Shadowing Practice: Academy Stars Starters Unit 5 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 9 sentences and 67 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:49. The speaker talks slowly, about 82 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 75% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — 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…
- sock /sɑk/ (noun) — A knitted or woven covering for the foot.
- skirt /skɚt/ (noun) — A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
- trousers /ˈtɹaʊzɚz/ (noun) — An article of clothing that covers the part of the body between the waist and the ankles or knees, and is divided into a separate part for each leg.
- shirt /ʃɜɹt/ (noun) — An article of clothing that is worn on the upper part of the body, often with sleeves that cover some or all of the arms.
- orange /ˈɒɹɪnd͡ʒ/ (noun) — An evergreen tree of the genus Citrus such as Citrus sinensis which yields oranges (the fruit).
- pink /ˈpɪŋk/ (noun) — A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
- wear /wɛ(ə)ɹ/ (verb) — To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, perfume, etc.
- dress /dɹɛs/ (verb) — To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, shirt /ʃɜɹt/
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 shoe, sock, skirt.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are you wearing · I'm wearing |
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.