Shadowing gives you constant practice, but not constant feedback. While you are speaking, you cannot hear yourself accurately: your attention is busy, and you hear your voice partly through your own head. Recording yourself and comparing with the original fixes that. It is the step most learners skip, and often the one that makes the difference.
Why Recording Works
When you listen to a recording, your attention is free. You can hear the gap between your version and the model in a way that is almost impossible while speaking. You may discover that you stress the wrong syllable in a word you say every day, or that you pause in the middle of phrases the speaker says in one breath. Once you hear a difference, you can fix it.
The Method
- Choose one sentence you have already practised, ideally one that still feels difficult.
- Play the original once or twice.
- Record yourself saying it, at natural speed, without reading if you can.
- Play the original, then your recording, back to back.
- Compare one feature from the checklist below.
- Practise that feature and record again.
The Comparison Checklist
| Feature | What to listen for |
|---|---|
| Stress | Are the same words and syllables emphasised? |
| Rhythm | Are unstressed words as quick and light as in the original? |
| Pauses | Do you pause in the same places, or in extra places? |
| Intonation | Does your voice rise and fall in the same places? |
| Linking | Do words flow together, or is each one separate? |
| Sounds | Is one specific sound different? Which one? |
| Speed | Are you noticeably slower or faster overall? |
Do not try to check everything at once. One or two features per session is plenty. See Shadowing for Pronunciation for what each feature means.
Recording in LingoLevel
The Shadowing Practice player has recording built in. On any sentence, press R (or the Record button) to start recording and again to stop, then press M (or Play mine) to hear yourself. Press Space to replay the original sentence. Your browser will ask for microphone permission the first time. Recordings stay in your browser and are not uploaded.
Keep Some Recordings
It can be motivating to keep a recording of yourself reading the same passage over time. If you want to do this, use your phone's voice recorder to save one attempt at the start and another a month later. The difference is often bigger than you expect, and much easier to hear than to feel day to day.
Be Kind to Yourself
Almost everyone dislikes their recorded voice at first. That is normal and fades quickly. Treat your recordings as data, not as a judgement: each one simply tells you what to work on next.
For the complete method, see the step-by-step shadowing guide and the list of common shadowing mistakes.