Shadowing Practice: 50 COMMON ENGLISH PHRASES | MARINA MOGILKO - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “50 COMMON ENGLISH PHRASES”. This video has 15 sentences and 1869 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:00. The speaker talks fast, about 187 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 18 of its 15 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| 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… |
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| complain verb | /kəmˈpleɪn/ | To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment. |
| resume verb | /ˈɹɛz.ə.meɪ/ | To start (something) again that has been stopped or paused from the point at which it was stopped or paused; continue, carry on. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| discovery noun | /dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/ | Something discovered. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| congratulations | /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/ | Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation. |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| couch noun | /ˈkaʊ̯t͡ʃ/ | An item of furniture, often upholstered, for the comfortable seating of more than one person; a sofa. |
| laundry noun | /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/ | A laundering; a washing. |
| messenger noun | /ˈmɛs.ən.d͡ʒɚ/ | One who brings messages. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. | |
| cheer up verb | To become happier or less downcast. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| step up verb | To increase, augment, or advance, especially by one or more steps. | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How do you know?
- Can you repeat it?
- You rock you rock?
- No, you've done an amazing job.
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 | have been learning · have you been doing |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | advance, which means · mark Which means · lit which means |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't seen · have you been · haven't asked |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was going · wasn't listening · was saying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 79 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, congratulate /kənˈɡɹæd͡ʒ.ʊˌleɪt/, colloquial /kəˈloʊ.kwi.əl/, intonation /ɪntəˈneɪʃən/
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 phrase, finger, bother.
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.






















![[001 - 050] - Common Sentences](https://img.youtube.com/vi/btNQUczAHUg/mqdefault.jpg)









