Shadowing Practice: Dictation: The Boring Trick That Trained My Ears - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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Right, I'm going to be honest with you.
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When my tutor suggested dictation, I literally rolled my eyes.
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Dictation? Seriously? That's what kids do at school!
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At the time, I was studying in Manchester.
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My reading was fine, and so was my writing.
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But in lectures, I was completely lost.
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People spoke so fast, and the words just blurred together.
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Oh no, I thought. What if I fail the whole course?
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So... a bit reluctantly, I gave it a go.
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Here's how it works, if you've never tried it.
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You play one short sentence,
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you pause it, and you write down every word.
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Then you check your version against the transcript.
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Wow. My first attempt was absolutely shocking!
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I'd written 'a lot of' as one word.
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Ugh, and I'd missed nearly all the tiny words,
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like 'to', 'of', and 'have'.
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But then, it suddenly clicked!
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Native speakers don't pronounce every word clearly.
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They link words together and swallow the small ones.
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Ha! 'What do you want' sounds like 'whaddaya want'.
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Dictation forced me to actually notice those sounds.
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I did ten minutes every evening for two months.
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And honestly? The difference was massive!
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I could follow my lectures without panicking.
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I even started getting the jokes on the radio!
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So, if your listening feels stuck, try this.
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Keep the clips short, ten seconds at most.
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Don't skip the checking part — that's where you learn.
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It's a bit boring, I'll admit.
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But boring tricks are often the ones that work!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 31 sentences and 249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:47. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| lecture noun | /ˈlɛk.t͡ʃə/ | A spoken lesson or exposition, usually delivered to a group. |
| bore verb | /boɹ/ | To inspire boredom in somebody. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| shock noun | /ʃɔk/ | A sudden, heavy impact. |
| clip noun | /klɪp/ | Something which clips or grasps; a device for attaching one object to another. |
| panic noun | /ˈpænɪk/ | Overwhelming fear or fright, often affecting groups of people or animals; (countable) an instance of this; a fright, a scare. |
| skip verb | /skɪp/ | To move by hopping on alternate feet. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| swallow verb | /ˈswɑ.loʊ/ | To cause (food, drink etc.) to pass from the mouth into the stomach; to take into the stomach through the throat. |
| transcript noun | /ˈtɹæn.skɹɪpt/ | Something which has been transcribed; a writing or composition consisting of the same words as the original; a written copy. |
| tutor noun | /ˈtjuːtəː/ | One who teaches another (usually called a student, learner, or tutee) in a one-on-one or small-group interaction. |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| blur verb | /blɝ/ | To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim. |
| dictation noun | /dɪkˈteɪʃən/ | Dictating, the process of speaking for someone else to write down the words. |
| reluctantly adverb | /ɹɪˈlʌktəntli/ | In a reluctant or hesitant manner. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'd, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, dictation /dɪkˈteɪʃən/
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 lecture, bore, trick.
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.