Shadowing Practice: Britney Spears - Criminal (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
He is a hustler, he's no good at all He is a loser,
2
he's a bum bum bum bum He is a sucker with a gun,
3
gun, gun, gun I know you told me I should stay awake I know you said he's just a dog,
4
a stranger He's a bad boy with a tainted heart And even I know this ain't smart But mama,
5
I'm in love with a criminal Rational,
6
it's physical Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright All reason aside,
7
I just can't deny Love the guy
8
He is a villain by the devil's law He is a killer just for fun,
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fun, fun, fun Snitchin' unpredictable He's got no conscience, he got none, none, none,
10
none, none, none, oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
26
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
32
oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh oh
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And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical Mama, please don't cry,
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I will be alright All reason aside,
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I just can't deny, love the guy And he's got my name Tattooed on,
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he's on his lucky charm So I guess it's okay,
41
he's with me And I hear people talk,
42
try to make remarks keep us apart But I don't even hear,
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I don't care Cause mama,
44
I'm in love with a criminal And this type of love isn't rational,
45
it's physical Mama, please don't cry, I will be alright All reason aside,
46
I just can't deny, love again Mama,
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I'm in love with a criminal And this type of love isn't rational, it's physical
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All reason aside, I just can't deny love to cry
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 48 sentences and 555 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:26. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mama noun | /ˈmɑmə/ | Synonym of mother (“a female parent”). |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| rational adjective | /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/ | Capable of reasoning. |
| killer noun | /ˈkɪlɚ/ | One who or that which kills. |
| awake verb | /əˈweɪk/ | To become conscious after having slept. |
| charm noun | /t͡ʃɑɹm/ | An object, act or words believed to have magic power (usually carries a positive connotation). |
| loser noun | /luzɚ/ | A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive. |
| conscience noun | /ˈkɑn.ʃəns/ | The ethical or moral sense of right and wrong, chiefly as it affects a person’s own behaviour and forms their attitude to their past actions. |
| villain noun | /ˈvɪl.ən/ | A vile, wicked person. |
| unpredictable adjective | Unable to be predicted. | |
| remark verb | /ɹɪˈmɑɹk/ | To pay heed to; notice; to take notice of, to perceive. |
| hustler noun | /ˈhʌsləɹ/ | One who rushes or hurries; an energetic person. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rational /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəl/, conscience /ˈkɑn.ʃəns/
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 mama, deny, rational.
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.