Shadowing Practice: Changing the Size of Shadows - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Sources of Light Shadows How can we change the size of a shadow?
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A shadow is the dark shade made when an object blocks the path of light.
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There must be a source of light in order to cast a shadow.
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For example, you might have noticed that your body casts a shadow on the pavement on a sunny day.
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That's because the sun is a source of light, and your body stops the sunlight from reaching the pavement.
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Shadows come in different shapes and sizes, and can be observed wherever there is a source of light, day or night.
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Let's explore what happens to an object's shadow when it is moved closer to and further away from a source of light.
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Here we have a flashlight and a lion.
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When we turn the flashlight on, a shadow is produced as the lion blocks the path of light.
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We'll move the lion further away from the source of light.
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The shadow is now smaller.
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What do you think will happen when we move the lion closer to the source of light?
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Yes, the shadow gets bigger.
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How do you think the shadow will change if we move the source of light instead of the object?
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Let's have a look.
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If we move the source of light closer towards the lion, the shadow grows bigger.
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If we move the flashlight further away from the lion, the shadow grows smaller. That was fun!
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See you next time!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 18 sentences and 245 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:56. The speaker talks at a steady 127 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 79% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| pavement noun | /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/ | A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground. |
| explore verb | /ɪkˈsploɹ/ | To examine or investigate something systematically. |
| wherever | /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ | Regardless of the place in, at or to which. |
| shade noun | /ʃeɪd/ | Darkness where light, particularly sunlight, is blocked. |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| observe verb | /əbˈzɜːv/ | To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail. |
| sunlight noun | /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/ | All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth. |
| flashlight noun | /ˈflæʃˌlaɪt/ | A battery-powered hand-held light source. |
| object noun | /ˈɑb.d͡ʒɛkt/ | A thing that has physical existence but is not alive. |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| block noun | /blɑk/ | A substantial, often approximately cuboid, piece of any substance. |
| cast verb | /kæst/ | To throw. |
| path noun | /pɑːθ/ | A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians. |
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 | can be observed · is moved · is produced |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might have |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | We'll move · will happen · will change |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, shade /ʃeɪd/, flashlight /ˈflæʃˌlaɪt/, shape /ˈʃeɪ̯p/
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 shadow, lion, pavement.
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.