Shadowing Practice: Chester A. Arthur | 60-Second Presidents | PBS - Learn English Speaking with Video

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13 sentences

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Chester Arthur was a New York City lawyer with a love of politics, fancy clothes, and facial hair.

He also might be the most peculiar president ever, starting in office during a year that saw three presidents.

Chet was a stalwart Republican, and they believed in patronage, handing out government jobs to secure political support.

In the 1870s, Arthur shamelessly used his job at the New York Customs House to help his political bosses.

Moderate Republicans thought of him as a hack, and President Hayes fired him in 1878.

But there had to be a stalwart on the national ticket in 1880 to keep the GOP unified, and Arthur was the controversial choice for vice president.

It got crazier in 1881 when a madman murdered President Garfield with the hope that Arthur would then give him a job.

Lots of people thought Arthur would be the puppet of his old stalwart pals.

Instead, he did a 180 and served as an independent administrator.

Arthur agreed to civil service reform, ending some of the patronage he used to rely on.

He fought for lower tariffs, opposed wasteful spending, and modernized the navy with steel ships.

Arthur didn't have an impressive presidency, but it was more than competent.

And considering how it started, that's well, impressive.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Chester A. Arthur”. This video has 13 sentences and 210 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:04. The speaker talks fast, about 197 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 74% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
stalwart adjective	/ˈstɔːl.wət/	Firmly or solidly built.
patronage noun	/ˈpeɪtɹənɪd͡ʒ/	The act of providing approval and support; backing; championship.
madman noun	/ˈmædˌmæn/	A man who is insane or mentally disturbed.
modernize verb	/ˈmɑdɚnaɪz/	To make (something old or outdated) up to date, or modern in style or function by adding or changing equipment, designs, etc.
shamelessly adverb		In a shameless manner; without shame; impudently.
tariff noun	/ˈtæɹəf/	A system of government-imposed duties levied on imported or exported goods; a list of such duties, or the duties themselves.
wasteful adjective	/ˈweɪstfəl/	Inclined to waste or squander money or resources.
peculiar adjective	/pɪˈkjul.jɚ/	Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.
puppet noun	/ˈpʌpɪt/	Any small model of a person or animal able to be moved by strings or rods, or in the form of a glove.
competent adjective	/ˈkɒmpətənt/	Having sufficient skill, knowledge, ability, or qualifications.
oppose verb	/əˈpoʊz/	To attempt to stop the progression of; to resist or antagonize by physical means, or by arguments, etc.; to contend against.
pal noun	/pæl/	A friend, buddy, mate, cobber; someone to hang around with.
cloth noun	/klɒθ/	A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
administrator noun	/ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stɹeɪ.tɚ/	One who administers affairs; one who directs, manages, executes, or dispenses, whether in civil, judicial, political, or ecclesiastical affairs; a manager.
facial adjective	/ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/	Of or affecting the face.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
hand out verb	To distribute; to give out, either by hand or as if so (figuratively).

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
“Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true	used to rely

Pronunciation to watch

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/
Long words — get the stress right: administrator /ədˈmɪn.ɪ.stɹeɪ.tɚ/, presidency /ˈpɹɛzɪdənsi/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like stalwart, patronage, madman.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Chester A. Arthur | 60-Second Presidents | PBS - Learn English Speaking with Video

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