Shadowing Practice: BULKING - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 104 sentences and 1298 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:00. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• shake /ˈʃeɪk/ (verb) — To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
• basement /ˈbeɪsmənt/ (noun) — A floor of a building below ground level.
• meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
• desk /dɛsk/ (noun) — A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a…
• boom /bum/ (verb) — To make a loud, hollow, resonant sound.
• patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/ (noun) — The quality of being patient.
• calorie /ˈkæləɹi/ (noun) — A non-SI unit of energy, equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules, that can raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This is the unit normally…
• butter /ˈbʌtɚ/ (noun) — A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
• insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ (adjective) — Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
• mouse /maʊs/ (noun) — Any mammal of the many rodent families (especially Muridae) that have a small body and a long tail.
• cave /keɪv/ (noun) — A large, naturally-occurring cavity formed underground or in the face of a cliff or a hillside.
• couch /ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/ (noun) — An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa.
• keyboard /ˈki.bɔɹd/ (noun) — A set of keys laid out in a gridlike pattern, used for typing on a typewriter, computer, etc.
• sore /soɹ/ (adjective) — Causing pain or discomfort; painfully sensitive.
• cord /ˈkoɹd/ (noun) — A long, thin, flexible length of twisted yarns (strands) of fibre (a rope, for example).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come down (verb) — To descend, fall down, collapse.
• move on (verb) — To continue; to proceed; to go on.
• clean up (verb) — To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy.
• eat in (verb) — To eat a meal at home.
• go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• move into (verb) — Synonym of move in (To start living or working in a new place)
• pile up (verb) — To form a pile, stack, or heap.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 79 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: throat /ˈθɹoʊt/, thingy /ˈθɪŋi/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, mesh /mɛʃ/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/
• Long words — get the stress right: elevator /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/, accessory /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, pleasurable /ˈplɛʒəɹəbəl/, umbilical /ʌmˈbɪ.lɪ.kəl/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like shake, basement, meal.