Shadowing Practice: 5 TRUE Horror Stories Animated to Watch at Night - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Recommend Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “5 TRUE Horror Stories Animated to Watch at Night”. This video has 353 sentences and 5211 words to shadow. The speech runs for 24:52. The speaker talks fast, about 210 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| tent noun | /tɛnt/ | A pavilion or portable lodge consisting of skins, canvas, or some strong cloth, stretched and sustained by poles, used for sheltering people from the weather. |
| automobile noun | /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbil/ | A type of motor vehicle designed to move on the ground under its own stored power and intended to carry a driver, a small number of additional passengers, and… |
| driveway noun | /ˈdɹaɪvˌweɪ/ | A short private road that leads to a house or garage. |
| creepy adjective | /ˈkɹipi/ | Moving by creeping along. |
| shortly adverb | /ˈʃɔɹtli/ | In a short or brief time or manner; quickly. |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| stairs noun | /ˈstɛɹz/ | A contiguous set of steps connecting two floors. |
| tire verb | /ˈtaɪ̯ɚ/ | To become sleepy or weary. |
| upstairs adverb | /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/ | Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level. |
| creep verb | /kɹiːp/ | To move slowly with the abdomen close to the ground. |
| whoever | /huˈɛvɚ/ | Who ever: an emphatic form of who. |
| basement noun | /ˈbeɪsmənt/ | A floor of a building below ground level. |
| backyard noun | /bækˈjɑːd/ | A yard to the rear of a house or similar residence. |
| curtain noun | /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/ | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light. |
| flyer noun | /ˈflaɪə(ɹ)/ | That which flies, as a bird or insect. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. | |
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) | |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| look out verb | To be vigilant and aware often as an imperative to alert a person to danger. | |
| make out verb | /meɪk aʊt/ | To draw up (a document etc.), to designate (a cheque). |
| open up verb | To open. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I didn't really recognize him at first.
- It was a number that I didn't recognize.
- I just wasn't tired yet, and I couldn't sleep.
- I couldn't make out anything he said, though.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to go · used to work |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was really creeped · was told · had been fired |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Starbucks, which was · guy that was · there, which was |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | wasn't seeing · was walking · was getting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 52 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, couldn't, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, thunder /ˈθʌndɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shortly /ˈʃɔɹtli/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, shock /ʃɔk/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: automobile /ˈɔː.tə.məˌbil/, occasionally /əˈkeɪʒənəli/, coincidence /kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns/, explanation /ˌɛkspləˈneɪʃən/, surprisingly /səˈpɹaɪzɪŋli/
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 tent, automobile, driveway.
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.












