Shadowing Practice: Desperate Housewives Bloopers S1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

And for the record, I am not some woman who has a hole in her heart that doesn't know her line.

Not bad.

A little small for my taste, but...

Oh, that was so good!

I even heard the whole small thing.

I know, but it should be petite, which is much funnier than small.

I always thought it was...

I don't know.

How did you used to manipulate...

What's his name?

I don't care.

You're going to have to let him...

Get him to let his guard down.

Boys, I mean girls.

I don't care.

You're going to have to...

Get him to let his guard down.

Go ahead, guys.

Keep rolling.

Oh, God.

Oh, we are.

In fact, I was going to send him something to eat. That was brilliant.

That was one of the best.

Susan.

I'm serious when I say I hope you'll stop. Are you really serious?

I'm so serious.

Do you know how easy it would be for me to call my husband

and tell him what you just tried to do?

Not as easy as it would be for me to call him and tell him what you and John did.

Mrs. Elise, you're gonna have to be nice to me.

At least once.

Then I'll go away.

I'll just hold this while you go.

Do you know how easy it would be to call my husband and tell him what you just tried to do?

Your painting's cheap.

Would you like a drink?

Uh, no, I'm fine, thanks.

George, I mean, Rex, oh, sorry.

Well, how long have you two been seeing each other?

It's so funny how it changes when you get a different thing, and it changes.

Suddenly you're drinking something and you go, what is that?

And whose bottle is this?

And who's been licking it?

It's water.

Carlos, this is not like New York where...

Carlos, this is not like New York where I was making thousands of dollars modeling I hate too much!

He's good.

I've had him.

I try to look past your flaws,

your klutziness, that, that, that...

Faux vulnerability?

That faux vulnerability, and that hair!

That's like such a third grade thing to say.

Look, you asked for my permission and I said no, okay?

Stop laughing at me, Susan, because I'm gonna knock you out right here!

Alright.

Stay strong, she's probably gonna cry.

You think?

Yeah, I just seemed like I had a speech impediment when I said that.

I think we should do it again.

All right.

Yeah, thanks.

How about Scottish?

You want to hear a Scottish accent?

All right.

Um, then Har...

Harvey, I do it, I very greatly do, Harvey went up on the cliff and threw him over and he proclaimed, We'll see if you can fly, fly or die.

It's not great, it's not Braveheart, but I'm getting there.

I see as well.

That was a little clumsy.

Take two.

Thanks.

What's wrong with your eyes?

Is that a dentist next door?

It's a drill.

This is fun for me.

Disclose the fact that your wife killed herself in the conservatory with a lead pipe.

Here you go.

Give my breasts to Brandy.

Did you say give your breasts to Brandy?

I did.

I'm sorry.

✨ Recommend Video

74 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 82 sentences and 549 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:15. The speaker talks at a steady 129 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
breast noun	/bɹɛst/	Either of the two organs on the front of a female human's chest, which contain the mammary glands; also the analogous organs in males.
vulnerability noun	/ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/	The state of being vulnerable; susceptibility to attack or injury, either physical or emotional; the state or condition of being weak or poorly defended.
faux adjective	/foʊ/	Fake or artificial.
knock verb	/nɑk/	To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
greatly adverb	/ˈɡɹeɪ̯t.li/	To a great extent or degree.
pipe noun	/ˈpaɪp/	A wind instrument consisting of a tube, often lined with holes to allow for adjustment in pitch, sounded by blowing into the tube.
accent noun	/ækˈsɛnt/	A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to…
cliff noun	/klɪf/	A vertical (or nearly vertical) rock face.
drill noun	/dɹɪl/	A tool or machine used to remove material so as to create a hole, typically by plunging a rotating cutting bit into a stationary workpiece.
dentist noun	/ˈdɛntɪst/	A medical doctor who specializes in teeth.
disclose verb	/dɪsˈkləʊz/	To uncover; physically expose to view.
lick verb	/lɪk/	To stroke with the tongue.
manipulate verb	/məˈnɪp.jʊ.leɪt/	To move, arrange or operate something using the hands
flaw noun	/flɔ/	A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion.
clumsy adjective	/ˈklʌmzi/	Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
go ahead verb	/ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/	To proceed with; to begin.
go away verb		To depart or leave a place.
look past verb		To see potential beyond obvious flaws; to consider something more than something else.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	woman who has · petite, which is
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should be · should do
Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form	Keep rolling · Stop laughing
Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming	You're going to have · gonna have · gonna knock

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 22 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

Long words — get the stress right: vulnerability /ˌvʌln(ə)ɹəˈbɪlɪti/, manipulate /məˈnɪp.jʊ.leɪt/, conservatory /kənˈsɝ.vəˌt(ɔ.)ɹi/, impediment /ɪmˈpɛdɪmənt/

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 breast, vulnerability, faux.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Desperate Housewives Bloopers S1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

Eddie's Open Mic Night - Desperate Housewives 6x12 Scene

Juanita And Gabrielle At A Birthday Party - Desperate Housewives 5x01 Scene

“Desperate Housewives” funny moments

Max and Caroline’s House-Sitting Vacation | 2 Broke Girls

Desperate Housewives - Lynette's Introduction

The Best of Blair Waldorf

Family Guy: Peter Knocks Out TV (Clip) | TBS

Manny's very passionate。| Modern Family Shadowing S1E1#06

The Mentalist - "Women Love That"

Phim Friends season 1 1

Funniest moments (season 2) - How I Met Your Mother

[ARCHIVES] BBC One Miranda S01E01: Date [SD]