Shadowing Practice: 2025 Commencement Address by Sandra Oh - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Good morning Dartmouth!

Oh, it's such an honor to be here with you today on this momentous occasion.

Congratulations, you did it!

Welcome to fellow students, to past graduates, to faculty, to friends and families,

and happy Father's Day to all those proud fathers out there.

Thank you, President Bylock, the Board of Trustees, to all the staff who made this day possible,

and to you all for this invitation.

I never attended university myself, only played characters who have.

So thank you for helping fulfill my parents' dream of me actually getting a degree.

And a doctorate at that.

I know, it's honorary.

Actually, it was Shonda Rhimes, one of your alums, and my former boss, who called me.

And when she presented the offer to come and speak to you all today, I thought, well, that's nice to be asked.

What a privilege.

What a great opportunity to come meet you all.

And then I thought, absolutely not.

Oh, my God, what do I have to say?

Okay, this was me thinking.

What could I possibly say to you young graduates that could meet this moment we find ourselves in?

I like Federer's speech last year.

Oh, my God, so good.

I can't be as funny as Conan O 'Brien and Mindy Kaling.

I look at everything she's accomplished, and I just want to go to bed.

And they all spoke in the before times.

You know what I mean.

Like, forget about being roasted on the internet, although I am terrified of that.

What if I say the wrong thing?

What if I were to talk about diversity, equity?

Okay, okay.

What if I change the words? like including diverse equalness or diverting equitable inclusivity.

Would that still be bad? Could I get deported?

See, that should be a bad joke, and it is, but it's not.

These are bewildering and destabilizing times,

and every night since Shonda asked me I have been thinking of you all

and I knew no matter what I was going to say today I needed to be honest.

I realized that underneath this discomfort I was feeling,

the fear, the comparison, the self -judgment was was really a call to come and share myself with you despite these doubts.

So if there's anything I can offer to you today for my own life,

it's this, nothing has taught me more than being with discomfort.

It can be our greatest learning opportunity, and it is also inevitable.

So if you can train yourself not to turn away,

but to learn how to be with your discomfort and trust that it might be telling you something you don't yet know,

it can help you develop an inner strength

that will enable you to face the challenges life presents you with without losing your values

or your sense of self along the way.

As some of you know, I had the great privilege of playing Dr. Christina Yang on Grey's Anatomy for 10 seasons.

So, this opportunity brought me financial stability, fame, and privilege.

It was also one of the most challenging decades of my life.

I learned profound lessons during this time because so much of it was so uncomfortable.

Now, when I started Graze, I was in my early 30s, so I had an idea of who I was and what the work entailed,

but I had no idea what was coming.

I demanded a lot from myself and from the writers.

If something bothered me in a script,

I would fight for what I believed what was right for the character of Christina because I felt responsible for her.

And while this contributed to the creation of a memorable character, my desire to make the dialogue fit

and my belief that I knew what was best for the character also caused grief for the writers and for me.

Let me tell you, okay.

There was a dedicated Sandra Whisperer on staff.

Oh yes, oh yes, a writer who was tasked to come to set to deal with me. That doesn't happen anymore.

I am my own whisperer.

One time, I think it was season six, the writers and I were at an impasse about something in this script

and I had to have a call with the big boss and Shonda, I'll never forget, she said to me, Sandra, we have been here before.

You've got to trust me.

Something will come through if you just say the damn words.

Okay, I know she didn't say that exactly because Shonda is a very classy lady, but it has stayed with me.

I heard her.

I thought about everything the writers and I had created together

and I trusted Shonda because deep down we both wanted the same thing, a great show.

The discomfort didn't go away but my relationship to it began to change.

I started to understand that it was part of the process of making a great show or a great anything.

So, I said the damn words.

And when I stopped trying to bend things to my will and stayed open to my discomfort, a new thing came through.

Something that wasn't just mine or just the writers,

but something richer that gave me a deeper understanding of myself as the character, as an actor, and as a collaborator.

