Shadowing Practice: At a Restaurant: This Isn't What I Ordered - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Excuse me... sorry, could you come over for a second?
2
Of course! Is everything all right with your meal?
3
I'm afraid not. This isn't what I ordered.
4
Oh no, really? What did you order?
5
I asked for the grilled chicken salad,
6
but this is pasta with cream sauce.
7
I'm so sorry. That's completely my mistake.
8
The thing is, I can't eat cream. I'm allergic to milk.
9
Oh! Thank you for telling me. Did you taste it?
10
No, don't worry. I noticed before I started.
11
Thank goodness. I'll take this back right away.
12
Would you still like the chicken salad?
13
Well, how long will it take? I'm in a bit of a hurry.
14
Ten minutes at most. I'll tell the kitchen it's urgent.
15
Okay, that's fine. Thank you.
16
And I'll make sure there's no milk in the dressing.
17
Here you are! One grilled chicken salad, no dairy.
18
Wow, that was fast! It looks delicious.
19
Again, I'm really sorry about the mix-up.
20
It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes.
21
To make up for it, your drink is on the house.
22
Really? You don't have to do that!
23
I insist. It's the least we can do.
24
That's very kind. I'll definitely come back here.
25
And next time, I promise to bring the right dish!
26
Deal! I'll hold you to that.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 26 sentences and 216 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:53. The speaker talks at a steady 115 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| salad noun | /ˈsæl.əd/ | A food consisting principally of raw vegetables (especially greens, e.g. lettuce), other savoury ingredients (typically cooked), fruit, or confectionary; often… |
| grill noun | /ɡɹɪl/ | A grating; a grid of wire or a sheet of material with a pattern of holes or slots, usually used to protect something while allowing the passage of air and… |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| delicious adjective | /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ | Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty. |
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| urgent adjective | /ˈɜː.d͡ʒənt/ | Requiring immediate attention. |
| hurry verb | /ˈhʌ.ɹi/ | To do things quickly. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| dairy noun | /ˈdɛə.ɹi/ | (also dairy products or dairy produce) Products produced from milk. |
| insist verb | /ɪnˈsɪst/ | To hold up a claim emphatically. |
| pasta noun | /ˈpɑ.stə/ | Dough made from wheat and water and sometimes mixed with egg and formed into various shapes; often sold in dried form and typically boiled for eating. |
| allergic adjective | /əˈlɝ.d͡ʒɪk/ | Of or pertaining to allergy. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| mix up verb | To mix or blend thoroughly and completely. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, dish /dɪʃ/
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 salad, grill, meal.
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.