Shadowing Practice: Lucy: Time is Unity (HD CLIP) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 32 sentences and 349 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 86% 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:

• chaos /ˈkeɪˌɑs/ (noun) — The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony.
• govern /ˈɡʌv.ən/ (verb) — To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; to exercise sovereign authority in.
• defend /dɪˈfɪnd/ (verb) — To ward off attacks against (something or someone).
• electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/ (adjective) — Related to electricity (or electronics)
• crack /kɹæk/ (noun) — A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.
• integrity /ɪnˈtɛɡɹəti/ (noun) — Steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code.
• unity /ˈjunɪti/ (noun) — Oneness: the state or fact of being one undivided entity.
• dose /ˈdəʊ̯s/ (noun) — A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time.
• mere /mɪɚ/ (adjective) — Just, only; no more than, pure and simple, neither more nor better than might be expected.
• disappear /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ (verb) — To vanish.
• mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/ (adjective) — Of, or relating to mathematics.
• sketch /ˈskɛt͡ʃ/ (noun) — A rapidly executed freehand drawing that is not intended as a finished work, often consisting of a multitude of overlapping lines.
• mankind /mænˈkaɪnd/ (noun) — The human race in its entirety.
• impulse /ˈɪmpʌls/ (noun) — A thrust; a push; a sudden force that impels.
• instability /ɪnstəˈbɪlɪti/ (noun) — The quality of being unstable.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• get together (verb) — To meet, to gather together, to congregate.
• speed up /spiːdˈʌp/ (verb) — To accelerate; to increase speed.
• take on (verb) — To acquire, bring in, or introduce.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/, unfathomable /ˌʌnˈfæð(ə)məb(ə)l/
• Long words — get the stress right: electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/, integrity /ɪnˈtɛɡɹəti/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/, instability /ɪnstəˈbɪlɪti/, legitimacy /ləˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/

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 chaos, govern, defend.