Shadowing Practice: CAN I MAKE A PUMPKIN PIE WITH NO RECIPE? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “CAN I MAKE A PUMPKIN PIE WITH NO RECIPE?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: beans, crust, pie, pumpkin, egg. This video has 782 sentences and 4793 words to shadow. The speech runs for 41:39. The speaker talks at a steady 115 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 73% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| bean noun | /ˈbi(ː)n/ | Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods. |
| crust noun | /kɹʌst/ | A more solid, dense or hard layer on a surface or boundary. |
| pumpkin noun | /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/ | A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon. |
| butter noun | /ˈbʌtɚ/ | A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk). |
| flour noun | /ˈflaʊ.ə/ | Powder obtained by grinding or milling cereal grains, especially wheat, or other foodstuffs such as soybeans and potatoes, and used to bake bread, cakes, and… |
| graham noun | /ɡɹæm/ | Flour made by grinding wheat berries including the bran. |
| bake verb | /beɪk/ | To cook (something) in an oven (for someone). |
| cinnamon noun | /ˈsɪnəmən/ | A small evergreen tree native to Sri Lanka and southern India, Cinnamomum verum or Cinnamomum zeylanicum, belonging to the family Lauraceae. |
| scratch verb | /skɹæt͡ʃ/ | To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc. |
| coconut noun | /ˈkəʊ.kə.nʌt/ | A fruit of the coconut palm (not a true nut), Cocos nucifera, having a fibrous husk surrounding a large seed. |
| cane noun | /keɪn/ | The slender, flexible main stem of a plant such as bamboo, including many species in the grass family Gramineae. |
| ingredient noun | /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/ | One of the substances present in a mixture, especially food. |
| almond noun | /ˈɑ(l).mənd/ | The seed within the drupe of a small deciduous tree in family Rosaceae, Prunus amygdalus, considered a culinary nut. |
| maker noun | /ˈmeɪk.ɚ/ | Someone who makes; a person or thing that makes or produces something. |
| recipe noun | /ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/ | Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| cool off verb | To decrease in temperature, activity, or temper. | |
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| come on to verb | To start to. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. | |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Won't you shake a pulse in his hand?
- Do we believe that'll stick together with just that?
- What if it doesn't live up to my expectations?
- Does that mean I'm a failure?
- You'll still be my friend after this?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has condensed · We've already come · haven't been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be gagged · is set · being watched |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who understands · filling, which is |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might need · might be · might have |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 245 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thick /θɪk/, thumb /ˈθʌm/, smooth /smuːð/, bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shake /ˈʃeɪk/, chef /ʃɛf/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, dash /ˈdæʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, intuition /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, continuity /ˌkɑn.tɪˈn(j)u.ə.ti/, ventilation /ˌvɛntɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
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 bean, crust, pumpkin.
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.












