Shadowing Practice: BECOME THE PERFECT STUDENT📔🎀 study tips, habits & romanticizing school - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “BECOME THE PERFECT STUDENT📔🎀 study tips, habits & romanticizing school”. This video has 339 sentences and 4822 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:10. The speaker talks fast, about 228 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| planner noun | /ˈplænɚ/ | One who plans. |
| semester noun | /sɪˈmɛstɚ/ | Half of a school year (US) or academic year such as autumn or spring semester. |
| notebook noun | /ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/ | A book (physical or digital) in which notes or memoranda are written. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| assignment noun | /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ | The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. |
| highlighter noun | /ˈhaɪ.laɪt.ɚ/ | A marker pen used to highlight text. |
| tab noun | /tæb/ | A small flap or strip of material attached to or inserted into something, for holding, manipulation, identification, opening etc. |
| memorize verb | /ˈmɛm.əˌɹaɪ̯z/ | To fully learn so as to have entirely available to the memory; to learn by heart, commit to memory. |
| browser noun | /ˈbɹaʊ.zəɹ/ | One who or which browses. |
| reiterate verb | /ɹiːˈɪt.ə.ɹeɪt/ | To say or do (something) for a second time, such as for emphasis. |
| romanticize verb | /roʊˈmæntɪsaɪz/ | To interpret, view, or portray something in a romantic (unrealistic, idealized) manner. |
| notion noun | /ˈnoʊʃən/ | Mental apprehension of whatever may be known, thought, or imagined; idea, concept. |
| cutoff noun | /kəˈtɔf/ | The point at which something terminates or to which it is limited. |
| flashcard noun | /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/ | A card used to aid rote memorization. One side of the card contains data of one kind, or a question, and the other side contains the associated response which… |
| workflow noun | /ˈwɝkfloʊ/ | The flowrate at which a flow of work takes place. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| pull back verb | To retreat. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. |
| come up to verb | To approach. |
| get out verb | To leave or escape. |
| keep up with verb | To manage to remain beside or just behind someone or something that is moving away from one. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'd watch an episode of my favorite show.
- I'm like, okay, you know what?
- What helps you succeed in school?
- What's your best study tip?
- What's your best little hack?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been staring · I've been learning |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was just terrified · would be zoomed · being given |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 84 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: cathartic /kəˈθɑɹtɪk/, aesthetics /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪks/, thrive /θɹajv/, underneath /ˌʌndɚˈniθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: notion /ˈnoʊʃən/, flashcard /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/, internship /ˈɪntɜːnʃɪp/, refresh /ɹɪˈfɹɛʃ/, distraction /dɪsˈtɹæk.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: reiterate /ɹiːˈɪt.ə.ɹeɪt/, romanticize /roʊˈmæntɪsaɪz/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/, geology /d͡ʒɪˈɒl.ə.d͡ʒɪ/, participant /pɑːɹˈtɪsəpənt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like planner, semester, notebook.
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.













