Shadowing Practice: Don’t lose yourself trying to keep them - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 348 sentences and 3944 words to shadow. The speech runs for 17:57. The speaker talks fast, about 220 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| transition noun | /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/ | The process of change from one form, state, style or place to another. |
| pillow noun | /ˈpɪl.oʊ/ [ˈpʰɪɫ.ö̞] | A soft cushion used to support the head in bed. |
| mattress noun | /ˈmætɹɪs/ | A pad on which a person can recline and sleep, usually having an inner section of coiled springs covered with foam or other cushioning material then enclosed… |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| anxious adjective | /ˈæŋkʃəs/ | Nervous and worried. |
| sponsor noun | /ˈspɒn.səː/ | A person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or… |
| jelly noun | /ˈd͡ʒɛli/ | A dessert made by boiling gelatine (or a plant-based alternative such as agar or carrageenan), sugar and some flavouring (often derived from fruit) and… |
| commit verb | /kəˈmɪt/ | To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto. |
| overseas adverb | /ˌoʊvɚˈsiːz/ | Abroad. |
| convince verb | /kənˈvɪns/ | To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence. |
| fluid noun | /ˈflu.ɪd/ | Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| bounce verb | /baʊns/ | To change the direction of motion after hitting an obstacle. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
| sit around verb | To spend time sitting idly, not doing anything important. | |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 167 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: transition /tɹænˈzɪʃ.ən/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, shock /ʃɔk/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, acceptable /əkˈsɛp.tə.bəl/, inevitable /ɪˈnɛvɪtəbəl/, emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like podcast, transition, pillow.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | i've been staying · have been putting · I've been thinking |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If he wanted to cheat, he would · If he wanted to, he would |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have sponsored · I've mentioned · have gone |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | isn't sponsored · was delivered · wasn't meant |
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.
















