Shadowing Practice: Class Presentation: Why Is the Sky Blue? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
34 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Right, everyone, settle down, please.
2
Oliver's presenting his science project today.
3
Um... morning, everyone.
4
So, my question today is, why is the sky blue?
5
First, sunlight looks white, doesn't it?
6
But actually, it's a mix of all the colours,
7
like a rainbow, from red to violet.
8
Oh, like light through a prism?
9
Yes, exactly! Brilliant.
10
Now, when sunlight comes into our air,
11
it hits tiny gas particles, much smaller than dust.
12
Blue light has short waves,
13
so it bounces around much more than red light.
14
It's called Rayleigh scattering, and it fills the sky with blue!
15
Okay, let me show you a quick experiment!
16
This is just water with a little milk in it.
17
Could someone turn off the lights, please?
18
Look! From the side, the water looks a bit blue.
19
No way! It really does look blue!
20
Hang on, I've got a question.
21
If blue scatters more, why are sunsets red, then?
22
Oh... um, good question.
23
Wait, look at the torch through the end of the glass!
24
Whoa, the light looks orange now!
25
At sunset, light travels through much more air,
26
so most of the blue gets scattered away.
27
Only the red and orange light reaches our eyes!
28
Oh, and violet scatters even more than blue,
29
but our eyes are much better at seeing blue.
30
So, that's why the sky is blue, not purple!
31
Well done, Oliver! That was excellent.
32
You started a bit quietly, though.
33
Next time, speak up from the very beginning.
34
I will. Thanks, miss!
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
📺 Same Channel
A21,253
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2134
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2457
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B21,131
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A184
Can You Swim? What Can You Do?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2178
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A2578
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B176
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1188
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2227
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2394
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B1116
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Food, Shopping and the Weather
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A1101
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A260
Where Are My Keys? A Busy Morning
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C1286
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2101
IELTS Listening Part 3: A Survey on Student Sleep
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A2117
How Much Is This Bag?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A118
Lunch Break: What Do You Want to Eat?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1140
First Day at a New Job
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1224
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
✨ Recommend Video
B14
91 sentences
Why is the sky blue?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B18
33 sentences
Class Presentation: Microplastics — Where Does Our Plastic Go?
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A27
162 sentences
25 EVERYDAY Questions & Answers in a British Accent! (MODERN RP)
British AccentCambridge Exam PrepTeensDaily Conversation
A247
118 sentences
FLYERS 2 TEST 2 PART 5
Cambridge Exam PrepKidsTeens
B1105
21 sentences
DICTATION1 UNIT9
TeensDaily Conversation
B11
133 sentences
Talking About The Weather in English | Easy English For Beginners (A1-B1)
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B13
94 sentences
Conversation - Protest
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B17
31 sentences
Shadow British Accent with HARRY POTTER
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
134 sentences
Shadowing English Speaking Practice | Listen and Answer with English Conversation Practice
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
76 sentences
ket 10 o test 3 part 4
Cambridge Exam PrepKidsTeens
A284
71 sentences
SLOW English for A2 High Beginners --- How COLORS make me feel?🌈
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Class Presentation: Why Is the Sky Blue?”. This video has 34 sentences and 249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:54. The speaker talks at a steady 131 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sunset noun | /ˈsʌnˌsɛt/ | The moment each evening when the sun disappears below the western horizon. |
| sunlight noun | /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/ | All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth. |
| violet noun | /ˈvaɪ.ə.lət/ | A plant or flower of the genus Viola, especially the fragrant Viola odorata; (inexact) similar-looking plants and flowers. |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| experiment noun | /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/ | A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of… |
| settle verb | /ˈsɛtəl/ | To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc). |
| purple noun | /ˈpɝ.pl̩/ | A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta. |
| colours noun | Flag denoting the nationality of a vessel, flown from the stern. | |
| quietly adverb | /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/ | Producing little or no noise. |
| bounce verb | /baʊns/ | To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle. |
| particle noun | /ˈpɑɹtək(ə)l/ | A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something. |
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| torch noun | /ˈtɔːtʃ/ | A stick of wood or plant fibres twisted together, with one end soaked in a flammable substance such as resin or tallow and set on fire, which is held in the… |
| scatter verb | /ˈskætɚ/ | To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse. |
| prism noun | /ˈpɹɪzəm/ | An object having the shape of a geometrical prism (sense 1). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bounce around verb | To discuss or brainstorm (ideas) on a topic. |
| settle down verb | To make or become quiet and calm after a period of disturbance or restlessness. |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
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 sunset, sunlight, violet.
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.