Shadowing Practice: A Night at the Oprah-clip1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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53 sentences

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Will, I can't believe I took your advice about my TV campaign spot.

Uncle Phil, you really would have buried

Judge Robinson if you would have let me put the Uh -huh girls in there with you.

It would have been like, Banks is the right one, baby, Uh -huh.

Oh, here it comes.

Oh, sit down, sit down, sit down.

Oh, and, um, hey, by the way, Uncle Phil, um, I don't remember if I told you or not,

but when I dropped the tape off at the editor, I just, you know, I authorized a few last -minute changes.

You authorized a few cha...

Nobody gave you permission to authorize any changes.

No, but it's cool, Uncle Phil.

You're gonna love it.

Oh, here it comes.

Here it comes.

Hi.

I'm Philip Banks, and I'm running for Superior Court judge.

Judge.

What the hell is that?!

That was our New Year's Eve party.

Oh, Uncle Bill, I just put in a couple of home movies, you know, to show your human side.

It gets better.

Check it out.

And if you put me on the bench, I'll take a real bite out of crime.

Bite, bite, bite.

Vote for Philip Banks.

Philip Banks.

Ah!

EME!

Hey, so what do you think, Uncle Bill?

EME!

Now this is a story all about how my life got flipped, turned upside down.

And I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there.

I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air.

In West Philadelphia, born and raised

On the playground is where I spend most of my days Chillin' out, maxin', relaxin', all coolin'

All shootin' some b -ball outside of the school

When a couple of guys who were up to no good

Started makin' trouble in my neighborhood I got in one little fight and my mom got scared

And said, you're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel -Air I whistled for a cab and when it came near

The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror

If anything, I could say that this cab was rare

But I thought, nah, forget it

Your home's the Bel -Air.

I pulled up to the house about seven or eight, and I yelled to the cabbie, your home's smell you later.

Looked at my kingdom, I was finally there to sit on my throne as the Prince of Bel -Air.

Dad, Will would like to know if he can please come in.

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63 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “A Night at the Oprah-clip1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bite, uncle, Banks, judge, Philip. This video has 53 sentences and 434 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:48. The speaker talks at a natural 155 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 78% 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
bite verb	/baɪt/	To cut into something by clamping the teeth.
uncle noun	/ˈʌŋ.kl̩/	The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent.
mirror noun	/ˈmiɹɚ/	A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it.
tape noun	/teɪ̯p/	Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape.
bench noun	/ˈbɛnt͡ʃ/	A long seat with or without a back, found for example in parks and schools.
flip verb	/flɪp/	To throw so as to turn over.
throne noun	/θɹəʊ̯n/	An impressive seat used by a monarch, often on a raised dais in a throne room and reserved for formal occasions.
scare verb	/skɛɚ/	To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way.
upside noun	/ˈʌpˌsaɪd/	The highest or uppermost side or portion of something.
bury verb	/ˈbɛɹi/	To outlive.
whistle noun	/ˈwɪs(ə)l/	A device designed to be placed in the mouth and blown, or driven by steam or some other mechanism, to make a whistling sound.
yell verb	/jɛl/	To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement.
playground noun	/ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/	A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides).
authorize verb	/ˈɔθəɹaɪz/	To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to.
auntie noun	/ˈæn.ti/	Term of familiarity or respect for a middle-aged or elderly woman.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
sit down verb	To assume a sitting position from a standing position.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: throne /θɹəʊ̯n/, authorize /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/

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 bite, uncle, mirror.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: A Night at the Oprah-clip1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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