Shadowing Practice: [Audio] Basic IELTS Listening - 87 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Exercise 4.

The first year undergraduates.

Two students are talking in the student's canteen.

Listen to the conversation and fill in the missing information in the notes below. Is this seat taken?

No. May I sit here?

Please do.

Are you a new student?

Yes.

I'm Marty from Korea.

I got here only yesterday.

I'm Alan, second year in law.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too.

Alan, could you tell me something about the first year students' life here?

Okay.

You know, the first year students' life can be exciting but terrifying for the first week.

Why is it terrifying?

Oh, many first year students will feel very homesick for the first week since this is their first time away from home.

By the way, do you live on campus?

Yes, I live in a hall of residence.

That's good.

Living in a hall of residence soon helps you to make some new friends.

You know, the university always provides accommodation to the first-year students.

They may move out into a rented room in their second or third year, or share a house with friends.

I see.

That's reasonable for the first-year students so they don't worry about their accommodation and transportation problems.

That's right.

During the first week, all the clubs and societies will hold a student's fair,

during which they try to persuade new students to join their society.

Oh, I heard about that.

I expected this kind of fare.

I'd like to join some sports clubs so I will have something to do in my spare time.

The first year students are told

that it is important for them to come into contact with many opinions and activities during their time at university.

The first week, you may be taken to visit the campus.

You can see groups of students walking around the huge campus, finding their way around in the first week of university.

And at weekends, the university may organize some trips to places nearby, so you will be quite busy for the first few weeks.

It sounds good.

All the activities will keep me busy.

Thank you, Alan.

You're welcome, and hope you will enjoy your stay here.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 41 sentences and 368 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:40. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
residence noun	/ˈɹɛz.ɪ.dəns/	The place where one lives (resides); one's home.
accommodation noun	/əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/	Lodging in a dwelling or similar living quarters afforded to travellers in hotels or on cruise ships, or students, etc.
spare adjective	/spɛɚ/	Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous.
organize verb	/ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/	To arrange in working order.
fare noun	/ˈfɛə/	Money paid for a transport ticket.
undergraduate noun		A student at a university who has not yet received a degree.
persuade verb	/pə(ɹ)ˈsweɪd/	To successfully convince (someone) to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence.
terrify verb	/ˈtɛɹɪfaɪ/	To frighten greatly; to fill with terror.
canteen noun	/kænˈtin/	A water bottle, flask, or other vessel, typically used by a soldier or camper as a bottle for carrying water or liquor for drink.
excite verb	/ɪkˈsaɪt/	To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement.
homesick adjective	/ˈhoʊ̯m.sɪk/	Missing one's home and family very much when away; nostalgic.
campus noun	/ˈkæmpəs/	The grounds or property of a school, college, university, business, church, or hospital, often understood to include buildings and other structures.
exercise noun	/ˈɛk.sə.saɪz/	Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability.
fill verb	/fɪl/	To add contents to (a container, cavity, or the like) so that it is full.
reasonable adjective	/ˈɹiː.zə.nə.bəl/	Just; fair; agreeable to reason.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
walk around verb	To walk with no planned destination; to meander.

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	are told · may be taken
Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain	may move · may be · may organize
Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction	will feel · will hold · will have

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, transportation /tɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: accommodation /əˌkɒm.əˈdeɪ.ʃən/, reasonable /ˈɹiː.zə.nə.bəl/, transportation /tɹænspɚˈteɪʃən/

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 residence, accommodation, spare.

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: [Audio] Basic IELTS Listening - 87 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

Key vocabulary in this video

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Grammar in this video

Pronunciation to watch

How to practise with this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?