Shadowing Practice: 18. Walking Somewhere | English for Everyday Activities - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 26 sentences and 225 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:08. The speaker talks slowly, about 72 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 71% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• sidewalk /ˈsaɪdwɔk/ (noun) — A paved footpath located at the side of a road, for the use of pedestrians.
• crack /kɹæk/ (noun) — A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material.
• dirt /dɝt/ (noun) — Soil or earth.
• curb /kɝb/ (noun) — A concrete margin along the edge of a road; a kerb (UK, Australia, New Zealand).
• pedestrian /pəˈdɛstɹiən/ (noun) — A walker; one who walks or goes on foot, especially as opposed to one who uses a vehicle.
• crosswalk (noun) — A point designated for pedestrians to cross a street.
• overpass /ˈəʊvə(ɹ)pæs/ (noun) — A section of a road or path that crosses over an obstacle, especially another road, railway, etc.
• puddle /ˈpʌdəl/ (noun) — A small, often temporary, pool of water, usually on a path or road.
• shortcut /ˈʃɔːtkʌt/ (noun) — A path between two points that is faster than the commonly used paths.
• chapter /ˈt͡ʃæptɚ/ (noun) — One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book.
• cross /kɹɑs/ (noun) — A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
• trip /tɹɪp/ (noun) — A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
• traffic /ˈtɹæfɪk/ (noun) — Moving pedestrians or vehicles, or the flux or passage thereof.
• corner /ˈkɔɹnɚ/ (noun) — The point where two converging lines meet; an angle, either external or internal.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• step over (noun) — A dribbling move, or feint, in football (soccer), used to fool a defensive player into thinking the offensive player, in possession of the ball, in which the…
• wait for (verb) — To wait until the specified event occurs.
• walk in (verb) — To come without an appointment to a place that would normally require one.
• walk on (verb) — To come onstage.

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 sidewalk, crack, dirt.