Shadowing Practice: 148 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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This is 7 News with Peter Mitchell.
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Good evening.
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A 15-year-old boy is undergoing emergency surgery after a shocking knife
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attack just metres from the front gates of his Cranbourne North School.
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Police say the armed gang chanted a war cry like they were going into battle before hunting down their young victim.
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This should have been a routine walk home from school for a 15-year-old boy.
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Instead, he was hunted, taunted and stabbed repeatedly.
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The victim was with two friends leaving Alkira Secondary College when three thugs armed with machetes started calling out to them.
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Similar to a war cry is when you go into battle to create fear into their intended victim.
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Terrified, the boys ran to a nearby park for refuge.
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Their war cries turned to a bloodied attack.
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It was an extremely violent attack and started chasing him around Sable Park, lashing out with their weapons,
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causing serious injuries to that young man.
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7 News understands this is his desperate getaway, running back to school with serious injuries to his neck,
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back, arms and hands, a trail of blood left behind.
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Our victim's not known to the least.
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We don't have any intelligence holdings to suspect or understand why he was attacked.
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As his classmates returned to school today, so too did police, while the boy was undergoing emergency surgery.
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Definitely scary, definitely.
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It's not safe walking alone in the city.
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The school is offering support to the students involved as well as those who witnessed the aftermath of the violent attack.
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The victim is spending a second night in hospital.
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The suspects are aged 16 to 20 of Middle Eastern appearance and wearing dark clothing, including hoods.
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They're not from the same school and are still on the run tonight.
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Jacqueline Stanley, 7 News.

Understanding the Context of the Video

The video covers a serious news story about a 15-year-old boy attacked near his school, with details on the incident, police response, and community impact. While the content is heavy, it’s a great example of real-world English communication—useful for english speaking practice because it includes conversational reporting, descriptive language, and common phrases used in news contexts.

Top 5 Phrases for Daily Communication

  • "Undergoing emergency surgery": A common phrase to describe someone receiving urgent medical care. Example: "The patient is undergoing emergency surgery after the accident."
  • "Hunted down": Means to pursue and capture someone. Example: "The police hunted down the suspect after the robbery."
  • "Trail of blood": A visible line of blood left behind. Example: "The dog ran away, leaving a trail of mud across the floor."
  • "On the run": Describes someone avoiding capture. Example: "The thief has been on the run for three days."
  • "Offering support": Providing help or assistance. Example: "The company is offering support to employees affected by the storm."

Step-by-Step Shadowing Guide for This Video

Shadowing is a powerful shadowing technique to improve pronunciation and fluency. Here’s how to use this video for practice:

  1. Listen first: Watch the video once to grasp the story. Focus on the speaker’s tone—news reporters often use clear, deliberate speech, which is great for learning pronunciation.
  2. Pause and repeat: Play short clips (5-10 seconds) and repeat immediately. Mimic the rhythm and stress, especially in phrases like "extremely violent attack." This helps with improve english pronunciation.
  3. Focus on connected speech: Notice how words link, like "hunted down" or "on the run." Shadowing these helps you sound more natural in daily conversations.
  4. Record yourself: Compare your recording to the video. Check if you’re matching the speed and intonation. A shadowing site can help track progress, but even a phone works!
  5. Practice daily: Spend 10-15 minutes a day on this video. Consistency is key to mastering the shadowspeak style—speaking like a native by mirroring their delivery.

By working through this video, you’ll not only build your vocabulary but also gain confidence in understanding and using real-life English.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →