Shadowing Practice: 12 Confusing English Verbs - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Hello, lovely students, and welcome back to English with Lucy.
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Some English verbs are incredibly confusing.
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Some of them sound really similar, like the verbs wander and wonder.
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Some have really similar meanings, like see, watch, and look.
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Or it can be really tricky to choose the right preposition or adverb.
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Did he fall off, fall over or fall down?
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Well, today you are in luck.
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I have compiled some of the most commonly confused verbs and we are going to eliminate any doubts you might have.
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You are going to have some Eureka moments.
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As always, I have created a free PDF to go with this video.
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You'll find all of the information from this lesson with extra examples
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and a secret link to an interactive exercise pack for further practice
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if you'd like to download that pdf just click on the link in the description box
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or scan that qr code there enter your name your email address
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and choose your english level then you sign up to my mailing list
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and the pdf will arrive directly in your inbox after
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that you've joined my pdf club You will automatically receive my free weekly PDFs alongside my news,
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course updates, and offers.
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It's a totally free service and you can unsubscribe at any time with just one click.
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Let's get started with number one, hear versus listen.
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We use hear to describe the process of sounds coming into your ears, whether you want them to or not, and that's the key.
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For example, did you hear those dogs barking?
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The noise kept me up all night.
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No, I had earplugs in so I couldn't hear anything.
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We also use here with the meaning of to be told something.
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For example, Emma got the job, so I've heard, so I've been told.
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Now listening on the other hand is intentional.
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When you listen, you have to focus and pay attention.
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For example, I'm listening to a really good podcast at the moment, or he told me what the plan was,
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but I wasn't really listening.
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So hearing no effort, listening intentional requires effort.
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It's that simple.
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Number two, We have see, look, and watch, or I should really say see, look at, and watch.
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I get questions about these verbs all the time.
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See is similar to here.
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It's the process of noticing something, but this time with the eyes, no effort required.
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For example, we could see the Eiffel Tower from our hotel window, or I didn't see the person who snatched my phone.
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Look at means to move your eyes in a particular direction in order to see something.
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For example, look at that man dressed as a horse or look at me when I'm talking to you, please.
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The action of looking is generally quite short.
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Watch, on the other hand, is when you look at something or somebody for a longer period of time.
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What you're watching will usually be moving like a film, a YouTube video, a play, or a concert.
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The action generally involves more effort.
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For example, watch how I play it and then you can try and copy.
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Or did you watch the game last night?
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Now, you can see or watch a film, but be careful, we don't see television.
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We watch television.
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For example, we're going to watch or we're going to see Gladiator 2 if you fancy joining us, or I rarely watch TV these days,
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not I rarely see TV.
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Okay, number three, fit and suit.
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Here are two questions that I frequently ask my husband, but what's the difference in meaning?
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Number one, does this dress suit me?
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And number two, does this dress
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fit me
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and yes i said suit not sweet suit we pronounce suit
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with the long ooh as in boot suit okay we use
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the verb suit to ask about how attractive an item of clothing an accessory
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or even a hairstyle makes a person look
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if someone says wow those jeans really suit you they're saying
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those jeans look good on you you look attractive wearing them we use fit to talk about the size
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and shape of something.
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For example, you can have that T -shirt.
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It doesn't fit me anymore.
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It's too big or too small for my body.
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You'll often hear people say something fits well or nicely.
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And I love the idiomatic expression to fit like a glove, which means to fit perfectly.
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Oh, and I can't be on this topic and not mention go with.
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We use this phrase with the meaning of combine well.
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That bag goes really well with those shoes.
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Your bag matches your shoes or your bag combines well with your shoes.
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They look good together.
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It's a vibe.
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Okay, let's move on to number four.
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We have mind and matter.
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Now, these two verbs can cause a lot of confusion if we mix them up.
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What is the difference between these two sentences?
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Which one are you likely to say more often?
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I don't mind.
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I don't matter.
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So we usually use mind in questions and negatives.
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I don't mind means it's not a problem for me.
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For example, I don't mind doing the washing up.
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I'm happy to do it.
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Or we don't mind the noise from the traffic.
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It doesn't bother us.
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And in the question form, it can be used to make a polite request.
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Would you mind taking me to the airport?
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Notice how we can use a noun or the ing verb after mind.
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We also often use not mind to say that we are happy with any options offered to us.
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For example, do you fancy going out for dinner or should we stay in?
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I don't mind.
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I'd be happy doing either.
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And what about the second sentence?
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I don't matter.
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I really hope you never say this.
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If something matters to you, it's important to you.
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So if you say, I don't matter, you're saying, I'm not important.
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I recommend memorising these two phrases together.
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I don't mind, it doesn't matter.
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We use matter to reassure someone that something isn't important.
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Oh no, I forgot to buy the milk.
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It doesn't matter, we can do without it.
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Now, rather confusingly, you can also use the expression, nevermind here with the same meaning.
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And one final point here, don't mix, I don't mind up with, I don't care.
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If used with the wrong tone of voice, I don't care can make you sound angry or disinterested.
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Compare the responses to the question.
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What do you fancy for dinner?
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I don't mind.
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I'd genuinely be happy with anything you make for me.
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I don't care.
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That means, leave me alone.
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I don't want to have to think about this right now.
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I'm too busy.
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The difference is quite clear.
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Okay, number five.
