Shadowing Practice: A Great Book with Barack Obama - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “A Great Book with Barack Obama”. This video has 6 sentences and 90 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:33. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| reminder noun | /ɹɪˈmaɪndə(ɹ)/ | Someone or something that reminds. |
| profound adjective | /pɹəˈfaʊnd/ | Descending far below the surface; opening or reaching to great depth; deep. |
| testify verb | /ˈtɛstɪfaɪ/ | To make a declaration, or give evidence, under oath. |
| worthwhile adjective | /ˌwɜː(ɹ)θˈwaɪl/ | Good and important enough to spend time, effort, or money on. |
| novel noun | /ˈnɑvəl/ | A work of prose fiction, longer than a novella. |
| literature noun | /ˈlɪt.(ə.)ɹə.t͡ʃə(ɹ)/ | The body of all written works. |
| perspective noun | /pɚˈspɛk.tɪv/ | A view, vista or outlook. |
| choose verb | /t͡ʃuːz/ | To pick; to make the choice of; to select. |
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 chosen |
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 invite, reminder, profound.
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.