Shadowing Practice: A phrasal verb you can use every day (HUNG UP ON) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Com-f-ter-ble.

Com-f-er-t-able.

Com-f-er-ble.

Oh, hey guys!

I didn't see you spying on me there.

I always get hung up on the pronunciation of this word.

Do you know what that means?

I always get hung up on the pronunciation of that word.

Comfortable, comfortable, comfortable, comfortable.

Do you know how to pronounce the word comfortable?

If you don't know, smash that like button.

I'm going to tell you in this video.

But today we're talking about this phrasal verb, to get hung up on something, or to be hung up on something.

Did I remember to hit record?

Yes, I did.

I got hung up on that.

The thought came into my mind, Mark, did you hit the record button or not?

And I got hung up on it.

I got hung up on that. so

when you get hung up on something it you know it

means to to be overly fixated on something to the point where it makes you worried

or frustrated okay so like

when I was talking suddenly the thought came into my mind are you recording

and I had to check yeah I had to check yes

because we are recording so i got i got hung up on

that i in my mind i got overly fixated

that means too much focus it was it just i got overly fixated on it to the point where

you know if something makes you worried or frustrated or you can't you can't go on

that means you get hung up on it okay so look at this look at this sentence I

want to buy a comfortable comfortable recliner hmm okay when

when I was reading this sentence I got hung up on this word so I couldn't really keep going properly.

Right?

Normal, when, you know, if you don't get hung up on this word, then you would read it like this.

I want to buy a comfortable recliner.

See?

There, I didn't get hung up on that.

Do you have a recliner, guys?

The word recliner is a kind of chair.

It's a comfortable kind of chair.

You know, a lot of recliners have this little lever thing.

You can call that a lever.

You pull the lever and then you can, you recline.

And then maybe, maybe you have a foot rest thing that pops out.

Then you can recline.

Okay, so this chair is called a recliner because it reclines.

Okay, so the verb recline means to go back.

Maybe not completely flat, maybe not like, you know, maybe not like completely horizontal,

but you know, if you are, you know, if like right now I'm sitting here, I'm sitting, I'm not reclined,

I'm not in a reclined position.

But imagine if I'm just kind of like

and just kind of like this I'm now it's at the end of the day I finished my work

and just yeah I'm just kind of reclined I'm reclined okay

so reclined means you you maybe don't go all the way flat

but you go you can some weight partially flat so that's why this is called a recliner a recliner Okay,

so you could say, I hate flying economy class because the seats don't recline much.

Yeah, they don't recline much.

They do recline a bit.

They recline a bit, like, you know, you push that little button on your armrest and you can recline, I don't know, maybe 10 degrees or something like that, right?

So you can recline a bit.

That's why we say much.

the seats don't recline much they recline a bit right

so that's why you you hate flying economy class right that's why people book first class

because they can recline maybe all the way flat You know,

if you're taking a long haul flight, all the, you know, the mainstream airlines, is that the word I'm looking for?

Mainstream?

You know, all the big, all the you know the mainstream airlines is

that the word i'm looking for mainstream you know all the

big all the major airlines um they have in their business class

or first class they have seats that are they're you know called like they'll they recline to a fully flat position

So it will say something like fully reclining seats or lie down seats or like flat.

I don't know what word they use.

You can check on their websites.

But yeah, basically fully reclining means it would go all the way to a horizontal position.

Okay? So yeah.

Do you have enough money to buy a first class ticket?

Actually, a lot of...

Most airlines don't have first class.

Did you know that?

Like, if you are flying at the front of the plane, that's actually called business class in most airlines.

So most airlines only have economy, and maybe premium economy, and then maybe business.

They don't have real first class.

Like, real first class, like...

You know you see those videos on like Instagram of like Emirates first class.

You actually get a room.

You have a room all to yourself with I think a bathroom, a shower.

It's like a room on a plane, guys.

Those are like I think $20,000 or something.

That's crazy.

But that would be kind of fun to fly first class.

I've never flown first class on an airline.

But I have flown business class when I worked.

I used to work at the Calgary airport and I got cheap flights.

So I did fly business class a few times and it was great.

It was really great.

Fly all the way flat, like the fully reclining seats and stuff.

That was a good experience.

But yeah, now I can't afford.

like usually that's one of the perks of working for an airline

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if you if you work for an airline guys i think all airlines do this

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if you're an employee of the airline you get to fly

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standby it means it's not a real ticket it's just it's a it's a kind of ticket where

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you can fly if there are some empty seats.

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Okay, so there were some times when I flew where business class was,

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there were some empty seats in business class and I got to experience business class, even on some long-haul flights.

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Like I think I flew, I flew business one time to China I flew business to Germany

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and to can't remember

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but a bunch of times a bunch of times I've flown business class it's great

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so yeah but a normal ticket if you because

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if you're an employee you get to fly those standby tickets for like 20 bucks

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or 30 or 50 or I don't know I can't

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that was a long time ago for For me to fly standby at that time was like $40 or $50 I think.

