Shadowing Practice: Britney Spears Absolutely Nails British Accent | FULL INTERVIEW | The Jonathan Ross Show - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 397 sentences and 3600 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:07. The speaker talks at a natural 179 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| snake noun | /sneɪk/ | Any of the suborder Serpentes of legless reptiles with long, thin bodies and fork-shaped tongues. |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| motorcycle noun | /ˈmoʊtɚˌsaɪkəl/ | An open-seated motor vehicle with handlebars instead of a steering wheel, and having two (or sometimes three) wheels. |
| glue noun | /ɡlu/ | A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance. |
| lizard noun | /ˈlɪzɚd/ | Any reptile of the order Squamata that is not a snake or mosasaur—typically characterised by a rounded torso, a short neck with an elevated head, a long tail… |
| sexy adjective | /ˈsɛksi/ | Having sex appeal; attractive. |
| tennis noun | /ˈtɛnɪs/ | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets. |
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| outfit noun | /ˈaʊtfɪt/ | A set of clothing (with accessories). |
| eleven noun | /əˈlɛv.ən/ | A cricket team of eleven players. Hence first eleven - the team of best cricket players (at a school), second eleven - the "B" team, etc. |
| performer noun | /pɚˈfɔɹmɚ/ | One who performs for, or entertains, an audience. |
| ping verb | /pɪŋ/ | To make a high-pitched, short and somewhat sharp sound. |
| diamond noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.mənd/ | A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron. |
| insane adjective | /ɪnˈseɪn/ | Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| call back verb | To request someone's return; to bring back or restore; to recall. | |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if you wanted to go in, they'd probably |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've been · I've seen · Have you checked |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been checked · were born · was given |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 124 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, theater /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, thigh /θaɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, sharp /ʃɑɹp/, occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, addiction /əˈdɪkˌʃən/, audition /ɑˈdɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: motorcycle /ˈmoʊtɚˌsaɪkəl/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, presumably /pɹɪˈzuːməbli/, adrenaline /əˈdɹɛnəlɪn/, achievable /əˈt͡ʃivəbəl/
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 snake, bore, motorcycle.
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.















