Shadowing Practice: 1.3K - Learn English Speaking with Video
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A1Class book / Unit 5 / lesson 1
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 31 sentences and 222 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:04. The speaker talks slowly, about 108 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 73% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| chip noun | /t͡ʃɪp/ | A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material. |
| rude adjective | /ɹuːd/ | Lacking in refinement or civility; bad-mannered; discourteous. |
| soap noun | /soʊp/ | A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products. |
| bubble noun | /ˈbʌbəl/ | A spherically contained volume of air or other gas in a liquid, commonly a soapy liquid. |
| cow noun | /kaʊ/ | An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved. |
| selfish adjective | /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ | Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making. |
| shout verb | /ʃaʊt/ | To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc. |
| swallow verb | /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ | To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. |
| splash verb | /splæʃ/ | To hit or agitate liquid so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass. |
| greedy adjective | /ˈɡɹiːdi/ | Having greed; consumed by selfish desires. |
| pea noun | /piː/ | Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run past verb | To bring an idea or proposal to the attention of (someone) in order to obtain their opinion. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/, shout /ʃaʊt/, splash /splæʃ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bite, sink, trick.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.