Shadowing Practice: Class of '09: Give Me a Fry - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 98 sentences and 636 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:26. The speaker talks fast, about 185 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• anime /ˈæn.ɪ.meɪ/ (noun) — An animated work that originated in Japan, regardless of the artistic style.
• flirt /flɚt/ (verb) — To throw (something) with a jerk or sudden movement; to fling.
• rush /ɹʌʃ/ (verb) — To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
• procedure /pɹəˈsiː.d͡ʒə/ (noun) — A particular method for performing a task.
• comic /ˈkɑmɪk/ (noun) — A comedian.
• trash /tɹæʃ/ (noun) — Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.
• steal /stiːl/ (verb) — To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
• butter /ˈbʌtɚ/ (noun) — A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
• faculty /ˈfæk.əl.ti/ (noun) — The academic staff at schools, colleges, universities or not-for-profit research institutes, as opposed to the students or support staff.
• rip /ɹɪp/ (verb) — To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence.
• shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
• outfit /ˈaʊtfɪt/ (noun) — A set of clothing (with accessories).
• scientist /ˈsaɪəntəst/ (noun) — One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
• snap /snæp/ (verb) — To fracture or break apart suddenly.
• chill /tʃɪl/ (verb) — To lower the temperature of something; to cool.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• calm down (verb) — To become less excited, intense, or angry.
• do for (verb) — To doom; to bring about the demise of someone; to injure or harm someone.
• get out of (verb) — To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of.
• go together (verb) — To be in a relationship.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• put up (verb) — To place in a high location.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, gonna, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, trash /tɹæʃ/, shoe /ˈʃu/

How to practise with this video

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