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We're going to take a look at two verbs with very different meanings that sound ridiculously similar.
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Wonder and wonder.
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Can you hear the difference?
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I pronounced wonder with the O as in a, wonder with the a vowel sound in up, wonder.
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Lots of speakers in the North of England will use the a vowel sound like in put, wonder.
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Wonder spelt with an A is pronounced with the short off vowel,
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like in October and hot, wonder, wonder, wonder.
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Can you hear the difference?
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But what do they mean?
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Well, wonder is a very useful verb, which means to ask yourself something you wish you knew the answer to.
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I wonder what Diego's thinking right now.
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In fact, I know what he's thinking.
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It's his dinner time.
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We're nearly at the end of the lesson.
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Or I wonder what Will's bought me for my birthday.
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Wonder has nothing to do with wonder.
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Wonder means to walk around a place with no set plan or purpose.
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Like we wandered around the narrow streets of Venice for hours.
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Or the very famous line from the William Wordsworth poem, I wandered lonely as a cloud.
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Let's use them both in a sentence.
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I wonder where Diego wanders when Will and I are working.
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Next, we have fall off, fall over, and fall down.
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I cannot count the number of times
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that a student has told me they've fallen down their bike or fallen over the stairs.
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These are incorrect.
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Let's clear this one up once and for all.
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We use the verb fall when we suddenly drop from the position we are in towards the ground.
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We have a fight with gravity and gravity wins.
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Fall off can have an object, and this object is usually something we've been sitting on.
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For example, I fell off my bike, a horse, my chair, the roof, I hope not.
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Fall over is when you suddenly drop to the ground from a standing or upright position.
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and it doesn't need an object.
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I fell over and banged my knees.
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It doesn't need an object, but it can have one.
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For example, the dog fell over the cliff.
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Fall down is most commonly used for stairs or steps.
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It can be used with other inclined objects like a hill or a slope.
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My brother fell down the stairs and broke his ankle.
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Okay, I think it's time for a quiz to see what you remember.
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I have five sentences for you to complete with the correct verb.
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Make sure you conjugate the verbs.
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Make sure you use them in the correct form.
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Keep track of your score and let me know how you did in the comments.
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Number one, my baby's growing so fast, none of her clothes hurt anymore.
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Is it fit or suit? Did you say suit?
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I hope not, because the correct answer is fit.
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Her clothes are too small.
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They are no longer the right size or shape.
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Number two, I forgot to pick up your parcel.
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It, I can get it on my way home.
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Do we say it doesn't matter or it doesn't mind?
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You should say it doesn't matter.
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Number three, we spend hours, the streets of Seville.
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I want you to use wonder or wander.
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Did you say wandering with the oh sound?
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Well done.
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Wonder means to ask yourself a question.
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Number four, have you seen that reel of the girl dressed up as a ghost falling the stairs?
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Is it off, over, or down?
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That's right, we fall down the stairs, just like we do with other inclined places like hills and slopes.
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And last one now, number five.
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Sorry, I couldn't, you, I had my earphones in.
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Is it hear or listen to?
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It should be, I couldn't hear you.
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The earphones blocked the sound of your voice.
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Right.
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Let me know your score out of five.
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That's it for today.
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I hope the lesson has cleared up lots of doubts.
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I've included lots more interesting bits of information about these verbs and another quiz in the PDF.
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So don't forget to download it.
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The link is in the description box.
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I will see you soon for another lesson.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “12 Confusing English Verbs”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: wonder, verb, example, fall, suit. This video has 188 sentences and 1851 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:43. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| wander verb | /ˈwɑndɚ/ | To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood. |
| stairs noun | /ˈstɛɹz/ | A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| fancy noun | /ˈfæn.si/ | The imagination. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| commonly adverb | /ˈkɑmənli/ | As a rule; frequently; usually. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| gravity noun | /ˈɡɹævɪti/ | Of an activity such as a ceremony, a person's conduct, etc.: the quality of being deeply serious and solemn, especially in a dignified manner; seriousness… |
| combine verb | /kəmˈbaɪn/ | To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite. |
| jeans noun | /d͡ʒiːnz/ | A pair of trousers made from denim cotton. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| slope noun | /sloʊp/ | A surface that either inclines or declines in a regular manner from the perspective of an observer. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| fall down verb | /fɔl ˈdaʊn/ | To fall to the ground. To collapse. |
| fall over verb | To fall from an upright or standing position to a horizontal or prone position. | |
| fall off verb | To become detached or to drop from. | |
| clear up verb | /klɪəˈɹʌp/ | To clarify, to correct a misconception. |
| dress up verb | To put on special or fancy clothes. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| walk around verb | To walk with no planned destination; to meander. | |
| wash up verb | To clean the utensils, dishes etc. used in preparing and eating a meal. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- For example, did you hear those dogs barking?
- Number one, does this dress suit me?
- Which one are you likely to say more often?
- Would you mind taking me to the airport?
- What do you fancy for dinner?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have compiled · have created · you've joined |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be told · I've been told · is pronounced |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | person who snatched · glove, which means · verb, which means |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should really say · should we stay · should say |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 57 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, doesn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cloth /klɒθ/, clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, wash /wɑʃ/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: intentional /ɪnˈtɛnʃənəl/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, interactive /ˌɪn.tɚˈæk.tɪv/
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 verb, wander, stairs.
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.