Shadowing Practice: Describing Family Part 2 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Describing Family Part 2”. This video has 20 sentences and 90 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 61 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| jazz noun | /d͡ʒæz/ | A musical art form rooted in West African cultural and musical expression and in the African American blues tradition, with diverse influences over time… |
| architect noun | /ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/ | A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction. |
| nephew noun | /ˈnɛf.ju/ | A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either a son of one's brother (fraternal nephew) or a son of one's sister (sororal nephew). |
| wipe verb | /waɪp/ | To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) |
| nickname noun | /ˈnɪkneɪm/ | A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic. |
| basketball noun | /ˈbæs.kɪt.bɔl/ | A sport in which two opposing teams of five players strive to put a ball through a hoop. |
| counter noun | /ˈkaʊn.tɚ/ | One who counts. |
| baseball noun | /ˈbeɪs.bɔl/ | A sport common in North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, in which the objective is to strike a ball so that one of a nine-person team can run… |
| bathroom noun | /ˈbæθˌɹum/ | A room containing a shower or bathtub, and (typically but not necessarily) a toilet. |
| husband noun | /ˈhʌzbənd/ | A man in a marriage or marital relationship, especially in relation to his spouse. |
| travel verb | /ˈtɹævəl/ | To be on a journey, often for pleasure or business and with luggage; to go from one place to another. |
| fish noun | /ˈfɪʃ/ | A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills; any vertebrate that is not a tetrapod. |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). |
| wipe off verb | To remove (something such as dirt) by wiping. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, I'll, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 jazz, architect, nephew.
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.