Shadowing Practice: A Dragon, a Mouse, and One Big Race | Comic Book Dub - Learn English Speaking with Video
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140 sentences
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1
There's that old saying about heroes, how they're not born, they're made.
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I relate to that.
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Not because I'm a hero, but because I was made.
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We all are, if you think about it.
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No one is born with skills.
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Natural talent is a myth.
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Talent is earned.
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Skills are gained through grueling repetition.
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Tireless, constant effort.
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She's done it again, folks.
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I'm not special.
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I just have drive.
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Now that's one driven dragon.
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And it made me the best dragon racer that ever lived.
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But I didn't get here alone, of course.
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Several years ago, racer training grounds.
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I thought we told you to stay out of here, shrimp.
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This tract is for racers.
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I am a racer.
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No little nymph dragon has ever been in a race before. So what?
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Besides, you need a rider to even compete.
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Where's your rider, Wren?
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I don't need a rider.
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Yes, you do.
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That's part of the game.
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You tell her, Rosie.
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She couldn't keep up anyway.
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The little thing couldn't even qualify.
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The dragon stables.
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They're right.
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No matter how much I practice, I'm not good enough.
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Not fast enough, not agile enough, not good enough.
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No, I won't let them get to me, and I won't quit.
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Deep in the forest.
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Come on,
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come on hey hey you huh oh that's gotta hurt you alright there missy are you a flying mouse
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or did I hit my head that hard the one and only names
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Windy like you were in for windy weather or the winds of change are upon you.
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Uh -huh.
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Well, if you'll excuse me, Windy the Flying Mouse.
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I've been watching you, Wren.
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It is Wren, right?
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How did you...
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Nice homemade training course you have for yourself here.
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You want to race, huh?
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But, well, you're terrible.
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You're a nymph dragon.
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Small, like me.
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You're training like them, but you're not a wyvern, or a whiptail, or even a...
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Get to the point, Mouse.
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I can help you.
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I know aerodynamics, how the wind works, how to make the most of being small.
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You want a race.
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I want a ride.
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We can help each other.
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If you're so good, why haven't you found a dragon that's already in the races, then?
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No one wants a mouse rider.
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Too small, too weak, bad grip.
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We both want a race.
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What do you say?
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Ready?
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She was right, of course, about me training wrong.
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I'll never tell her that, though.
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That little mouse worked me to the bone.
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I worked myself to the bone.
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Tuck in the tail, Missy.
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Maybe it's because I finally had hope.
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Maybe it's because I finally had someone that believed in me.
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Either way, it was nice.
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Nice to have a friend.
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I saw others give up when they were so close to the top.
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Second or third place wasn't good enough for them, so they quit.
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Come on, go hide!
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I watched, and I learned, until I was ready.
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Several months later...
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Woo -hoo!
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That was your best time yet, Ren! Can we?
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Can we really do it?
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I think we can.
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It's finally time to talk to the ladies that run the races.
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Don't worry, they know me.
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We're a shoe -in.
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Absolutely not.
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Wendy, you can't just walk in here with the smallest wagon you could find and demand to be in the race tomorrow.
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You've pulled some dumb stunts, but this?
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She's faster than a lot of them.
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Aren't you tired of the same racers over and...
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This isn't about...
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Fine, then I'll prove it.
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All right, little dragon.
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Collect all three rings from the course's checkpoints in less than 15 seconds.
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And we'll let you and the Mouseris tomorrow.
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Ready, set, go! By the gods!
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She did it in less than ten!
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Well, ladies, we'll see you tomorrow.
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Tomorrow.
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Nervous?
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No, absolutely terrified.
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What are you doing here, Nymph?
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We earned our way in, fair and square square.
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There's no way the bugs let you in.
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Ahem.
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Coal racers are here and accounted for.
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Please take your positions.
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You want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?
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Fine.
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Be my guest.
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Don't listen to that, Wren.
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What a beautiful turnout for a race day, folks.
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Looks like it should be an exciting one.
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You all know the rules.
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Each dragon has to collect their ring from each track checkpoint
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one part of the course must be completed without flying
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and each racer must finish with their rider good luck dragons
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ready set go required obstacles on the track ahead racers track
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one forest um rosie is she's keeping up look at the little dragon go shut up and fly
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There's the first checkpoint.
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Beautiful execution.
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Our little rookie not too far behind.
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Track two, fire.
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Holy moly.
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Fake left, now.
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Look at that teamwork, folks.
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Two down, two to go.
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Track three, stone climbing course.
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Our little rookie has the lead.
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No. We're in the lead.
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Final track, snow.
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it's a straight shot I can see the finish line I'll be dead before I lose to a nymph dragon
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and a mouse what you thought a rookie was gonna make
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it to the top right away hey open up thanks for the save
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but that was really gross how do we do didn't even finish figured not a photo finish
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but a good show you surprised us ren
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that move rosie pulled it had to be illegal it wasn't
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so we lost fair and square afraid
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so anyway next week we'll be starting in the flowning forest people are excited for the new course wait
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we can still race afraid
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so we're still in the race
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i had no doubts about it we all start somewhere even the best of us
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that's the point you don't start at the top but with enough drive maybe you'll get there
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “A Dragon, a Mouse, and One Big Race”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: dragon, race, racer, mouse, track. This video has 140 sentences and 982 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:41. The speaker talks at a steady 128 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dragon noun | /ˈdɹæɡən/ | In European mythologies, a gigantic beast, typically reptilian with leathery bat-like wings, lion-like claws, scaly skin and a lizard-like body, often a… |
| mouse noun | /maʊs/ | Any mammal of the many rodent families (especially Muridae) that have a small body and a long tail. |
| rider noun | /ˈɹaɪ̯.dəː/ | An old Dutch gold coin with the figure of a man on horseback stamped upon it. |
| folk noun | /foʊk/ | People, persons. |
| rookie noun | /ˈɹʊki/ | An inexperienced recruit, especially in the police or armed forces. |
| windy adjective | /ˈwɪn.di/ | Accompanied by wind. |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| collect verb | /ˈkɑlɪkt/ | To gather together; amass. |
| stable noun | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses. |
| gross adjective | /ɡɹoʊs/ | remarkably great, big, vast in an often unpleasant way; (of behaviour) Highly or conspicuously offensive. |
| compete verb | /kəmˈpiːt/ | To be in battle or in a rivalry with another for the same thing, position, or reward; to contend. |
| tail noun | /ˈteɪ̯l/ | An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails; a strand of material hanging from something. |
| execution noun | /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/ | The act, manner or style of executing (actions, maneuvers, performances). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| open up verb | To open. | |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I don't need a rider.
- What do you say?
- Can we really do it?
- You've pulled some dumb stunts, but this?
- You want to embarrass yourself in front of everyone?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was made · is born · is earned |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has ever been · haven't you found · You've pulled |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · your best · the smallest |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | won't let · you'll excuse · I'll never tell |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 42 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: execution /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, shrimp /ʃɹɪmp/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: execution /ˌɛk.sɪˈkjuː.ʃən/, repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/
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 dragon, mouse, rider.
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.