Shadowing Practice: B1 Preliminary (PET) Listening Test 17 with answers (new format) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “B1 Preliminary (PET) Listening Test 17 with answers”. This video has 413 sentences and 4123 words to shadow. The speech runs for 30:35. The speaker talks at a steady 135 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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… |
| designer noun | /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ | A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession. |
| railway noun | /ˈɹeɪlˌweɪ/ | A transport system using rails used to move passengers or goods. |
| castle noun | /ˈkɑːsəl/ | A large residential building or compound that is fortified and contains many defences; in previous ages often inhabited by a nobleman or king. Also, a house or… |
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| unusual adjective | /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/ | Not usual, out of the ordinary. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| ruin noun | /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ | The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle. |
| jeans noun | /d͡ʒiːnz/ | A pair of trousers made from denim cotton. |
| sally noun | /ˈsæli/ | A sortie of troops from a besieged place against an enemy. |
| acre noun | /ˈeɪ.kɚ/ | An English unit of land area (symbol: a. or ac.) originally denoting a day's ploughing for a yoke of oxen, now standardized as 4,840 square yards or 4,046.86… |
| countryside noun | /ˈkʌn.tɹiˌsaɪd/ | An area located outside of towns and cities; an area that is not urban or suburban; a rural area. |
| sofa noun | /ˈsoʊ̯fə/ | An upholstered seat with a raised back and one or two raised ends, long enough to comfortably accommodate two or more people. |
| sausage noun | /ˈsɔsɪd͡ʒ/ | A food made of ground meat (or meat substitute) and seasoning, packed in a section of the animal's intestine, or in a similarly cylindrical shaped synthetic… |
| surround verb | /səˈɹaʊnd/ | To encircle something or simultaneously extend in all directions. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. | |
| go off verb | To explode. | |
| start off verb | To begin. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
| walk through verb | To explain (something) to (someone), step by step. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- John, can you help please?
- Isn't it on the desk where you usually leave it, sis?
- Is your family going abroad this year on holiday?
- Have you decided which extra course you're going to choose this year?
- Wouldn't they look great with your black jacket?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to belong · used to sketch |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't eaten · I've lost · Have you seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be made · was damaged · will be cancelled |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | those who are · tunnels which are |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 104 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cloth /klɒθ/, clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, wealthy /ˈwɛl.θi/, leather /ˈlɛðɚ/, thirteen /ˌθɝtˈtin/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, bishop /ˈbɪʃəp/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, leisure /ˈlɛʒə(ɹ)/
- Long words — get the stress right: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, photography /fəˈtɑ.ɡɹə.fi/
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 cloth, designer, railway.
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.
















