Pronunciation’ or ‘RP’.
The next morning, during his commute on the train to work, Ravi put on his headphones. He found a short BBC news report online. First, he just listened carefully one time. He paid attention to the sounds, how the speaker linked words together, and the rise and fall of their voice.
Then, he started the audio again. This time, he tried to speak with the newsreader. It felt very strange! His own voice sounded loud and clumsy in his ears. He couldn’t keep up. The newsreader spoke quite fast, and Ravi missed many words. He felt a bit silly, whispering the English words on the crowded train.
But Ravi was determined. He remembered reading that shadowing takes practice. He decided he would practice for 15 minutes every morning on the train and 15 minutes every evening on his way home.
The first week was difficult. He often lost his place. He struggled with certain sounds that were different from his Indian English. The ‘th’ sound in words like ‘think’ and ‘that’ was tricky. The vowel sounds in words like ‘ M’ and ‘man’ or ‘ship’ and ‘sheep’ needed careful listening. And the way British speakers didn’t always pronounce the ‘r’ sound at the end of words like ‘car’ or ‘better’ was also different.
He started with shorter sentences. He would play one sentence, listen, then play it again and try to shadow it. He did this again and again with the same sentence until he felt he was getting closer to the original sound and rhythm. He focused not just on the words, but on the music of the sentence.
Slowly, very slowly, Ravi started to notice small changes. He began to hear the differences between his pronunciation and the BBC newsreader’s pronunciation more clearly. He started to adjust his own mouth and tongue movements. He paid attention to where the stress fell in words and sentences.
He also started shadowing other types of audio – maybe a short talk from a British university professor he found online, or sometimes even characters from British TV shows (though he had to be careful, as characters often have strong regional accents).
After about two months of regular practice, Ravi had an important video meeting with his manager, Mr. Harrison, in London. They were discussing a new project. Ravi explained his ideas. He tried to speak clearly and use the rhythm he had been practicing. He focused on pronouncing key words carefully.
At the end of the discussion, Mr. Harrison smiled. “Ravi,” he said, “thank you for that clear explanation. I must say, your English sounds very good today. Very clear and easy to follow.”
Ravi felt a warm glow of happiness. It was the first time someone had commented positively on his speaking in this way! It wasn’t a huge change, perhaps, but it was progress. Mr. Harrison understood him perfectly, and Ravi felt much more confident presenting his ideas.
Ravi knew his journey wasn’t finished. He still had his Indian accent, but it was perhaps a little softer. More importantly, he felt his pronunciation was clearer, his rhythm was better, and his confidence had grown. He continued his daily shadowing practice. It had become a normal part of his day, like reading the news or having his morning tea.
He learned that shadowing wasn’t about becoming someone else. It was about improving his communication skills, feeling more comfortable in his international job, and enjoying the process of learning and mastering the sounds and music of British English. It took time and patience, but for Ravi, it was definitely worth the effort.
Vocabulary Notes
Colleagues (Noun)
Meaning: People you work with in the same company or job. Your workmates.
Example: “This meant Ravi spent a lot of time talking to colleagues and managers in the UK…”
Similar words/ideas: Co-workers, workmates, teammates, associates (more formal).
Embarrassed (Adjective)
Meaning: Feeling shy, awkward, or uncomfortable about something you did or about yourself.
Example: “Sometimes, people in London asked him to repeat himself… Ravi felt a little embarrassed sometimes.”
Similar words/ideas: Shy, awkward, self-conscious, uncomfortable, ashamed (stronger feeling).
Rhythm (Noun)
Meaning: The pattern of sounds, pauses, and stressed syllables when someone speaks. It’s like the ‘beat’ or ‘flow’ of the language.
Example: “…the British speakers had a certain rhythm and music in their voices…” / “You copy their pronunciation, their speed, their rhythm…”
Similar words/ideas: Beat, flow, pattern, cadence, timing.
Intonation (Noun)
Meaning: The way a speaker’s voice rises and falls (goes up and down) when speaking. It’s the ‘music’ or ‘melody’ of the voice and can change the meaning of a sentence.
Example: “…and their intonation (the music of the voice).”
Similar words/ideas: Pitch, tone of voice, melody (of speech), inflection.
Shadowing (Noun / Gerund)
Meaning: A language learning method where you listen to a recording of a native speaker and try to speak at the exact same time, copying their pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation as closely as possible.
Example: “Then, he found an article about something called ‘Shadowing’.” / “He learned that shadowing wasn’t about becoming someone else.”
Similar words/ideas: Mimicking, copying, echoing (but ‘shadowing’ specifically means speaking at the same time).
Commute (Noun)
Meaning: The regular journey between your home and your place of work or study.
Example: “The next morning, during his commute on the train to work, Ravi put on his headphones.”
Similar words/ideas: Journey to work, travel to work. (The verb is also ‘commute’. A person who does this is a ‘commuter’).
Determined (Adjective)
Meaning: Having made a strong decision to do something and not letting anything stop you. Very motivated.
Example: “But Ravi was determined. He remembered reading that shadowing takes practice.”
Similar words/ideas: Motivated, persistent, focused, dedicated, resolved.
Tricky (Adjective)
Meaning: Difficult to do or deal with; needing care or skill.
Example: “The ‘th’ sound in words like ‘think’ and ‘that’ was tricky.”
Similar words/ideas: Difficult, challenging, complicated, awkward, hard.
Adjust (Verb)
Meaning: To change something slightly, often to make it better, more correct, or suitable for a new situation.
Example: “He started to adjust his own mouth and tongue movements.”
Similar words/ideas: Change, modify, adapt, alter, fine-tune.
Progress (Noun)
Meaning: Movement forward or towards getting better; improvement or development.
Example: “It wasn’t a huge change, perhaps, but it was progress.”
Similar words/ideas: Improvement, advancement, development, getting better, headway.
Confident (Adjective) / Confidence (Noun)
Meaning: Confident (adjective) means feeling sure about your own abilities or opinions. Confidence (noun) is the feeling of being confident.
Example: “Maybe I would feel more confident in important meetings.” / “…his confidence had grown.”
Similar words/ideas: (Confident) Sure, self-assured, certain, positive. (Confidence) Self-belief, assurance, certainty, self-esteem.
Story written by Gemini AI
Image created by Designer AI
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