Shadowing Practice: Can You Define Energy? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Here's a question that sounds easy.
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What is energy?
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Go on, try it.
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Define it to a friend.
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You've said the word a thousand times.
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You've got energy after breakfast.
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A battery runs out of energy.
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The sun gives off energy.
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But if I asked you to point at energy, actually point at it, where would you point?
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You can't.
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And that's the strange part.
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Energy might be the most important idea in all of science, and nobody has ever seen it.
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Not once.
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Not with a microscope.
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Not with a telescope.
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Because energy isn't a thing.
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It's not stuff like water or air.
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You can't fill a jar with it.
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You can't put it on a scale and weigh it.
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Open a textbook and you'll find energy defined as the ability to do work or to make change.
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It doesn't tell you what energy is, it tells you what energy does.
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And that's the catch.
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We can't see energy, but we can see the changes it causes when it's converted from one form into another.
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Think about a campfire.
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There's a lot of air.
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Chemical potential energy is stored inside the wood, but a log just looks like a log.
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Then it burns, and that chemical energy converts into heat and light.
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You feel the warmth on your face.
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You see the glow.
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You're not seeing energy.
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You're seeing a conversion.
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A diver standing on a diving board may not appear to have energy energy, but their height gives them gravitational potential energy.
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The board stores elastic potential energy as it bends, then launches them upwards.
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As they fall, gravitational potential energy becomes kinetic energy.
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Energy transfers to the water, creating waves and sound.
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Every step of the way, you only notice the energy at the moment it changes form.
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Or look at a solar panel on a roof.
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Sunlight hits it, but nothing seems to happen.
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No noise, no moving parts.
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It just sits there.
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But inside the panel's photovoltaic cells, light energy is being converted into electrical energy.
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Now step inside the home and switch on a fan.
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Suddenly, the blades are spinning.
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That's electrical energy converting into kinetic energy.
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Light energy into electrical energy and then inside the house into many other forms.
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Kinetic energy in a fan, heat in a toaster, light and sound from a TV.
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So here's the sneaky bit.
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Scientists don't define energy by what it is, they define it by what it does.
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Textbooks say energy is the ability to make things happen, to move something, heat something, or light something up.
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That's true.
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But notice it describes the effects, not the thing itself.
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So that's why energy is so hard to define.
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We've never seen it, not once.
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We've only ever seen its footprints.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 54 sentences and 464 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:20. The speaker talks at a steady 139 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| define verb | /dɪˈfaɪn/ | To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly. |
| convert verb | /kənˈvɝt/ | To transform or change (something) into another form, substance, state, or product. |
| electrical adjective | /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/ | Related to electricity (or electronics) |
| textbook noun | /ˈtɛkst.bʊk/ | A coursebook, a formal manual of instruction in a specific subject, especially one for use in schools or colleges. |
| spin verb | /spɪn/ | To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction. |
| conversion noun | /kənˈvɝʒən/ | The act of converting something or someone. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| blade noun | /bleɪd/ | The (typically sharp-edged) part of a knife, sword, razor, or other tool with which it cuts. |
| bend verb | /bɛnd/ | To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means. |
| dive verb | /daɪv/ | To swim under water. |
| weigh verb | /weɪ/ | To determine the weight of an object. |
| glow verb | /ɡloʊ/ | To emit heat and light without a flame. |
| sunlight noun | /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/ | All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth. |
| warmth noun | /wɔɹmθ/ | A moderate degree of heat; the sensation of being warm. |
| telescope noun | /ˈtɛl.əˌskoʊp/ | A monocular optical instrument that magnifies distant objects, especially in astronomy. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| give off verb | /ɡɪv ɒf/ | To emit; to produce and send forth; to come across in some manner. |
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 | You've said · has ever seen · We've never seen |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is stored · being converted |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, we've, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conversion /kənˈvɝʒən/, gravitational /ˌɡɹævɪˈteɪʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: electrical /ɪˈlɛktɹɪkəl/, gravitational /ˌɡɹævɪˈteɪʃənəl/
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 define, convert, electrical.
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.