Oh, and it's not like I've stopped pushing or fighting,

I'm not suggesting that, but I no longer see these uncomfortable impasses as battles to be won or lost.

They are opportunities to practice how you want to show up, how you want to lead, who you want to be,

clues to where the gold is buried.

And by gold, I mean like the really deep work in life that will help you become a more grounded, more resilient version of yourself,

which you are going to need going forward.

Because life is going to challenge you in ways you cannot anticipate.

Things will happen that are completely out of your control.

This was true for me on Grace.

You know, beyond the creative process, which I did have some say in, there were other things happening that were completely out of my control.

My skin was falling off.

I was afraid to leave my house.

The relentless schedule was completely overwhelming, and I got sick.

Physically and mentally, it was past my limit.

And all the ways I had previously managed to muscle through mental and physical discomfort simply weren't working,

because it turns out you can't ghost depression.

or outsource a panic attack.

The show must go on.

Life is simply not going to stop for you.

The more I wanted my external circumstances to change, the worse I felt.

And things only started to stabilize when I looked inside.

Now, even if you're in perfect health right now, which I hope you are, I bet you feel discomfort about things you can't control.

Maybe you're worried about finding a job, or moving away from friends.

Maybe you're worried about the dismantling of civil rights and liberties, or the planet burning, or the robots taking over.

Maybe you desperately want to make a difference, and you have no idea how to start.

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whatever reason.

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One way to start building some muscle around this discomfort is to actually be in it by choice.

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Tiny, bite -sized moments where you can practice being with it safely.

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And one way I've practiced doing this is to be in silence.

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Stay with me.

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being in silence has helped me develop an inner life

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and what I mean by that is having a relationship with yourself that is beyond your immediate thoughts beyond your immediate feelings

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Beyond just reacting, because if we're always reacting,

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if we're always distracted, we can't fight for the things we want because we won't even know what they are.

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So what if we just try bite -sized discomfort?

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How was that?

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Anxiety -provoking?

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Confusing?

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Did you want to reach for your phone?

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It's interesting, isn't it?

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How much is going on up here and in here when we try to be quiet?

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And how often what we find is neurotic or judgmental or scared?

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So how do you find ease within discomfort without turning away or being thrown off balance?

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The way I have tried to be with this is to be kind.

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Kindness can be hard to find these days.

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It is certainly not reflected in many of our world leaders who claim power through fear and oppression and cruelty.

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A lot of us are scared and angry about what's going on in the world

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And in times like this, kindness might seem naive or pointless.

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But when I say kindness, I'm not talking about being nice.

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I am talking about being able to hold your own heartbreak.

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So we can go on living.

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Go on resisting.

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Go on building.

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Go on healing so we can meet cruelty again and again and not lose our humanity.

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The kindness I am talking about encompasses courage and respect and compassion.

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It helps us get out of bed in the morning.

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It helps us to lead.

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It is the opposite of weakness.

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It is the foundation for a lasting strength.

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And it is really hard to be truly kind, to have kind thoughts towards yourself or towards someone you don't agree with,

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but it is the seed that will grow into action if you nurture it.

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Now, if you're not sure about the feeling I'm talking about,

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or you find kindness kind of difficult to access because it's like an amorphous wash,

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then what about heartbreak? Can you feel heartbreak?

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I bet everyone here knows heartbreak.

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If you're living in this world, you know heartbreak.

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So now, imagine this heartbreak,

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whether it is as personal as a breakup or as big as a war thousands of miles away.

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Imagine you're holding it in your hands.

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What shape is it?

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Is it heavy?

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Does it have color?

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Maybe it's burning your palms or slipping through your fingers or maybe it is so large you can barely contain it.

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Can you hold it with care and keep it safe just for this moment?

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Can you hold your heartbreak with tenderness and give it your loving attention and keep it steady?

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This, this is kindness happiness.

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You all have been incredibly fortunate to spend these formative years here in a place

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that celebrates knowledge and has given you the opportunity to express yourselves.

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If you want to protect academic freedom, if you want to stop the brutality of oppression,

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If you want true democratic change, if you want to just lead a simple and good life,

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the strength you will need to do these things begins with knowing kindness.

