Shadowing Practice: CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 LISTENING TEST 2 PART 3 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Part 3.
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You will hear two theatre studies students discussing stage and screen performances of Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.
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First, you have some time to look at questions 21 and 22.
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Now listen carefully and answer questions 21 and 22.
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Did you make notes while you were watching the performances of Romeo and Juliet, Gemma?
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Yes, I did.
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I found it quite hard, though.
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I kept getting too involved in the play.
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Me too.
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I ended up not taking notes.
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I wrote down my impressions when I got home.
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Do you mind if I check a few things with you, in case I've missed anything?
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And I've also got some questions about our assignment.
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No, it's good to talk things through.
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I may have missed things too.
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OK, great.
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So, first of all, I'm not sure how much information we should include in our reviews.
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Right.
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Well, I don't think we need to describe what happens, especially as Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare's most well-known plays.
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Yeah, everyone knows the story.
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In an essay, we'd focus on the poetry and Shakespeare's use of imagery, etc. but that isn't really relevant in a review.
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We're supposed to focus on how effective this particular production is.
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Hmm.
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We should say what made it a success or a failure.
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And part of that means talking about the emotional impact the performance had on us.
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I think that's important.
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Yes.
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And we should definitely mention how well the director handled important bits of the play, like when Romeo climbs onto Juliet's balcony.
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And the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt.
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Yes.
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It would also be interesting to mention the theatre space and how the director used it, but I don't think we'll have space in 800 words.
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No, OK.
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That all sounds quite straightforward.
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Before you hear the rest of the discussion, you have some time to look at questions 23 to 30.
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Thank you.
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Now listen and answer questions 23 to 30.
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So, what about the Emporium Theatre's production of the play?
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I thought some things worked really well, but there were some problems too.
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Yeah.
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What about the set, for example?
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I think it was visually really stunning.
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I'd say that was probably the most memorable thing about this production.
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You're right.
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The set design was really amazing.
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But actually, I have seen similar ideas used in other productions.
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What about the lighting?
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Some of the scenes were so dimly lit it was quite hard to see.
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I didn't dislike it.
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It helped to change the mood of the quieter scenes.
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That's a good point.
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What did you think of the costumes?
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I was a bit surprised by the contemporary dress, I must say.
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Yeah, I think it worked well, but I had assumed it would be more conventional.
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Me too.
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I liked the music at the beginning, and I thought the musicians were brilliant,
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but I thought they were wasted because the music didn't have much impact in Acts 2 and 3.
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Yes, that was a shame.
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One problem with this production was that the actors didn't deliver the lines that well.
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Well, they were speaking too fast.
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It was a problem, I agree.
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But I thought it was because they weren't speaking loudly enough, especially at key points in the play.
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I actually didn't have a problem with that.
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It's been an interesting experience watching different versions of Romeo and Juliet, hasn't it?
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Definitely.
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It's made me realise how relevant the play still is.
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Right.
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I mean, a lot's changed since Shakespeare's time, but in many ways nothing's changed.
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There are always disagreements and tension between teenagers and their parents.
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Yes, that's something all young people can relate to, more than the violence and the extreme emotions in the play.
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How did you find watching it in translation?
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Really interesting.
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I expected to find it more challenging, but I could follow the story pretty well.
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I stopped worrying about not being able to understand all the words and focused on the actor's expressions.
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The ending was pretty powerful.
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Yes.
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That somehow intensified the emotion for me.
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Did you know Shakespeare's been translated into more languages than any other writer?
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Hmm.
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What's the reason for his international appeal, do you think?
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I was reading that it's because his plays are about basic themes that people everywhere are familiar with.
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Yeah, and they can also be understood on different levels.
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The characters have such depth.
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Right, which allows directors to experiment and find new angles.
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That's really important.
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That is the end of part three.
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You now have half a minute to check your answers to part three.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “CAMBRIDGE IELTS 17 LISTENING TEST 2 PART 3”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Romeo, production, questions, Juliet, interesting. This video has 86 sentences and 767 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:12. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| intensify verb | /ɪnˈtɛnsɪfaɪ/ | To render more intense. |
| disagreement noun | /dɪsəˈɡɹiːmənt/ | An argument or debate. |
| visually adverb | /ˈvɪzju.əli/ | By means of sight. |
| balcony noun | /ˈbælkəni/ | An accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window. |
| loudly adverb | /ˈlaʊdli/ | In a loud manner; at a high volume. |
| straightforward adjective | /ˌstɹeɪtˈfɔː(ɹ)wə(ɹ)d/ | Proceeding in a straight course or manner; not deviating. |
| imagery noun | /ˈɪmɪd͡ʒɹi/ | The work of one who makes images or visible representation of objects. |
| dislike verb | /dɪsˈlaɪk/ | To have a feeling of aversion or antipathy towards; not to like. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| memorable adjective | /ˈmɛm.(ə)ɹə.bl̩/ | Worthy to be remembered; very important or remarkable. |
| musician noun | /mjuˈzɪʃən/ | A composer, conductor, or performer of music; specifically, a person who sings and/or plays a musical instrument as a hobby, occupation, or profession. |
| teenager noun | /ˈtiːnˌeɪ̯d͡ʒə/ | A person between thirteen and nineteen years old (inclusive). |
| costume noun | /ˈkɑsˌt(j)um/ | A style of dress, including garments, accessories and hairstyle, especially as characteristic of a particular country, period or people. |
| assignment noun | /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ | The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What did you think of the costumes?
- I actually didn't have a problem with that.
- How did you find watching it in translation?
- What's the reason for his international appeal, do you think?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were wasted · been translated · be understood |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've missed · have seen |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, musician /mjuˈzɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: intensify /ɪnˈtɛnsɪfaɪ/, disagreement /dɪsəˈɡɹiːmənt/, visually /ˈvɪzju.əli/
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 emotion, intensify, disagreement.
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.