Study Guide Episode 1

I. How To Use Our Audio Exercise Materials

II. ShadowTalk Transcript
III. ShadowTalk Score Sheet
IV. Vocabulary From The ShadowTalk Transcript
V. Learning Tips
I. How To Use Our Audio Exercise Materials
A. What is ShadowTalk?
We refer to our audio exercises as ShadowTalk. We call it ShadowTalk because youre
supposed to follow or shadow the recorded voice; you listen to the voice and then
repeat every word that is spoken. The purpose of the exercises is to improve your lis-
tening comprehension, pronunciation and speaking skills. This happens as you force
your brain to recognize the patterns of sentence structures and the sounds of English
words, as you say those words out loud. You should record your own voice with a
voice recorder, and then listen to your own recorded voice. You will then receive im-
mediate feedback on your pronunciation and improve your ability to recognize English
words by ear. (For video instructions, you can go to the video-specific How-To page on
our website at http://www.sozoexchange.com/how-to/.)
B. List of Equipment You Need
#1 - A computer or digital music player to play the ShadowTalk MP3 file
#2 - A digital or cassette voice recorder to record your own voice
#3 - A headset/headphones to listen to the ShadowTalk MP3 file
C. Instructions
1. Plug in a headset into your computer's audio output jack so you can listen to
the ShadowTalk MP3 file.
2. As soon as you start playing the ShadowTalk MP3 file, start recording your own
voice with a voice recorder, following or ShadowTalking the recorded voice of
the MP3 file. Remember to always start with the regular speed exercise.
3. Compare your recorded voice with the transcript in this Study Guide, and you
can then score your listening and pronunciation skills.
4. Count the number of missed or mispronounced words you knew, and enter it
into the A3 column of the score sheet for Regular Speed. The number of
words missed in A3 indicates the level of your pronunciation skills.
5. Make sure to count every word you missed, including a, an, and the.
6. Count the number of missed words you didn't know or understand, and enter
that number into the A2 column of the score sheet for Regular Speed. The
number of words missed in A2 represents your listening comprehension level.
7. Add both numbers in A2 and A3 together, and you will get the total number of
missed words; enter that number into A1. This number indicates the words
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WHERE ADULTS LEARN ENGLISH AND EXCHANGE IDEAS
other people will not be able to understand when they listen to your recorded
voice.
8. Subtract the total number of missed words in A1 from the total number of
words in the ShadowTalk transcript (235 words). Then divide it again by the to-
tal word count (235 words). This is your real score in percentage terms, and is
referred to as your total score. (See the calculation example in A7.)
9. To obtain your individual scores for listening and pronunciation skills, follow the
same calculations as shown in Columns A5 and A6.
10. Unless your total score is 100%, we highly recommend you do the slow speed
exercise right after the regular speed one.
11. Save the MP3 file, your score sheet and marked transcript each time.
12. Do the same ShadowTalk exercise six months from now; you can then compare
your results to the results from today to measure your progress.
II. ShadowTalk Transcript
! Title: A letter from Shanghai
! Regular Speed (00:09 - 01:30) Rate of speech: 174 words/min. approx.
! Slow Speed (01:40 - 03:38) Rate of speech: 119 words/min. approx.
! Word Count: 235 words
! The tone of the voice: casual and affectionate
! Difficulty Level: Beginner

Dear Mom,
I am writing this letter in my hotel room in Shanghai, China. My flight from Los Angeles
arrived here in China about nine hours ago. Now, it's 3 o'clock in the morning, local
time, but I can't sleep because of the jet lag. I dont mind though, because Im using
the time to prepare some contracts for our negotiations with our Chinese partners.
Well be meeting them for the next couple of days, and exploring new business oppor-
tunities with the Chinese. If all goes well, I may be relocating to Shanghai as the head
of our Shanghai operations. Don't worry, Mom. That would be only a temporary as-
signment. I couldnt stay away from you for that long!
Hows Dad? I haven't seen you and Dad since last Thanksgiving, and I miss you both. I
am sure you two will love this place. I have been here in Shanghai for less than a day,
but I am already fascinated by this city. I see the juxtapositions of the old and new
China everywhere. Although Shanghai is one of China's free economic zones, China is
still a communist country. But, by just looking at the way people are dressed and many
of the high-end designer shops, Shanghaiees appear to be just as materialistic as
Americans are so it looks like capitalism is booming here.
Anyway, I better get back to my work.
Love,
Jennifer

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III. ShadowTalk Score Sheet
IV. Vocabulary From The ShadowTalk Transcript
! Jet lag: (noun uncountable) being tired and dazed after a long trip, caused by
airplane travel as the plane crosses different time zone(s).
! Juxtaposition: (noun countable)(verb: juxtapose) placing contrasting images,
matters, concepts, or ideas next to each other.
! Materialistic: (adjective) placing heavy emphasis on material possessions.
V. Learning Tips
! Find a friend who wants to be your study pal and ask him or her to score your
ShadowTalk results. In exchange, you can do the same for your friend. Ask your
friend to be really tough as he or she scores your exercise results.
! If you have a digital voice recorder as opposed to a cassette recorder, you can
easily exchange audio files with your friends by e-mail. Note: some digital voice
recorders use their own proprietary audio formats and are not compatible with
MP3, WMA, and other more popular formats.

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