Shadowing Practice: Alex Warren - Ordinary (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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45 sentences
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1
They say the holy water's watered down
2
And this town's lost its faith
3
Our colors will fade eventually
4
So if our time is running now
5
Day after day, we'll make the mundane A masterpiece
6
Oh my, my, oh my, my love I take one look at you,
7
you're taking me out of the ordinary I want you laying me down to the dead and buried
8
On the edge of your knife, staying drunk on the ride
9
The angels up in the clouds, are jealous knowing we felt
10
Something so out of the ordinary
11
You got me kissing the ground of your sanctuary Shatter me with your touch, oh Lord return me to dust
12
The angels up in the clouds are jealous, no one will be found
13
Hopeless, hallelujah Hopeless, sight of heaven's gate
14
Oh my life, how do ya?
15
Breathe in, take my breath away
16
At your altar I will pray
17
You're the sculptor, I'm the clay
18
Oh my, my, you're taking me out
19
You're the ordinary I want you laying me down
20
Till we're dead and buried
21
On the edge of your night
22
Staying drunk on your vine
23
The angels up in the clouds
24
Are jealous, no -looking foul
25
Summer so, oh, oh, what a man
26
You got me kissing the brown, brown I'm a sanctuary, can't be what you've done
27
Oh, Lord, return me to dust
28
The angels up in the clouds
29
Watch out, there's no one we've found
30
Summer so heavenly, higher than ecstasy
31
Whenever you're next to me, oh, my, my Where was it black and white
32
Until I saw your light I thought you had to die to fight
33
Something so out of the ordinary
34
How are you laying me down
35
To a dead and buried
36
On the edge of your night
37
Staying drunk on your vine
38
The angels up in the clouds
39
Are jealous knowing we found
40
Something so out of the ordinary
41
You got me kissing the crowd
42
Sanctuary Chatter me with your touch
43
Oh Lord, return me to dust
44
The angels up in the clouds
45
My dad is nowhere we found
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Alex Warren - Ordinary”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: clouds, angels, ordinary, jealous, sanctuary. This video has 45 sentences and 349 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:53. The speaker talks at a steady 121 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloud noun | /ˈklaʊ̯d/ | A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air. |
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| ordinary adjective | /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/ | Having regular jurisdiction; now only used in certain phrases. |
| jealous adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ | Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity. |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| sanctuary noun | /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/ | A place of safety, refuge, or protection. |
| bury verb | /ˈbɛɹi/ | To outlive. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| vine noun | /ˈvaɪ̯n/ | Any plant whose stem requires support and which climbs by tendrils or twining. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| knife noun | /ˈnaɪ̯f/ | A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge… |
| nowhere adverb | /ˈnoʊ.(h)wɛɹ/ | In no place. |
| pray verb | /pɹeɪ/ | To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc. |
| clay noun | /kleɪ/ | A mineral substance made up of small crystals of silica and alumina, that is ductile when moist; the material of pre-fired ceramics. |
| foul adjective | /faʊl/ | Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| watch out | Used to warn someone of an imminent danger. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've done · we've found |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is running · you're taking · are you laying |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will fade · we'll make · will be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: ordinary /ˈɔɹdɪnɛɹi/, sanctuary /ˈsæŋkt͡ʃuˌɛɹi/, hallelujah /ˌhæl.əˈl(j)uː.jə/
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 cloud, angel, ordinary.
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.