Shadowing Practice: Eminem - Venom - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 40 sentences and 784 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:46. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 70% 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:

• knock /nɑk/ (verb) — To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood.
• momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/ (noun) — Of a body in motion: the tendency of a body to maintain its inertial motion; the product of its mass and velocity, or the vector sum of the products of its…
• nickname /ˈnɪkneɪm/ (noun) — A familiar, invented name for a person or thing used instead of the actual name of the person or thing, often based on some noteworthy characteristic.
• devil /ˈdɛvəl/ (noun) — An evil creature, the objectification of a hostile and destructive force.
• snap /snæp/ (verb) — To fracture or break apart suddenly.
• adrenaline /əˈdɹɛnəlɪn/ (noun) — Epinephrine, the hormone and neurotransmitter.
• chase /t͡ʃeɪs/ (verb) — To follow at speed.
• spin /spɪn/ (verb) — To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
• cock /kɑk/ (noun) — A rooster: a male gallinaceous bird, especially a male domestic chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus).
• thin /ˈθɪn/ (adjective) — Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
• belong /bɪˈlɒŋ/ (verb) — To have its proper place.
• hook /hʊk/ (noun) — A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment.
• reverse /ɹɪˈvɝs/ (noun) — The opposite of something.
• ruin /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ (noun) — The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
• throat /ˈθɹoʊt/ (noun) — The front part of the neck.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go with (verb) — To choose or accept (a suggestion).
• back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
• blow up (verb) — To explode or be destroyed by explosion.
• end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
• go down (verb) — To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one.
• go through (verb) — To travel from one end of something to the other.
• grow up (verb) — To mature and become an adult.
• hold against (verb) — To think less of (someone) for (something they have done).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 38 contractions and reduced forms, such as gonna, I'm, ain't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, throat /ˈθɹoʊt/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: smash /smæʃ/, shotgun /ˈʃɑtɡʌn/
• Long words — get the stress right: momentum /ˌmə(ʊ)ˈmɛntəm/, adrenaline /əˈdɹɛnəlɪn/, rectangular /ɹɛkˈtæŋɡjəlɚ/, accelerant /əkˈsɛləɹənt/, mitochondrial /ˌmaɪ.təˈkɑːn.dɹi.əl/

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 knock, momentum, nickname.