Shadowing Practice: 38k - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Sherlock?
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Sherlock?
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There is nothing wrong with me!
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Do you understand?
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You want me to prove it, yes?
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Looking for a dog, yes?
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Great big dog.
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That's your brilliant theory.
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Good, excellent.
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Yes, where shall we start?
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Good, excellent.
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Yes, where shall we start?
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Looking for a dog, yes, great big dog, that's your brilliant theory.
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Cheshire, monsieur.
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Good, excellent.
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Yes, where shall we start?
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How about them?
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The sentimental widow and her son, the unemployed fisherman.
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The answer's yes.
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Yes?
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She's got a west side interior called whiskey, not exactly what we're looking for.
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Sherlock, for God's sake.
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Look at the jumper he's wearing, hardly worn.
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Clearly he's uncomfortable in it.
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Maybe it's because of the material, more likely the hideous pattern suggests it's a present, probably Christmas.
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So he wants into his mother's good books.
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Why?
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Almost certainly money.
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He's treating her to a meal, but his own portion is small.
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That means he wants to impress her, but he's trying to economise on his own food.
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Well, maybe he's just not hungry.
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No, small plate starter.
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He's practically licked it clean.
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She's nearly finished her pavlova.
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If she treated him, he'd have as much as he wanted.
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He's hungry all right and not well off, you can tell that.
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But instead of his cuffs and shoes.
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How do you know she's his mother?
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Who else would give him a Christmas present like that?
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Well, could he be an aunt or an elder sister?
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But mother's more likely.
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Now, he was a fisherman.
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Scarring batten on his hands, very distinctive fish hooks.
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They're all quite old now.
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I would suggest he's been unemployed for some time.
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Not much industry in this part of the world, so he turned to his widowed mother for help.
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Widowed?
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Yes, obviously.
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She's got a man's wedding being on a chain around her neck.
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Clearly her late husband's are too big for her finger.
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She's well dressed, but her jewelry's cheap.
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She could afford better, but she's kept it sentimental.
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Pow, the dog.
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Tiny little hairs all over the leg from where it gets a little bit too friendly.
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No hairs above the knees, suggesting it's a small dog.
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Probably a terrier.
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In fact, it is a West Island Terrier called Whiskey.
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How the hell do you know that, Sherlock?
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Because she was on the same train as us, and I heard her calling its name, and that's not cheating.
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That's listening.
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I use my senses, John, unlike some people.
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So you see, I am fine, but I've never been better.
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So just leave me alone.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Okay.
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Now why would you listen to me?
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I'm just your friend.
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I don't have friends.
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No. I wonder why.
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It's a bit small on that screen.
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Can you read it?
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Yes.
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Code, obviously.
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I had one of the best cryptographers in the country take a look at it, though he was mostly upside down, as I recall.
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Couldn't figure it out.
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What can you do, Mr. Holmes?
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Go on.
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Impress a girl.
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There's a margin variable, and I'm pretty sure there's a 747 leaving Heathrow tomorrow at 6.30 in the evening for Baltimore.
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Apparently it's going to save the world.
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Not sure how that could be true, but give me a moment.
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I've only been in the case for eight seconds.
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Oh, come on, it's not code.
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These are seat allocations on a passenger jet.
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Look, there's no letter I because it can be mistaken for a one.
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No letters past K.
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Within the plane is the limit.
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The numbers always appear randomly and not in sequence.
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But the letters have little runs of sequence all over the place.
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Families and couples sitting together.
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Only a jumbo is wide enough to need a letter K or a row's past 55, which is why there's always an upstairs.
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There's a row 13, which eliminates the more superstitious airlines.
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Then there's a star of the flight number 007 that eliminates a few more.
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And assuming a British point of origin, which would be logical considering the original source of the information, and assuming from the increased pressure on you lately that the crisis is imminent, the only flight
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that matches all the criteria into parts within the week is the 6.30 to Baltimore tomorrow evening from Heathrow Airport.
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Please, I feel obliged to tell me that was remarkable or amazing.
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John's expressed that thought in every possible variant available to the English language.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 99 sentences and 743 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:45. The speaker talks fast, about 198 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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
15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- widow /ˈwɪd.oʊ/ (noun) — A woman whose spouse (traditionally husband) has died (and who has not remarried); a woman in relation to her late spouse; feminine of widower.
- hungry /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ (adjective) — Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
- sequence /ˈsiː.kwəns/ (noun) — A set of things next to each other in a set order; a series.
- eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/ (verb) — To completely remove, get rid of, put an end to.
- impress /ɪmˈpɹɛs/ (verb) — To affect (someone) strongly and often favourably.
- unemployed /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪd/ (adjective) — Having no job despite being able and willing to work.
- whiskey /ˈwɪski/ (noun) — A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley).
- litter /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ (noun) — Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals.
- sentimental /ˌsɛntiˈmɛntl̩/ (adjective) — Characterized by sentiment, sentimentality or excess emotion; appealing to the emotions (especially tender emotions) rather than reason, morality, aesthetic…
- finger /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ (noun) — 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…
- meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
- lately /ˈleɪt.li/ (adverb) — Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
- recall /ɹɪˈkɔl/ (verb) — To withdraw, retract (one's words etc.); to revoke (an order).
- sake /ˈseɪ̯k/ (noun) — Cause, interest or account.
- passenger /ˈpæs.ɪn.d͡ʒɚ/ (noun) — One who rides or travels in a vehicle, but who does not operate it and is not a member of the crew.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look for (verb) — To seek.
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, couldn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, fisherman /ˈfɪʃ.ɚ.mən/, superstitious /ˌs(j)u.pɚˈstɪ.ʃəs/
- Long words — get the stress right: eliminate /ɪˈlɪm.ɪ.neɪt/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, allocation /ˌæl.əˈkeɪ.ʃən/, criterion /kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/
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 widow, hungry, sequence.
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 | I've never been · I've only been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been unemployed · can be mistaken |
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.