Shadowing Practice: ACADEMY STARS 1 UNIT 6 Welcome to the circus - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 27 sentences and 114 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:47. The speaker talks slowly, about 64 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
11 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| circus noun | /ˈsɜːkəs/ | A traveling company of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, and other novelty acts, that gives shows usually in a circular tent. |
| swing verb | /ˈswɪŋ/ | To rotate about an off-centre fixed point. |
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| trapeze noun | /tɹəˈpiːz/ | A swinging horizontal bar suspended at each end by a rope, used by circus artists. |
| juggle verb | /ˈd͡ʒʌɡəl/ | To manipulate objects, such as balls, clubs, beanbags, rings, etc. in an artful or artistic manner. |
| seesaw noun | /ˈsi.sɔ/ | A structure composed of a plank, balanced in the middle, used as a game in which one person goes up as the other goes down. |
| yellow adjective | /ˈjɛloʊ/ | Of a yellow hue. |
| bird noun | /ˈbɜːd/ | An animal of the clade (traditionally class) Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of… |
| bike noun | /baɪk/ | Any vehicle sharing some characteristics with a bicycle or motorbike, such as pedal power, a handlebar, or a saddle. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, can't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 circus, swing, lion.
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.