Shadowing Practice: #Anne Hathaway #advice on Being Kind to Yourself - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Recommend Video
B1Anne Hathaway On Self Love | Motivational Video
B2If You’re Feeling Behind in Life Because of Your Mental Health, Watch This
B2How To Be Nice Without Being Taken Advantage Of - Happiness Vlog
B1How to Deal With Negative SELF-TALK.
B2Elle Fanning : Life Lessons | Bazaar UK
B29 small habits that make my life so much happier :')
B2Lessons of Worth with Viola Davis
B2Self improvement means letting go of yourself
B2ALWAYS CHOOSE TO BE KIND
B2How you Speak to Yourself MATTERS | @shadezahrai #shorts
B2Doing this everyday will greatly help 👉🏻www.xandriaooi.com 💖
B2How to Stop Taking Things Personally
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Hathaway on Being Kind to Yourself”. This video has 20 sentences and 211 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:00. The speaker talks fast, about 212 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kindly adverb | /ˈkaɪn(d)li/ | In a kind manner, out of kindness. |
| badly adverb | /ˈbæd.li/ | In a bad manner. |
| fluke noun | /fluk/ | Any of the triangular blades at the end of an anchor, designed to catch the ground. |
| phototherapy noun | The use of light to treat disorders of the skin, and certain mood disorders. | |
| ourselves | /aʊɚˈsɛlvz/ | Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject. |
| deserve verb | /dɪˈzɝv/ | To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have. |
| blame verb | /bleɪm/ | To assert or consider that someone is the cause of something negative; to place blame; to attribute responsibility (for something negative or for doing… |
| favourite adjective | /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/ | Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.) |
| exact adjective | /ɪɡˈzækt/ | Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect. |
| inner adjective | /ˈɪnə/ | Being or occurring (farther) inside, situated farther in, located (situated) or happening on the inside of something, situated within or farther within… |
| photo verb | /ˈfəʊ̯.təʊ̯/ | To take a photograph of. |
| beginning noun | /bɪˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/ | The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort… |
| easily adverb | /ˈi.zɪ.li/ | Comfortably, without discomfort or anxiety. |
| doctor noun | /ˈdɑktɚ/ | A physician; a member of the medical profession; one who is trained and licensed to heal the sick or injured. The final examination and qualification may award… |
| advice noun | /ədˈvaɪs/ | An opinion offered to guide behavior in an effort to be helpful. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- That's what I do sometimes too.
- Then how can we learn to be kinder to ourselves?
- I just couldn't do it.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, didn't, I've. 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.
- 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 kindly, badly, fluke.
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.