Shadowing Practice: Unit 10 City in the Clouds - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 25 sentences and 324 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:04. The speaker talks slowly, about 105 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 77% 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:

• ruin /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ (noun) — The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
• preserve /pɹəˈzɝv/ (verb) — To protect; to keep from harm or injury.
• earthquake /ˈɝθkweɪk/ (noun) — A shaking of the ground, caused by volcanic activity or movement around geologic faults.
• locate /ˈloʊˌkeɪt/ (verb) — To place; to set in a particular spot or position.
• impressive /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ (adjective) — Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress.
• palace /ˈpælɪs/ (noun) — Official residence of a head of state or other dignitary, especially in a monarchical or imperial governmental system.
• temple /ˈtɛm.pl̩/ (noun) — A house of worship dedicated to a polytheistic faith.
• aspect /ˈæspɛkt/ (noun) — Any specific feature, part, or element of something.
• stretch /stɹɛt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To lengthen by pulling.
• substance /ˈsʌbstəns/ (noun) — Physical matter; material.
• precisely /pɹɪˈsaɪs.li/ (adverb) — In a precise manner; exactly.
• farmer /ˈfɑɹ.mɚ/ (noun) — A person who works the land and/or who keeps livestock; anyone engaged in agriculture on a farm.
• northwest /nɔɹθˈwɛst/ (noun) — The intercardinal compass point halfway between west and north; specifically at a bearing of 315°.
• width /ˈwɪtθ/ (noun) — The state of being wide.
• visitor /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ (noun) — Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come across (verb) — To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition.
• fall back into (verb) — To return to old habits; to return to an unhealthy or unhappy situation.
• fit together (verb) — To put the appropriate parts of (something) into a whole; to combine pieces that go together to create a finished object.
• know about (verb) — To have positive inclinations regarding (someone or something); to have no doubts regarding (someone or something).
• stick together (verb) — To physically combine or join together by adhesion.
• walk in (verb) — To come without an appointment to a place that would normally require one.

Pronunciation to watch

• The “th” sounds: earthquake /ˈɝθkweɪk/, northwest /nɔɹθˈwɛst/, width /ˈwɪtθ/

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 ruin, preserve, earthquake.