Shadowing Practice: DRUSKI: A GUN TO MY HEAD CHANGED MY LIFE - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 42 sentences and 412 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:48. The speaker talks fast, about 228 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• boom /bum/ (verb) — To make a loud, hollow, resonant sound.
• legend /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/ (noun) — The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
• insane /ɪnˈseɪn/ (adjective) — Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad.
• sheet /ʃit/ (noun) — A thin bed cloth used as a covering for a mattress or as a layer over the sleeper.
• connect /kəˈnɛkt/ (verb) — To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
• rob /ɹɑb/ (verb) — To steal from, especially using force or violence.
• mechanism /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/ (noun) — Any mechanical means for the conversion or control of motion, or the transmission or control of power.
• pursue /pɚˈsu/ (verb) — To follow urgently, originally with intent to capture or harm; to chase.
• accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/ (adverb) — In an accidental manner; by chance, unexpectedly.
• sue /sjuː/ (verb) — To file a legal action against someone, generally a non-criminal (civil) action.
• barrel /ˈbæɹəl/ (noun) — A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends…
• heal /ˈhiːl/ (verb) — To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
• comedian /kəˈmiː.di.ən/ (noun) — An entertainer who performs in a humorous manner, especially by telling jokes.
• entertain /ˌɛntəˈteɪn/ (verb) — To amuse (someone); to engage the attention of agreeably.
• mattress /ˈmætɹɪs/ (noun) — 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…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
• end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
• figure out (verb) — To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
• lock in (verb) — To fix the value of (something potentially variable).
• look forward to (verb) — To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to.
• look up to (verb) — To show respect or admiration for (someone); to see (someone) as a role model.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• Long words — get the stress right: mechanism /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, comedian /kəˈmiː.di.ən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like boom, legend, insane.