Shadowing Practice: Aqua - Barbie Girl - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 28 sentences and 358 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:08. The speaker talks at a steady 114 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• brush /bɹʌʃ/ (noun) — An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including…
• knee /ni/ (noun) — In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank.
• darling /ˈdɑɹlɪŋ/ (noun) — Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one.
• doll /dɑl/ (noun) — A small figure resembling a human being that is used as a toy.
• blond /blɑnd/ (adjective) — Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour.
• glamour /ˈɡlæmɚ/ (noun) — Originally, enchantment; magic charm; especially, the effect of a spell that causes one to see objects in a form that differs from reality, typically to make…
• handkerchief /ˈhæŋkəːt͡ʃɪf/ (noun) — A piece of cloth, usually square and often fine and elegant, carried for wiping the face, eyes, nose or hands.
• hiya /ˈhaɪ(j)ə/ — An informal greeting, hi, hello.
• unread /ˈʌn.ɹɛd/ (adjective) — Not having been read.
• everywhere /ˈɛv.ɹi.(h)wɛɹ/ (adverb) — In or to all locations under discussion.
• creation /ˈkɹiˈeɪʃən/ (noun) — Something created such as an invention or artwork.
• plastic /ˈplæstɪk/ (noun) — A synthetic, solid, hydrocarbon-based polymer, whether thermoplastic or thermosetting.
• jump /d͡ʒʌmp/ (verb) — To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.
• tight /taɪt/ (adjective) — Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.
• fantasy /ˈfæntəsi/ (noun) — That which comes from one's imagination or the act of imagining things.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
• jump in /d͡ʒʌmp ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter something quickly, usually a mode of transport.
• go for (verb) — To try for, to attempt to reach.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, wanna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brush /bɹʌʃ/, creation /ˈkɹiˈeɪʃən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like brush, knee, darling.