Shadowing Practice: Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Bob Dylan - Blowin' In The Wind”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: blowing, wind, answer. This video has 14 sentences and 187 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:26. The speaker talks slowly, about 77 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 6 of its 14 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| sand noun | /sænd/ | Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in… |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| sail noun | /seɪl/ | A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination… |
| dove noun | /doʊv/ | A pigeon, especially one smaller in size and white-colored; a bird (often arbitrarily called either a pigeon or a dove or both) of more than three hundred… |
| cannonball noun | /ˈkænənˌbɔːl/ | A spherical projectile fired from a smoothbore cannon. |
| blow verb | /bloʊ/ | To produce an air current. |
| ban verb | /ˈbæn/ | To prohibit; to interdict; to proscribe; to forbid or block from participation. |
| wind noun | /ˈwɪnd/ | Real or perceived movement of atmospheric air usually caused by convection or differences in air pressure. |
| exist verb | /ɪɡˈzɪst/ | to be; have existence; have being or reality |
| till | /tɪl/ | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| forever adverb | /fəˈɹɛvɚ/ | For all time, for all eternity; for a lifetime; for an infinite amount of time. |
| mountain noun | /ˈmaʊn.tɪn/ | An elevation of land of considerable dimensions rising more or less abruptly, forming a conspicuous figure in the landscape, usually having a small extent of… |
| debt noun | /ˈdɛt/ | An action, state of mind, or object one has an obligation to perform for another, adopt toward another, or give to another. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| walk down verb | To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's… |
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 | is blowing |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | must a · must one |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will it |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, doesn't. 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 wash, sand, pretend.
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.