Shadowing Practice: Cats and Dogs - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Welcome to English in a Minute, where we teach you all about idioms in American English.
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If I told you it was raining cats and dogs today, I don't think you would see this little kitten falling from the sky.
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But what would you see?
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Let's watch and find out.
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The rain is coming down so hard.
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I know, it's raining cats and dogs today.
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This is a very common expression in American English.
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When you say that it's raining cats and dogs in a conversation, it's another way to say that it's raining very hard, or it's raining a lot.
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You can use this expression any time and everybody will understand you will understand you.
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So until the next time, stay dry.
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And that's English in a Minute.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Cats and Dogs”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: raining, English, cats, dogs. This video has 11 sentences and 129 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:54. The speaker talks at a steady 143 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kitten noun | /ˈkɪtən̩/ | A young rabbit, rat, hedgehog, squirrel, fox, beaver, badger, etc. |
| idiom noun | /ˈɪdiəm/ | A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people. |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| teach verb | /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ | To pass on knowledge to. |
| rain noun | /ˈɹeɪn/ | Condensed water falling from a cloud. |
| cat noun | /ˈkæt/ | A mammal of the family Felidae. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| everybody | /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/ | All people. |
| conversation noun | /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ | Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was raining |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is coming |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will understand |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: everybody /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
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 kitten, idiom, expression.
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.