Shadowing Practice: Adele - Easy On Me (Live at the NRJ Awards 2021) - Learn English Speaking with Video
B1Adele - Send My Love (To Your New Lover)
B2Adele - I Drink Wine (Official Video)
B2Adele - Rolling in the Deep (Official Music Video)
B1Adele - Skyfall (Official Lyric Video)
B1Adele - Hello (Official Music Video)
B1Adele - Someone Like You (Official Music Video)
B1Adele - When We Were Young (Live at The Church Studios)
B1Adele - Easy On Me (Official Video)
B1ABBA - The Winner Takes It All (Lyrics)
B1Adele live - One and Only
B1George Michael - Careless Whisper (Live from Top of the Pops 1984)
B1Bee Gees - Stayin' Alive (Official Music Video)
B1Céline Dion - My Heart Will Go On (Official 25th Anniversary Alternate Music Video)
B1Adele – Rolling in the Deep (Live Performance) #musicvideo #lyrics #songs #englishsongs #music
B1Bon Jovi - It's My Life (Official Music Video)
B1Whitney Houston - I Have Nothing (Official HD Video)
B1Ed Sheeran – You’re My Everything
B1Easy (Single Version)
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 20 sentences and 223 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 64 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
10 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| ease verb | /iz/ | To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc. |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| intentions noun | /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/ | Desire to court, marry, date, woo or sleep with someone. |
| drown verb | /dɹaʊn/ | To die from suffocation while immersed in water or other fluid. |
| choose verb | /t͡ʃuːz/ | To pick; to make the choice of; to select. |
| stick noun | /stɪk/ | A small, thin branch from a tree or bush; a twig; a branch. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as ain't, didn't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shine /ʃaɪn/, intentions /ɪnˈtɛnʃənz/
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 silence, deeply, deny.
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.