Shadowing Practice: CRISPR: Gene editing and beyond - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
35 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
The CRISPR -Cas9 system is a tool for cutting DNA at a specifically targeted location.
2
The technique has already revolutionised gene editing, but scientists are always looking for new possibilities.
3
So what else can CRISPR do?
4
Since being discovered in a bacterial immune system, CRISPR -Cas9 has been adapted into a powerful tool for genomic research.
5
There are two components to the system, a DNA cutting protein called Cas9 and an RNA molecule known as the guide RNA.
6
Bound together they form a complex that can identify and cut specific sections of DNA.
7
First Cas9 has to locate and bind to a common sequence in the genome called a PAM.
8
Once the PAM is bound, the guide RNA unwinds part of the double helix.
9
The RNA strand is designed to match and bind a particular sequence in the DNA.
10
Once it's found the correct sequence, Cas9 can cut the DNA.
11
Its two nuclease domains each make a nick, leading to a double strand break.
12
Although the cell will try to repair this break, the fixing process is error -prone and often inadvertently introduces mutations that disable the gene.
13
This makes CRISPR a great tool for knocking out specific genes.
14
But making double strand breaks isn't all CRISPR can do.
15
Some researchers are deactivating one or both of Cas9's cutting domains and fusing new enzymes onto the protein.
16
Cas9 can then be used to transport those enzymes to a specific DNA sequence.
17
In one example, Cas9 is fused to an enzyme, a deaminase, which mutates specific DNA bases,
18
eventually replacing cytidine with thymidine.
19
This kind of precise gene editing means you could turn a disease -causing mutation into a healthy version of the gene, or introduce a stop codon at a specific place.
20
But it's not all about gene editing.
21
Several labs have been working on ways to use CRISPR to promote gene transcription.
22
They do this by deactivating Cas9 completely so it can no longer cut DNA.
23
Instead, transcriptional activators are added to the Cas9 by either fusing them directly or via a string of peptides.
24
alternatively the activators can be recruited to the guide RNA instead
25
these activators recruit the cells transcription machinery bringing RNA polymerase and other factors to the target and
26
increasing transcription of
27
that gene the same principle applies to genes silencing a crab
28
domain fused to the Cas9 inactivates transcription by recruiting more factors that physically block the gene.
29
A more outside the box idea for using CRISPR is to attach fluorescent proteins to the complex
30
so you can see where particular DNA sequences are found in the cell.
31
This could be useful for things like visualising the 3D architecture of the genome, or to paint an entire chromosome and follow its position in the nucleus.
32
CRISPR has already changed the face of research, but these new ideas show that what's been achieved
33
so far could just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to CRISPR's potential.
34
Whatever comes next, it seems the CRISPR revolution is far from over.
35
Thank you.
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
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C12
685 sentences
Editing Your DNA, with Nobel Prize Winner Dr. Jennifer Doudna
Daily ConversationUniversity Students
C110
45 sentences
Agriculture for Improved Nutrition and Health (CRP4)
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
40 sentences
The Engineering that Runs the Digital World 🛠️⚙️💻 How do CPUs Work?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
48 sentences
Pharmaceutical Industry Overview | Pharma and Biotech: Distinctions | Understanding Pharmaceuticals
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
189 sentences
Creatine: is there truth behind the hype?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C1118
15 sentences
Could Humans Evolve Flight?
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
114 sentences
Harnessing generative AI in architecture, engineering & construction
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C16
32 sentences
What if quantum physics could eradicate illness? | Jim Al-Khalili for Big Think
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
17 sentences
Robotic Neurovascular Intervention
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C11
95 sentences
The Coronavirus Explained & What You Should Do
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C18
75 sentences
What AI can (and can't) currently do in a real lab | Jennifer Doudna
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
C12
223 sentences
9 Insane Claude Mods I Already Can't live Without
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “CRISPR: Gene editing and beyond”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Cas, gene, Crispr, Dna, Rna. This video has 35 sentences and 509 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:20. The speaker talks at a steady 118 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 69% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gene noun | /d͡ʒiːn/ | A theoretical unit of heredity of living organisms which may take several values and (in principle) predetermines a precise trait of an organism's form… |
| sequence noun | /ˈsiː.kwəns/ | A set of things next to each other in a set order; a series. |
| bind verb | /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ | To tie; to confine by any ligature. |
| fuse noun | /fjuːz/ | A wick or cord used to convey flame to gunpowder, a bomb, or similar explosive. |
| transcription noun | /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/ | The act or process of transcribing. |
| domain noun | /ˌdəʊˈmeɪ̯n/ | A geographic area owned or controlled by a single person or organization. |
| edit verb | /ˈɛdɪt/ | To change a text, or a document. |
| recruit verb | /ɹɪˈkɹut/ | To enroll or enlist new members or potential employees on behalf of an employer, organization, sports team, the military, etc. |
| enzyme noun | /ˈɛn.zaɪm/ | A biomolecule that catalyses a biological chemical reaction: either a globular protein with this function or an RNA molecule with this function. |
| strand noun | /ˈstɹænd/ | Each of the strings which, twisted together, make up a yarn, rope or cord. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| genome noun | /ˈd͡ʒiː.noʊm/ | The complete genetic information (either DNA or, in some viruses, RNA) of an organism. |
| mutation noun | /mjuˈteɪʃən/ | Any alteration or change. |
| technique noun | /tɛkˈniːk/ | The practical aspects of a given art, occupation etc.; formal requirements. |
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| knock out verb | To strike or bump (someone or something) out. |
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 | being discovered · is bound · is designed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has already revolutionised · has been adapted · has already changed |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: transcription /tɹænˈskɹɪpʃən/, mutation /mjuˈteɪʃən/, machinery /məˈʃiːnəɹi/
- Long words — get the stress right: architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/, machinery /məˈʃiːnəɹi/, alternatively /ɔlˈtɝ.nə.tɪv.li/, deactivate /ˌdiːˈæktɪveɪt/, deaminase /diːˈæmɪneɪz/
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 gene, sequence, bind.
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.