Shadowing Practice: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump - Learn English Speaking with Video

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This is one of the greatest paintings created by a British artist.

It is an experiment on a bird in the air pump, painted by Joseph Wright, known as Wright of Derby, and exhibited first in 1768.

And this is a painting I've written about in my book, A History of Britain in 21 Paintings.

Now this is an image of dramatic contrasts, science and religion, reason and theatrics,

light and dark, life and death and what is being displayed is a demonstration of the air pump experiment.

It's a pretty horrific scene, a small bird has been placed in a chamber

and the air is gradually being removed and as the bird convulses and struggles the figures around react in different ways.

Some can barely look, some like the boy on the left are gripped, some couldn't care less like the two lovers infatuated with each other.

Now Wright was born in Derby and so perhaps it's no surprise he was fascinated by science.

This was a place where the Midlands enlightenment boomed.

Wright lived just five minutes away from the Derby Silk Mill, often said to be the world's first factory,

and despite being an artist his birthplace today is marked by an amillary sphere, a scientific instrument.

Now part of the drama of this painting comes from the striking visual contrast.

The highlights are bright, the shadows inky black, the silhouettes sharp, every wrinkle is visible, every hair shimmers.

Echoing the techniques of Caravaggio, this is known as the English candlelight technique, using a single main light source,

the obscured candle on the table, plus the silvery moon if that counts.

And light and dark were apt metaphors for the principles of the Enlightenment, in which the pursuit of knowledge illuminates the darkness of ignorance.

But while this painting was created in the time of the Enlightenment, a time of reason and scientific advancement, Wright was also painting as a new movement emerged,

one which celebrated wild emotion and the darker side of human nature.

It was known as the Gothic.

Just four years before this painting was first exhibited, the first Gothic novel was published.

It was Horace Walpole's The Castle of Otranto in 1764 did, write, read The Castle of Otranto,

I wonder, as he was mapping out this masterpiece.

It has all the Gothic spooky traits, eerie moonlight, a flickering candle, themes of life and death,

children terrified, this wizened philosopher who would look at home in a crumbling turret surrounded by dusty books.

But why does this image still attract and fascinate and horrify people today?

Well, perhaps it's because the work is timeless.

Forget the bird for a moment and replace it with something from today's world, perhaps a modern moral dilemma like the use of AI or cloning.

Some of us might turn away from some of those things in horror, unable to look.

Some, like the father here, might take a more practical stance saying there's a lot we can learn from AI, we must embrace it.

Some, like the enraptured couple, they couldn't care less, they're getting on with their own lives.

Some of us are the young boy pushing for more.

Go on he says, push the button, see what happens when you make a clone.

And so perhaps this is why this painting still speaks to us.

Though this is an 18th century scene, it is at its core a commentary on mankind's relationship with the new frontiers of science.

Look at how the philosopher figure gestures to us, the viewer.

We are not passive observers in these conversations on reality and science and life and death but active participants.

He is gesturing directly to us to make the decision about what will happen to the bird itself

and so Wright forces us to confront a truth more surprising, more uncomfortable, more intimate than any other, our own moral standing.

If you'd like to learn more about the painting then do

pick up a copy of my book A History of Britain in 21 Paintings.

And if you're in Derby do visit the Art Gallery to see this amazing exhibition about Rite of Derby's work and life.

It runs until the 1st of November.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: painting, Wright, bird, Derby, perhaps. This video has 43 sentences and 703 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:16. The speaker talks at a natural 165 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 76% 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
enlightenment noun	/ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt/	An act of enlightening, or the state of being enlightened or instructed.
technique noun	/tɛkˈniːk/	The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements.
contrast noun	/kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/	The degree of this difference.
moral adjective	/ˈmoɹəl/	Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially conforming to principles of rectitude.
experiment noun	/ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/	A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of…
pump noun	/pʌmp/	A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
exhibit verb	/ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/	To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest.
gesture noun	/ˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃɚ/	A motion of the limbs or body, especially one made to emphasize speech.
candle noun	/ˈkæn.dəl/	A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin.
philosopher noun	/fəˈlɑsəfɚ/	A lover of wisdom.
clone noun	/kloʊn/	A living organism (originally a plant) produced asexually from a single ancestor, to which it is genetically identical.
practical adjective	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/	Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.
sharp adjective	/ʃɑɹp/	Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
chamber noun	/ˈt͡ʃeɪ̯mbɚ/	The private room of an individual, especially of someone wealthy or noble.
shadow noun	/ˈʃædəʊ̯/	A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
get on with verb	To proceed with; to begin or continue, especially after an interruption.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	being displayed · has been placed · being removed
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've written · has been placed

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, I've, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: birthplace /ˈbɝθˌpleɪs/, theatrics /θiˈætɹɪks/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, sharp /ʃɑɹp/, shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, exhibition /ɛksɪˈbɪʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: enlightenment /ɪnˈlaɪtənmənt/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, philosopher /fəˈlɑsəfɚ/, exhibition /ɛksɪˈbɪʃən/, commentary /ˈkɑ.mənˌtɛ.ɹi/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like enlightenment, technique, contrast.

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: An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump - Learn English Speaking with Video

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