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But a normal ticket is thousands and thousands of dollars to fly business class.

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Maybe you can afford it.

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So anyway, it's much more comfortable to fly business or first class, right?

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So there are two ways people pronounce this word.

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people say comfortable okay comfortable some people say comfortable

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i think the second one is more common among north americans comfortable comfortable comfortable like in in in the uk

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in British English, they say comfortable.

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Comfortable.

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I think they always say this one.

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Are you comfortable?

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Are you comfortable?

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Okay.

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Comfortable.

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We say, I don't know, maybe kids in North America might tend to say this.

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Comfortable.

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Comfortable.

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But I think most adults say comfortable.

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Comfortable.

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Comfortable.

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Do you, which one do you like?

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Which one do you say?

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It's your choice.

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It's not a big, really not a big difference.

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Comfortable.

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I want to buy a comfortable sofa.

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I want to buy a comfortable couch.

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Comfortable.

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I don't know.

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Both are fine.

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Okay, so let's talk a bit more about this phrasal verb hung up on.

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We use these verbs be or get.

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Okay, so you could say i'm hung up on her okay

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if you're focused on a on someone i'm hung up on him

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or her it could be a good thing you know you

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maybe you're in love you're totally hung up on her okay

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so you can be or get i got totally hung up on that relationship

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you know when I was in my relationship I got totally hung up on it

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and I I forgot about my life I forgot about everything else I got hung up on okay

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so you can be or get hung up on something okay

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so it basically means to fixate on it to in your mind right

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so to fixate means you focus you're you're totally like focused on it.

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You could fixate, like visually, if you fixate on something, okay, like maybe there's a,

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maybe there's something floating around in your room, maybe there's a ghost, and you're like fixated on it, okay, that means your eyes are focused on it, right?

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But usually we use this to mean mentally, mentally focused on something.

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So look at this, right now I'm fixated on passing my exams.

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Okay?

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So if you're studying for your exams, you could say, right now I'm totally fixated on my exams.

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I just want to pass my exams and then I'll do other things, relax, have fun, you know, have a social life again.

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Okay?

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Look at this example.

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He's too fixated on making her happy.

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Okay?

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He's too fixated on making her happy.

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Maybe you have a friend and your friend is so focused on making his girlfriend happy.

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You could say, he's way too fixated on making her happy.

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He should just relax and live his life and not be so fixated on that.

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Okay.

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Look at this.

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He's still hung up on his ex-wife.

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Okay.

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He's still hung up on his ex-wife.

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So let's say your friend got divorced, and it's been a few years.

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It's been a few years.

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The divorce happened.

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It's all settled.

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It's all settled.

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Everything's finalized.

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But your friend is still hung up on that.

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Maybe she treated him really badly.

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Okay.

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And he just, he's so,

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he's still hung up on how badly she treated him or how much he suffered in the marriage.

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Okay.

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So he might still, okay, he is, this is the verb be, is, is a form of the verb be.

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Did you know that?

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So he is still hung up on his ex-wife.

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He's still hung up on her.

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That means he's just mentally, he can't move forward.

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So that's kind of what hung up means.

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It means you can't move forward properly.

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Like you can kind of move forward, but not easily or not properly.

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Like, if I read this sentence again, okay, I want to buy a comfortable recliner.

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Okay, if I read it like that, I got hung up on this word.

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I still did move forward.

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I said this word, but I couldn't move forward properly or easily because I got hung up on this, right?

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I want to buy a comfortable recliner.

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Okay?

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So that's what it means when you get hung up on something.

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Look at this example.

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I'm a perfectionist.

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I get hung up on the smallest details.

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Okay?

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Are you a perfectionist?

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Then you want to do everything right.

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Okay, and you're so worried about every little thing that you want to do a good job in everything.

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So you could say, I always get hung up on the smallest details.

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Yeah.

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Look at this example.

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We didn't finish the project today because we got hung up by a technical issue.

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Okay, we got hung up by a technical issue.

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Now notice this.

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Here it's hang up by, by, not on, because we're talking about something that stopped.

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Here we're talking literally something delayed you something prevented you from finishing

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the the project right we got hung up by a technical issue does that make sense so um

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yeah we'll take another look at an example with by

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but look at this one why are you so hung up on matching your shoes to your dress?

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Okay, maybe you have a wife, and your wife is always worried about,

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she always tries to find the right shoes to match her outfit every day.

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Which shoes should I wear today?

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She always gets hung up on that.

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So you could say, why are you so hung up on matching your shoes to your dress.

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Okay, so here's another one with, oh no, here, yeah, so I got hung up by, okay, so here's another word with by.

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I got hung up by an accident on the highway.

