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Shadowing practice: What does TRIAL AND ERROR mean? - Learn ENGLISH phrases with MR DUNCAN #englishaddictwithmrduncan

Listen to the line, then say it out loud
Line 1

Full transcript

  1. There is a very interesting phrase that goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again.0:01
  2. This sentence serves as a reminder that the journey towards success or some other type of accomplishment is not an easy one.0:09
  3. You might also say that it is almost impossible to get something right the first time.0:18
  4. It might take many, many tries before something works.0:26
  5. Perhaps you are learning a new skill and it is taking much longer than you thought to learn it.0:30
  6. Perhaps you are trying to develop a new device or something to help people in their day -to -day lives.0:37
  7. Whatever it is you are trying to make or do, there will be a certain process that will need to take place.0:45
  8. Sometimes this process might take a very long time to complete.0:53
  9. That is the reason why quite often the development of any new type of thing often involves a lot of time and a great deal of money being spent on0:59
  10. it.1:10
  11. It is normal to do these things in steps.1:11
  12. Whether it is developing a new product or learning a new subject, there are always steps that must be taken.1:16
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  1. In this sense we are using the word gradual to define each step taken in the overall process of doing something.1:24
  2. Something is done in a gradual way, step by step.1:34
  3. This allows each part of the process to be fully checked and understood.1:41
  4. Learning English also uses steps.1:46
  5. Each part of your learning journey is one step.1:49
  6. Of course there will be mistakes made during this learning process and as I have said before, making mistakes is how you learn.1:53
  7. We often use the phrase trial and error whilst learning or developing something.2:02
  8. In this sense the word trial simply means try.2:08
  9. Each time you try it is a type of trial.2:13
  10. Of course with each trial there will be errors.2:18
  11. Nothing goes right the first time.2:22
  12. Whether it is practicing the pronunciation of a new word or testing a prototype rocket system, both of these things require trial and error so as to improve the outcome.2:25
  13. With each thing you try to do a new lesson will be learned even if a mistake is made during that time.2:38
  14. As I have said before the mistakes made are just as important as the things learned successfully.2:47
  15. In my own life I have had to go through periods of trial and error.2:54
  16. For example whilst learning how to make my English teaching videos I had to learn many things.3:00
  17. All of the technical aspects of creating video lessons had to be learnt and refined.3:08
  18. To refine is to make something better normally as a type of general improvement.3:15
  19. So over time I have had to refine my video editing skills.3:21
  20. I did this through a process of trial and error.3:26
  21. Sometimes I got it right but quite often I would get it wrong.3:30
  22. Fortunately I had that magic phrase to help me remember that everything takes time and cannot be rushed.3:35
  23. The phrase of course is if it first you don't succeed try try again.3:43

A calm British commentary at B1, built for english speaking practice

Mr Duncan speaks at 155 words per minute in this B1 clip, explaining the phrase "trial and error" in his own words rather than reading a script aloud. That steady, explanatory pace makes it a good fit for english speaking practice at B1: fast enough to feel like real speech, slow enough that you can catch every word before you try to say it back.

This is British accent english shadowing practice: Mr Duncan's vowels and consonant endings are clear and unhurried, giving you british english pronunciation practice without needing to slow the audio down. Listening straight through also works as english listening practice, since he is explaining an idea, not reading dialogue between characters. The subject itself is plain: why learning, whether a language or any other skill, happens in gradual steps rather than all at once.

The lines that carry this clip's argument

Three sentences from the opening do most of the work, and each is worth saying on its own before you try the clip end to end.

  • "There is a very interesting phrase that goes, if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." is the old saying he opens with. Say it as one breath group, the way he does, with the two "try"s landing with equal stress.
  • "Nothing goes right the first time." is four short words carrying the whole idea of the clip. Practise it flat and final, the way a stated rule sounds, not the way a question would.
  • "Whether it is practicing the pronunciation of a new word or testing a prototype rocket system, both of these things require trial and error so as to improve the outcome." is the longest sentence in the opening and a real test of breath control: two examples sit inside one clause before the sentence resolves.

How to work through Mr Duncan's B1 lines, in order

Work the opening in a fixed order rather than jumping around; each step builds on the one before it.

  • Start with line 1, the "try, try again" quote. Shadow this line alone five times before moving on, matching his rhythm on the repeated word.
  • Move to line 3, "You might also say that it is almost impossible to get something right the first time", then say line 23's shorter version, "Nothing goes right the first time", right after it, to hear how the same idea gets compressed.
  • Take line 24, the long sentence about "a new word or testing a prototype rocket system". Split it at the word "or" while you practise, then join the two halves once each one comes out smoothly on its own.
  • Finish on line 20, "In this sense the word trial simply means try", the clearest single definition in the clip, and read it back until it needs no pause in the middle.
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