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So as you venture off into the rest of your lives,

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I hope you can remember what we shared here today and fill up on it and then extend it outwards towards others,

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towards the planet, because we're all going to need a full arsenal of kindness to meet this world.

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And now more than ever, actually, you know what?

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I'm so sorry.

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There's one more thing.

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I'm so sorry.

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Do I have time for just one?

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Okay.

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I'm so sorry.

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Okay.

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You know what?

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Okay.

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There is this one thing I've done like my whole life that I would really love to share with you all.

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So, um, uh, okay.

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Uh, stand up.

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Everyone just stand up.

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Can everyone just stand up?

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Everyone stand up in the bleachers.

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I see you.

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Everyone stand up.

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This is for the graduates.

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If you can, and you're able, you know, we're practicing discomfort.

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Let's all just stand up.

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Okay.

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Uh, so when the world gets hard or when it's good,

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especially when it's good like today, okay.

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By yourself, with your friends, people you love, with strangers,

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always make the time to dance it out.

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We've got 15 seconds to move on, boys.

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Let's go.

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Let's go.

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Oh, no. Put away your phones.

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Let's move it, move it, move it.

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Woo.

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Come on, moms and dads.

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it is possible to move discomfort into joy remember this feeling carry it and

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care for it and then give it to others thank you who wants to dance with me

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I'm bulletproof, nothing to lose

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Fire away, fire away

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Break the shape, you take your aim

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Fire away, fire away

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Just shoot me down, but I won't fall I am fighting here

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You shoot me down

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But I'm a follower I am Titan I am Titan

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I am Titan Stonehold

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Thank you.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “2025 Commencement Address by Sandra Oh”. This video has 202 sentences and 2102 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:28. The speaker talks at a steady 114 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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
discomfort noun	/dɪsˈkʌmfɚt/	Mental or bodily distress.
kindness noun	/ˈkaɪnd.nəs/	The state of being kind.
privilege noun	/ˈpɹɪv.(ɪ.)lɪd͡ʒ/	A particular benefit, advantage, or favor; a right or immunity enjoyed by some but not others; a prerogative, preferential treatment.
silence noun	/ˈsaɪ̯ləns/	The absence of any sound.
muscle noun	/ˈmʌs.əl/	A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement.
script noun	/skɹɪpt/	A writing; a written document.
bite verb	/baɪt/	To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
uncomfortable adjective	/ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/	Not comfortable; causing discomfort.
react verb	/ɹiːˈækt/	To act in response.
scare verb	/skɛɚ/	To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
oppression noun	/əˈpɹɛʃən/	The exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner.
cruelty noun	/ˈkɹu(.ə)lti/	An indifference to suffering or pleasure in inflicting suffering.
finger noun	/ˈfɪŋɡɚ/	A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other…
lesson noun	/ˈlɛs.ən/	A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
belief noun	/bɪˈliːf/	Mental acceptance of a claim as true.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
stand up verb	To rise from a lying or sitting position.
come through verb	To come into a room or other space through a door or passageway.
turn away verb	To rotate so as not to face someone or something.
fall off verb	To become detached or to drop from.
get out of verb	To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
go away verb	To depart or leave a place.
going forward adverb	In the immediate future and beyond.
put away verb	To put (something) in its usual storage place; to place out of the way, clean up.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What if I say the wrong thing?
What if I were to talk about diversity, equity?
What if I change the words?
Did you want to reach for your phone?
Do I have time for just one?

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	has taught · have been · has stayed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	be asked · being roasted · was tasked

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 39 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: oppression /əˈpɹɛʃən/, wash /wɑʃ/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, invitation /ɪnvɪˈteɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, diversity /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/

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 discomfort, kindness, privilege.

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 →

Shadowing Practice: 2025 Commencement Address by Sandra Oh - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?

【日英字幕】2026ハーバード卒業演説自身のハーバード学生生活から人生の教訓まで、ユーモアを交えて語るコナン流感動の卒業スピーチ