Shadowing Practice: 2026 08 26 Reflection 427 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
26 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
In today's Gospel, Jesus has some severe words as he calls the scribes and the Pharisees hypocrites.
2
Jesus notes that they take great care of their outward appearance, but are filled with hypocrisy and evil deeds on the inside.
3
And this is not the first or the last time in the Gospels
4
when Jesus will describe and denounce the Pharisees in this way.
5
So why is Jesus so concerned about their manner of life?
6
What is it about the Pharisees' behavior that warrants such stern words from our Lord?
7
Jesus describes in detail the many religious practices of the Pharisees.
8
They wear luxurious garments and they seek after places of honor at banquets and in the synagogue.
9
They're ambitious for important titles of respect and places of honor.
10
And why is such behavior problematic?
11
Jesus warns that with such outward superficial actions,
12
the Pharisees are drawing attention to themselves rather than to God.
13
The outward display of the Pharisees is at the service of the self rather than God whom they profess to serve.
14
So Jesus condemns religious hypocrisy in which the words professed in faith do not correspond to the deeds,
15
how we treat others and our way of life.
16
Jesus warns against the temptation to superficial religious practices,
17
to be satisfied with outward expressions of religious piety without a corresponding inner conversion of heart
18
and mind in the power of the Holy Spirit.
19
True integrity, says Jesus, brings together the words and the deeds, the message and the actions of believers.
20
And then Jesus offers a way of life to overcome the tendency to religious hypocrisy that we all have.
21
Jesus says, the greatest among you will be the one who serves the rest.
22
The words of Jesus will be borne out by his deeds as he embraces the way of suffering
23
and death on the cross for the salvation of the world.
24
This is one of the many paradoxes of the Christian life.
25
Greatness is to be found in the humble gift of ourselves in service of others
26
and not in mere outward shows of religious piety. Have a blessed day.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B24
61 sentences
Momentary and Lasting Fulfillment - Thursday, August 27, 2026
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
49 sentences
Malcolm X's Letter from Hajj
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B27
88 sentences
How Global Is Your Faith? | Becoming a Global Disciple Ep. 1
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C13
28 sentences
The Jesus paradox | Yuval Noah Harari
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2264
5 sentences
Daily shadowing day 24 #english #shadowing #dailyenglish #reading #estudyme
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B29
61 sentences
One Hadith That Kills Toxic Competition and Jealousy | Snapshots with Imam Tom Facchine
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
75 sentences
ENGLISH SPEECH | SACHIN TENDULKAR: The Power of Faith (English Subtitles)
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
11 sentences
Pope Leo's Take on Happiness
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
296 sentences
Why Be A Catholic Priest? | Conversations with Fr. Matt & Fr. Daniel Ep. 1
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
542 sentences
Fr. Mike Schmitz's full speech at the National Eucharistic Congress
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
21 sentences
Who Was John the Baptist?
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B14
34 sentences
Jesus Christ - Life Changing Quotes
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “2026 08 26 Reflection 427”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Jesus, Pharisees, religious, outward, words. This video has 26 sentences and 354 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:38. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| outward adjective | /ˈaʊt.wɚd/ | Outer; located towards the outside. |
| deed noun | /diːd/ | An action or act; something that is done. |
| hypocrisy noun | /hɪˈpɑkɹəsi/ | The contrivance of a false appearance of virtue or goodness, while concealing real character or inclinations, especially with respect to religious and moral… |
| piety noun | /ˈpaɪ̯ɪti/ | Reverence and devotion to God. |
| profess verb | /pɹəˈfɛs/ | To administer the vows of a religious order to (someone); to admit to a religious order. |
| correspond verb | /ˌkoɹəˈspɑnd/ | To be equivalent or similar in character, quantity, quality, origin, structure, function etc. |
| superficial adjective | /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/ | Existing, occurring, or located on the surface. |
| warn verb | /woɹn/ | To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. |
| denounce verb | /diˈnaʊns/ | To criticize or speak out against (someone or something); to point out as deserving of reprehension, etc.; to openly accuse or condemn in a threatening manner… |
| hypocrite noun | /ˈhɪ.pə.kɹɪt/ | Someone who practices hypocrisy, who pretends to hold beliefs, or whose actions are not consistent with their claimed beliefs. |
| scribe noun | /skɹaɪb/ | Someone who writes; a draughtsperson; a writer for another; especially, an official or public writer; an amanuensis, secretary, notary, or copyist. |
| synagogue noun | /ˈsɪnəˌɡɑɡ/ | A place of worship for Jews. |
| luxurious adjective | /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/ | Very fine in quality and comfortable. |
| garment noun | /ˈɡɑɹmənt/ | A single article of clothing. |
| banquet noun | /ˈbæŋkwɪt/ | A large celebratory meal; a feast. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring together verb | To cause people to do something together; to bring about togetherness. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: superficial /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, temptation /ˌtɛmpˈteɪʃən/, salvation /sælˈveɪ.ʃn̩/, ambitious /æmˈbɪʃ.əs/
- Long words — get the stress right: hypocrisy /hɪˈpɑkɹəsi/, superficial /ˌsupɚˈfɪʃəl/, luxurious /lʌɡˈʒʊəɹi.əs/, problematic /ˌpɹɑ.bləˈmæt.ɪk/
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 outward, deed, hypocrisy.
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.