Shadowing Practice: Ariana Grande - needy (Audio) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 25 sentences and 300 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:07. The speaker talks slowly, about 96 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 74% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| needy adjective | /ˈniːdi/ | In need; poor. |
| scream verb | /skɹiːm/ | To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek. |
| shout verb | /ʃaʊt/ | To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| react verb | /ɹiːˈækt/ | To act in response. |
| selfish adjective | /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/ | Holding one's own self-interest as the standard for decision making. |
| obsess verb | /əbˈsɛs/ | To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion. |
| obsessive adjective | /əbˈsɛs.ɪv/ | Prone to cause obsession. |
| overthink verb | To think or analyze too much. | |
| rollercoaster noun | /ˈɹoʊlɚˌkoʊstɚ/ | An amusement ride consisting of a train on a track that rises, falls, twists and turns. |
| admit verb | /ədˈmɪt/ | To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration. |
| mess noun | /mɛs/ | A thing or group of things in a disagreeable, disorganised, or dirty state; hence a bad situation. |
| hunt verb | /hʌnt/ | To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dress up verb | To put on special or fancy clothes. | |
| mess up verb | To make a mess of; to untidy, disorder, soil, or muss. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shout /ʃaʊt/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/
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 needy, scream, shout.
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.