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Okay, so imagine if you're driving to work, okay, and suddenly there's an accident and you get delayed.

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Okay, so that means you got hung up by an accident.

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So eventually when you get to work and your boss asks you, why?

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Why are you late?

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You can say, sorry boss, I got hung up by an accident on the highway.

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I got hung up by.

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Okay, so this doesn't mean you're meant, it doesn't mean mentally hung up, it means physically hung up.

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You were physically prevented from going forward.

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Okay?

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So, look at this.

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I got hung up by an accident on the highway.

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But now look at this example.

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I'm still hung up on the terrible accident I witnessed last month.

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I'm still hung up on the terrible accident I witnessed last month.

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So here, we're talking about your mental state.

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We're talking about this.

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It was a terrible accident, right?

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You were driving to work last month and you saw a really bad accident.

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and it's like now that memory is ingrained in your mind, okay?

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And you're just, you're still hung up about that.

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You're hung up, I'm still hung up on the terrible...

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You could probably also say I'm still hung up about, still hung up about the terrible accident.

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You know, sometimes these, sometimes these little words are flexible in English.

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I don't know, usually the word is on.

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When you're hung up on something mentally, it's usually on.

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So yeah, I'm still hung up on the terrible accident I witnessed last month.

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Does that make sense?

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The difference between by and on, if it's by, we're talking something physically that stops you from doing something.

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but if it's hung up on

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that means your brain is like kind of kind of consumed with

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that thing it's like like fixated on that I don't know does

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that make sense yeah

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so I just wanted to give you some example sometimes it's

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helpful to look at a bunch of examples to learn how to use a word

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or a phrasal verb in this case

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so let's do some homework what do you get hung up

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on let me know you know this is the reason I wanted to teach you this word is

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because it's such a useful word for everyday situations right we

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all get hung up on stuff you get hung up on you can get hung up on a thing

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or a person you be hung up on on your ex-wife

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you'd be hung up on that guy your boss that that

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that that criticized you for no reason right

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or some some issue you can get hung up on it

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so let me know what do you get hung up on

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maybe you get hung up on leaving nice comments on my videos thank you guys for always leaving a nice comment

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and for smashing that thumbs up button.

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I really appreciate it.

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So I look forward to reading, whoops, look forward to reading your responses down in the comments.

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And guys, I love you very much.

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Hope you're having a great day wherever you are.

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Stay safe, healthy, and happy.

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And as always, I'll see you over in the next episode of Mad English TV.

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Take care.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “A phrasal verb you can use every day”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: hung, comfortable, word, recline, fixated. This video has 278 sentences and 2693 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:33. The speaker talks at a steady 131 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
recline verb	/ɹɪˈklaɪn/	To cause to lean back; to bend back.
fixate verb	/ˈfɪkseɪt/	To make something fixed and stable; to fix.
airline noun	/ˈɛɹˌlaɪn/	A company that flies airplanes to transport people and goods.
recliner noun		One who, or that which, reclines.
verb noun	/vɝb/	A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
mentally adverb	/ˈmɛntəli/	In a mental manner; an idea thought out in one's mind, as opposed to an idea spoken orally.
shoe noun	/ˈʃu/	A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
mainstream adjective	/ˈmeɪn.stɹiːm/	Used or accepted broadly rather than by small portions of population, market, scientific community, etc.
exam verb	/ɪɡˈzæm/	Shortened form of examine
phrasal adjective	/ˈfɹeɪzəl/	Relating to, or used in the manner of, a phrase.
standby noun	/ˈstændˌbaɪ̯/	A state of readiness without immediate involvement; remaining in preparation for (a sudden or unforeseen event or situation).
pronunciation noun	/pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/	The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken.
lever noun	/ˈliː.və/	A rigid piece which is capable of turning about one point, or axis (fulcrum), and in which are two or more other points where forces are applied; — used for…
overly adverb		To an excessive degree.
physically adverb	/ˈfɪz.ɪ.kli/	In a physical manner.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
move forward verb	To cause to make progress.
look forward to verb	To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
go back verb	To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time.
going forward adverb	In the immediate future and beyond.
hang up verb	To put up to hang.
lie down verb	To assume a horizontal position.
pop out verb	To appear on the screen as a temporary window or menu.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

Do you know what that means?
Do you know how to pronounce the word comfortable?
Did I remember to hit record?
Do you have a recliner, guys?
Do you, which one do you like?

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	be hung · is called · is still hung
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've never flown · have flown · I've flown
Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past	was talking · was reading · were driving
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should just relax · should I wear

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 82 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, perfectionist /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/, smash /smæʃ/, partially /ˈpɑɹʃəli/
Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, perfectionist /pɚˈfɛk.ʃənɪst/, horizontal /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/, visually /ˈvɪzju.əli/

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 recline, fixate, airline.

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 phrasal verb you can use every day (HUNG UP ON) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Sentences worth repeating

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?