Shadowing Practice: A man hiked in the woods. Every brain cell got cooked. - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 380 sentences and 5135 words to shadow. The speech runs for 27:19. The speaker talks fast, about 188 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| immune adjective | /ɪˈmjuːn/ | Exempt; not subject to. |
| antibiotic noun | /ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/ | Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system. |
| tick noun | /tɪk/ | A tiny woodland arachnid of the suborder Ixodida. |
| infection noun | /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/ | The act or process of infecting. |
| fluid noun | /ˈflu.ɪd/ | Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma. |
| inflammation noun | /ɪnfləˈmeɪ̯ʃən/ | The state of being inflamed. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
| nerve noun | /nɝv/ | A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics. |
| headache noun | /ˈhɛdeɪk/ | A pain or ache in the head. |
| symptom noun | /ˈsɪm(p)təm/ | A perceived change in some function, sensation or appearance of a person that indicates a disease or disorder, such as fever, headache or rash; strictly, a… |
| virus noun | /ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/ | A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and… |
| illness noun | /ˈɪl.nəs/ | An instance (episode) of a disease or poor health. |
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| fever noun | /ˈfivɚ/ | A higher than normal body temperature of a person (or, generally, a mammal), usually caused by disease. |
| diagnosis noun | /daɪəɡˈnəʊsɪs/ | The process of, or an instance of, identification of the nature and cause of a medical condition or illness. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| shut down verb | To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| follow up verb | To take further actions remaining after an event; to continue, revisit, or persist; especially, to maintain communication or verify. |
| bring together verb | To cause people to do something together; to bring about togetherness. |
| bring up verb | To mention. |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you have, I'd really |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have shut · have created · Have you learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was garbled · are surrounded · is seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | treatment, which is · mycobacteria, which can · people who were |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 92 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, wasn't, aren't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: northeast /noːˈθɪjst/, northeastern /ˌnorˈθiː.stɚn/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: infection /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/, inflammation /ɪnfləˈmeɪ̯ʃən/, chef /ʃɛf/, rash /ɹæʃ/, exposure /ɪkˈspəʊ.ʒə(ɹ)/
- Long words — get the stress right: antibiotic /ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/, inflammation /ɪnfləˈmeɪ̯ʃən/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, laboratory /ˈlæb(ə)ɹəˌtɔɹi/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
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 immune, antibiotic, tick.
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.



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