Shadowing Practice: Calling a Plumber: The Kitchen Is Flooding! - 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 “Calling a Plumber: The Kitchen Is Flooding!”. This video has 24 sentences and 187 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:31. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 7 of its 24 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pipe noun | /ˈpaɪp/ | A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube. |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| crack noun | /kɹæk/ | A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material. |
| burst verb | /bɜːst/ | To break from internal pressure. |
| leak noun | /liːk/ | A crack, crevice, fissure, or hole which admits water or other fluid, or lets it escape. |
| cookie noun | /ˈkʊki/ | A small, flat, baked good which is either crisp or soft but firm. |
| towel noun | /ˈtaʊ̯əl/ | A cloth used for wiping, especially one used for drying anything wet, such as a person after a bath. |
| bake verb | /beɪk/ | To cook (something) in an oven (for someone). |
| stiff adjective | /stɪf/ | Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible. |
| phew | /fjuː/ | Used to express relief of tension, fatigue, or surprise. |
| plumber noun | /ˈplʌm.əɹ/ | One who furnishes, fits, and repairs pipes and other apparatus for the conveyance of water, gas, or drainage. |
| kitchen noun | /ˈkɪt͡ʃ(ə)n/ | A room or area for preparing food. |
| everywhere adverb | /ˈɛv.ɹi.(h)wɛɹ/ | In or to all locations under discussion. |
| twenty noun | /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i] | The numbers twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29). |
| perfectly adverb | /ˈpɝ.fɪk(t).li/ | With perfection. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- How can I help?
- There's water everywhere in my kitchen!
- Can you see a small tap?
- I'm only ten minutes away.
- I thought you'd say five hundred!
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, isn'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 pipe, sink, crack.
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.