Shadowing Practice: Jason Mraz - I'm Yours (LYRICS) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 30 sentences and 381 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:20. The speaker talks slowly, about 88 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• fate /feɪt/ (noun) — The presumed cause, force, principle, or divine will that predetermines events.
• hesitate /ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/ (verb) — To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
• mirror /ˈmiɹɚ/ (noun) — A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
• crack /kɹæk/ (noun) — A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.
• spin /spɪn/ (verb) — To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
• breathe /bɹiːð/ (verb) — To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• intervention /ɪntɚˈvɛnʃən/ (noun) — The action of intervening; interfering in some course of events.
• divine /dɪˈvaɪn/ (adjective) — Of or pertaining to a god.
• chill /tʃɪl/ (verb) — To lower the temperature of something; to cool.
• bend /bɛnd/ (verb) — To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means.
• entity /ˈɛn.tə.ti/ [-tʰi] (noun) — That which has a distinct existence as an individual unit, often used for organizations which have no physical form.
• melt /mɛlt/ (verb) — To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat.
• virtue /ˈvɝt͡ʃu/ (noun) — The idea of all that is good or excellent (in every sense of those terms) in a human being, collectively instantiated by a varying number of human traits known…
• fog /fɑɡ/ (noun) — A thick cloud that forms near the ground; the obscurity of such a cloud.
• reckon /ˈɹɛkən/ (verb) — To count; to enumerate; to number; also, to compute; to calculate.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• open up (verb) — To open.
• look into (verb) — To investigate, explore, or consider.
• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
• get back (verb) — Return to where one came from.
• go with (verb) — To choose or accept (a suggestion).
• pop up (verb) — To come up with a "pop" sound.
• run out (verb) — To use up or consume all

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• Long words — get the stress right: intervention /ɪntɚˈvɛnʃən/, entity /ˈɛn.tə.ti/ [-tʰi]

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 fate, hesitate, mirror.