Shadowing Practice: Avril Lavigne - Things I'll Never Say (Official Audio) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Avril Lavigne - Things I'll Never Say”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: worth, squeezing, wishing, marry, nervous. This video has 41 sentences and 368 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:16. The speaker talks at a steady 113 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| marry verb | /ˈmæɹi/ | To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife. |
| squeeze verb | /skwiːz/ | To apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once. |
| slip verb | /ˈslɪp/ | To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| cheek noun | /t͡ʃiːk/ | The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity. |
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| stumble verb | /ˈstʌmbəl/ | To trip or fall; to walk clumsily. |
| stutter noun | /ˈstʌtɚ/ | A speech disorder characterized by stuttering. |
| tug verb | /ˈtʌɡ/ | To pull or drag with great effort. |
| blow verb | /bloʊ/ | To produce an air current. |
| tight adjective | /taɪt/ | Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open. |
| search verb | /sɝt͡ʃ/ | To look in (a place) for something. |
| foot noun | /fʊt/ | A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg. |
| pull verb | /pʊl/ | To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force. |
| anywhere adverb | /ˈɛn.i.(h)wɛɹ/ | In or at any location. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What use is it to you?
- What's on my mind?
- Am I squeezing you too tight?
- What's wrong with my tongue?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm tugging · I'm trying · are turning |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll never say · I'll never show · will show |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 41 contractions and reduced forms, such as wanna, I'm, you're. 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.
- 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 marry, squeeze, slip.
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.