Shadowing Practice: ABBA - The Winner Takes It All (Official Lyric Video) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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27 sentences

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I I

don't wanna talk, about things we've gone through Though it's hurting me,

now it's history I've played all my cards,

and that's what you've done too Nothing more to say No more ace to play

The winner takes it all The loser standing small Beside the victory

That's my destiny

I was in your eyes Thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense Building me a fence

Building me a home Thinking I'd be strong there But I was a fool

Laying by the rules The gods make raw and eyes,

their minds as cold as ice And someone way down here,

loses someone dear The winner takes it all,

the loser has to fall It's simple and it's plain, why should I complain?

But tell me, does she kiss, like I used to kiss you?

Does it feel the same, when she calls your name?

Somewhere deep inside, you must know I miss you But what can I say,

rules must be obeyed The judges will decide,

the likes of me abide Spectators on the shore,

always stay in love The game is on again A lover or a friend A big thing or a small

The winner takes it all I don't wanna talk If it makes you feel sad And I understand

You've come to shake my hand I apologize If it makes you feel bad Seeing me so tense

No self -confidence But you see The winner takes it all But we'll chase it on

So the river, chase it on And the blue sky,

pass it on Oh, come on,

come on, come on, wake up me,

someone, leave, takes it all,

let's do it, let's do it.

Thank you.

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26 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “ABBA - The Winner Takes It All”. This video has 27 sentences and 288 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:57. 83% 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

14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
chase verb	/t͡ʃeɪs/	To follow at speed.
loser noun	/luzɚ/	A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
plain noun	/pleɪn/	An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.
belong verb	/bɪˈlɒŋ/	To have its proper place.
shake verb	/ˈʃeɪk/	To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
shore noun	/ʃɔɹ/	Land adjoining a non-flowing body of water, such as an ocean, lake or pond.
lover noun	/ˈlʌvɚ/	One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.
complain verb	/kəmˈpleɪn/	To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
fence noun	/fɛns/	A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
destiny noun	/ˈdɛs.tɪ.ni/	That to which any person or thing is destined; a predetermined state; a condition predestined by the Divine or by human will.
apologize verb	/əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/	To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
tense noun	/tɛns/	The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
obey verb	/oʊˈbeɪ/	To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
abide verb	/əˈbaɪd/	To endure without yielding; to withstand.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go through verb		To travel from one end of something to the other.
wake up verb	/ˌweɪk ˈʌp/	To stop sleeping; to awake.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, wanna, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, shore /ʃɔɹ/

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 chase, loser, plain.

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: ABBA - The Winner Takes It All (Official Lyric Video) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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