Shadowing Practice: 12 - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 74 sentences and 310 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:18. The speaker talks slowly, about 72 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

11 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• steal /stiːl/ (verb) — To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
• arrive /əˈɹaɪv/ (verb) — To reach; to get to a certain place.
• harbor /ˈhɑːbə/ (noun) — Any place of shelter.
• laugh /læf/ (verb) — To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and…
• twenty /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i] (noun) — The numbers twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29).
• ship /ˈʃɪp/ (noun) — A water-borne vessel generally larger than a boat.
• rich /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ/ (adjective) — Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions.
• sell /sɛl/ (verb) — To transfer goods or provide services in exchange for money.
• scene /siːn/ (noun) — The location of an event that attracts attention.
• sit /sɪt/ (verb) — To be in a position in which the upper body is upright and supported by the buttocks.
• prison /ˈpɹɪzn̩/ (noun) — A place or institution where people are held against their will, in the US especially for long-term confinement, as of those convicted of serious crimes or…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• wait for (verb) — To wait until the specified event occurs.
• come back (verb) — To return to a place.
• come for (verb) — To search for someone with the intent to apprehend or cause harm.
• go away (verb) — To depart or leave a place.
• go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
• look for (verb) — To seek.
• run away (verb) — To flee by running.
• sit on (verb) — To block, suppress, restrain (something).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 steal, arrive, harbor.