Shadowing Practice: 11 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Scene 3.
2
Was Ellen a witch?
3
Brad and Jerry are in Mrs. Morgan's village shop.
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There are two men and three women in the shop.
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And Mrs. Morgan.
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Yes.
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Are you next?
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Yes.
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Two cokes, please.
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And two of those sandwiches.
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I'm not hungry.
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Man, you must eat.
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You can't sit in your room all day and wait for a ghost.
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That's six pounds, please.
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What ghost's this?
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Ellen Bannister?
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Yes.
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Do you know about Ellen Bannister?
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Oh, people in our village had no money then.
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Of course they stole things.
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And Ellen Bannister sold them.
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She only wanted to help. Was she a witch?
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Some people say that.
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A witch?
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No, of course not.
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The men loved her.
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She helped them, you see.
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The women didn't love her so much.
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She was beautiful, you see.
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Her boyfriend was the bad one, that Matthew.
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It wasn't her.
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Oh, what did he do?
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He stole things from rich people.
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Then she sold them and he took all the money.
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He took all her money too, but she loved him. Did he love her?
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No. He had two or three women.
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No, he didn't.
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He loved her.
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He lived for her.
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Who are you talking about?
41
That witch Ellen Bannister?
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She ate cats for breakfast.
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No, don't listen to him.
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Don't listen to these people, you boys.
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What happened to Ellen Bannister?
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You want to know that?
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Matthew killed her.
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Thank you.
49
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Ellen, Bannister, witch, loved. This video has 49 sentences and 241 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:05. The speaker talks slowly, about 78 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. 13 of its 49 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| ghost noun | /ɡoʊst/ | A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death. |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| sandwich noun | /ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/ | A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food. |
| brad noun | /bɹæd/ | A thin, small nail, with a slight projection at the top on one side instead of a head, or occasionally with a small domed head, similar to that of an… |
| coke noun | /koʊk/ | Solid residue from roasting coal in a coke oven; used principally as a fuel and in the production of steel and formerly as a domestic fuel. |
| breakfast noun | /ˈbɹeɪkˌfæst/ | The first meal of the day, usually eaten in the morning. |
| boyfriend noun | /ˈbɔɪˌfɹɛnd/ | A male partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. |
| sell verb | /sɛl/ | To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money. |
| shop noun | /ʃɑp/ | An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. |
| village noun | /ˈvɪlɪd͡ʒ/ | A rural habitation of size between a hamlet and a town. |
| scene noun | /siːn/ | The location of an event that attracts attention. |
| rich adjective | /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ/ | Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions. |
| cat noun | /ˈkæt/ | A mammal of the family Felidae. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Who are you talking about?
- Don't listen to these people, you boys.
- You want to know that?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 steal, hungry, ghost.
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.