Shadowing Practice: Family 1 Unit 13 lesson 1,3 - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 22 sentences and 64 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:26. The speaker talks slowly, about 45 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 61% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• tidy /ˈtaɪ.di/ (adjective) — Arranged neatly and in order.
• twelve /twɛlv/ (noun) — A group of twelve items.
• fifteen /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ (noun) — An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut.
• eleven /əˈlɛv.ən/ (noun) — A cricket team of eleven players. Hence first eleven - the team of best cricket players (at a school), second eleven - the "B" team, etc.
• blanket /ˈblæŋ.kɪt/ (noun) — A heavy, loosely woven fabric, usually large and woollen, used for warmth while sleeping or resting.
• doll /dɑl/ (noun) — A small figure resembling a human being that is used as a toy.
• shelf /ʃɛlf/ (noun) — A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects.
• pillow /ˈpɪl.oʊ/ [ˈpʰɪɫ.ö̞] (noun) — A soft cushion used to support the head in bed.
• thirteen /ˌθɝtˈtin/ (noun) — A group of thirteen items.
• fourteen /ˈfɔɹ.tin/ (noun) — A group of fourteen items.
• cupboard /ˈkʌb.əd/ (noun) — A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing…
• kitchen /ˈkɪt͡ʃ(ə)n/ (noun) — A room or area for preparing food.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• look in (verb) — To visit a place or person briefly and casually.
• tidy up (verb) — To make clean, to make satisfactorily neat.

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 tidy, twelve, fifteen.