Shadowing Practice: Desperate Housewives - First Scene - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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My name is Mary Alice Young.
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When you read this morning's paper, you may come across an article about the unusual day I had last week.
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Normally, there's never anything newsworthy about my life.
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But that all changed last Thursday.
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Of course, everything seemed quite normal at first.
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I made breakfast for my family.
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I performed my chores.
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I completed my projects.
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I ran my errands.
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In truth, I spent the day as I spent every other day, quietly polishing the routine of my life until it gleamed with perfection.
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That's why it was so astonishing when I decided to go to my hallway closet
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and retrieve a revolver that had never been used.
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My body was discovered by my neighbor, Mrs. Martha Hoover, who had been startled by a strange popping sound.
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Her curiosity aroused.
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Mrs. Hoover tried to think of a reason for dropping in on the unannounced.
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After some initial hesitation, she decided to return the blender she had borrowed from me six months before.
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It's my neighbor.
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I think she's been shot.
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There's blood everywhere.
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Yes.
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You've got to send an ambulance.
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You've got to send one right now.
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And for a moment, Mrs. Hoover stood motionless in her kitchen, grief -stricken by this senseless tragedy.
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But only for a moment.
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If there was one thing Mrs. Hoover was known for, it was her ability to look on the bright side.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Desperate Housewives - First Scene”. This video has 25 sentences and 235 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:17. The speaker talks slowly, about 103 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| neighbour noun | /ˈneɪbɚ/ | A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a person situated adjacently or nearby; anything (of the same type of thing as the subject) in an adjacent or… |
| arouse verb | /əˈɹaʊz/ | To stimulate or induce (feelings); pique. |
| astonish verb | /əˈstɑnɪʃ/ | To surprise greatly. |
| blender noun | /ˈblɛn.dɚ/ | A machine with sharp rotating blades in a bowl, for mashing, crushing, or liquefying food ingredients. |
| errand noun | /ˈɛɹənd/ | A mundane mission of no great consequence, concerning household or business affairs (dropping items by, doing paperwork, going to a friend's house, etc.) |
| motionless adjective | /ˈmoʊʃənlɛs/ | At rest, stationary, immobile, not moving. |
| newsworthy adjective | Interesting enough to be reported as a news | |
| revolver noun | /ɹɪˈvɒl.vɚ/ | A handgun with a revolving chamber enabling several shots to be fired without reloading. |
| senseless adjective | /ˈsɛnsləs/ | Without feeling or desire to work; deprived of sensation. |
| startle verb | /ˈstɑɹt(ə)l/ | To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start. |
| unannounced adjective | Not announced beforehand. | |
| hesitation noun | /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/ | An act of hesitating |
| retrieve verb | /ɹɪˈtɹiːv/ | To regain or get back something. |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
| curiosity noun | /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ | Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Normally, there's never anything newsworthy about my life.
- I think she's been shot.
- You've got to send an ambulance.
- You've got to send one right now.
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: astonish /əˈstɑnɪʃ/, motionless /ˈmoʊʃənlɛs/, hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: hesitation /ˌhɛzɪˈteɪʃən/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
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 neighbour, arouse, astonish.
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.