Shadowing Practice: 250926 BBC London, Evening News - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 347 sentences and 4534 words to shadow. The speech runs for 27:36. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 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.
- jazz /d͡ʒæz/ (noun) — A musical art form rooted in West African cultural and musical expression and in the African American blues tradition, with diverse influences over time…
- nursery /ˈnɝsəɹi/ (noun) — Especially in European countries: a room or area in a household set apart for the care of children.
- bail /beɪl/ (noun) — Security, usually a sum of money, exchanged for the release of an arrested person as a guarantee of that person's appearance for trial.
- cloud /ˈklaʊ̯d/ (noun) — A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air.
- venue /ˈvɛnjuː/ (noun) — A theater, auditorium, arena, or other area designated for sporting or entertainment events.
- offender /əˈfen.dɚ/ (noun) — One who gives or causes offense, or does something wrong.
- suitable [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩] (adjective) — Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion.
- bold /ˈbəʊld/ (adjective) — Courageous, daring.
- sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/ (noun) — The direct rays, light or warmth of the sun.
- colours (noun) — Flag denoting the nationality of a vessel, flown from the stern.
- homage /(h)oʊˈmɑʒ/ (noun) — A demonstration of respect, as towards a person after his or her retirement or death.
- extension /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/ (noun) — The act of extending; a stretching out; enlargement in length, breadth, or time; an increase.
- package /ˈpæk.ɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — Something which is packed, a parcel, a box, an envelope.
- spell /spɛl/ (noun) — Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- steal in (verb) — To move, enter, or introduce something into a place quietly or secretly, often without being noticed.
- come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
- come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
- close in (verb) — To enclose, lock up inside something.
- come into (verb) — To obtain (usually money or property), especially through inheritance.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
- have on (verb) — To be wearing.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, we've, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: theft /θɛft/, bath /bɑːθ/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sunshine /ˈsʌnʃaɪn/, homage /(h)oʊˈmɑʒ/, extension /ɪkˈstɛnʃən/, petition /pəˈtɪʃ.ən/, suspicion /səˈspɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: repeatedly /ɹɪˈpiːtɪdli/, availability /əˌveɪ.ləˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/, prosecutor /ˈpɹɑ.səˌkjuːˌtəɹ/, correspondent /ˌkɔɹ.ɪˈspɑn.dənt/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like steal, jazz, nursery.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | Met's been using · has been looking · has been speaking |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | what's been described · have been sentenced · have made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being stolen · was arrested · was bailed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | man who was · children who he · release which is |
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.



























