Shadowing Practice: Dead Poets Society - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Recommend Video
B2Dead Poets Society (1989)
C1Nietzsche’s Philosophy Of Destroying Yourself
C1Full Speech Jim Carrey's Commencement Address at the 2014 MUM Graduation
C1Why We Can't Save Those We Love
C1What science can’t answer, according to physicist Jim Al-Khalili | Big Think
C1The 7 Poems that Haunt Me the Most
C1The Lost Art Of The Intellectual Life
C1On Suicide
C1Make An Impact - Inspirational Video
B2ETHAN HAWKE TALKS ABOUT CREATIVITY
C1Ciara Chantelle - "Ghostwriting" @ Voices In Power | Philadelphia | Spoken Word Poetry
C1The Stoic Lesson of Marcus Aurelius' Crumbling Statue
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Dead Poets Society”. This video has 14 sentences and 143 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:42. The speaker talks slowly, about 84 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| poetry noun | /ˈpoʊ.ə.tɹi/ | Literature composed in verse or language exhibiting conscious attention to patterns and rhythm. |
| verse noun | /ˈvɝs/ | A poetic form with regular meter and a fixed rhyme scheme. |
| contribute verb | /kənˈtɹɪb.jut/ | To give something that is or becomes part of a larger whole. |
| passion noun | /ˈpæʃən/ | A true desire sustained or prolonged. |
| romance noun | /roʊˈmæn(t)s/ | An intimate relationship between two people; a love affair. |
| noble adjective | /ˈnoʊbəl/ | Having honorable qualities; having moral eminence and freedom from anything petty, mean or dubious in conduct and character. |
| endless adjective | /ˈɛndlɪs/ | Having no end. |
| pursuit noun | /pɝˈsut/ | The act of pursuing. |
| amid | /əˈmɪd/ | In the middle of; in the center of; surrounded by. |
| sustain verb | /səˈsteɪn/ | To maintain, or keep in existence. |
| foolish adjective | /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/ | Lacking good sense or judgement as a general trait; unwise; stupid. |
| huddle verb | /ˈhʌdəl/ | To crowd together. |
| faithless adjective | Lacking faith; lacking belief in something. | |
| recur verb | /ɹɪˈkɜː/ | Of an event, situation, etc.: to appear or happen again, especially repeatedly. |
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 | is filled |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: passion /ˈpæʃən/, foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/
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 poetry, verse, contribute.
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.