Shadowing Practice: English False Friends Quiz: 5 More Adjectives That Don't Mean What You Think - Learn English Speaking with Video
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How well do you know English?
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Well, let's find out with five tricky adjectives that may not mean what you think.
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I'm Nick from Coffee Break English, and these words can be especially tricky because they look similar to words in other languages.
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But their meanings in English may be very different.
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Keep track of your score out of five, and let's see how many can trick you.
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Now you'll have three seconds to answer each question.
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Let's go.
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Here is question one.
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The Coffee Break English course, Practical English for Real Life, gives you a comprehensive introduction to B1 English.
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Now, which sentence describes the course?
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The course is complete, The language is understandable or the teachers are kind.
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Well, the answer is complete.
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A. Comprehensive means covering everything or almost everything that you need.
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And there are actually two traps here.
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Don't confuse comprehensive with comprehensible, which means possible to understand.
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And French comprehensive and Spanish and Italian comprensivo can describe a person who is understanding.
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So a comprehensive English course is an English course which provides lots of information.
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Okay now on to number two.
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My son is very brave.
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Does that mean a he always tells the truth, B.
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He is always well behaved in school and he's never in trouble. Or C.
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He isn't afraid to stand up in front of the class.
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Well, this time the answer is C.
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He isn't afraid to stand up in front of the class.
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Now, German speakers, did you catch that one?
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In modern German, brav commonly means good or well behaved,
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especially when we're talking about children or animals.
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And other languages have a similar word.
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But brave in English is about having courage.
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A well -behaved child isn't necessarily a brave child.
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Okay, this next one catches a lot of learners out.
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Listen carefully.
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After months of discussion, their eventual decision was to move abroad.
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Now, the eventual decision was A.
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A possible decision, B.
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A temporary decision, or C.
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A final decision.
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Hmm.
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Well, the answer is C.
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Eventual refers to the final decision.
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What happens in the end?
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Often after some time or some deliberation.
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Now this is another tricky one because French eventuelle,
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German eventuelle and Italian eventuelle can refer to something possible or potential.
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Now let me know if my pronunciation is a bit off with those languages.
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I'm not a fluent speaker in all of them.
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Now in English, eventual doesn't mean possible.
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Think eventual is the final result.
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Now, two questions left.
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I tell you, the film was terrific. Was the film A.
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Really scary, B.
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Amazing or C.
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Really strange?
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Well, this time the answer is B.
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Amazing.
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In everyday English, if something is terrific, it's very good. But...
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This word can seem rather alarming if you speak another language.
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Italian terrificante, French terrifying and Spanish terrorifico are connected with things that are terrifying or frightening in.
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So a terrifying holiday?
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Well that's probably not good.
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But a terrific holiday?
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That is excellent.
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Okay final question.
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I have a sensitive friend.
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Which idea describes him?
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Is it A.
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He makes practical decisions.
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B. He is easily affected or upset. Or C.
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He can predict the future.
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Well, the answer is B.
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A sensitive person is easily affected by things emotionally or physically.
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And be careful not to confuse sensitive with sensible.
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Check out the other half of this quiz to find out the difference between those two words.
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And how did you do in this quiz?
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Let us know your score out of five in the comments.
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And tell us which of these adjectives surprised you the most?
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Remember, when an English word looks very similar to a word you already know,
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don't automatically assume the meaning is the same.
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Now the next quiz is on your screen now.
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Watch it for another 5 tricky adjectives.
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Thanks for watching and until next time, happy coffee breaking.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “English False Friends Quiz: 5 More Adjectives That Don't Mean What You Think”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: English, decision, word, answer, eventual. This video has 81 sentences and 656 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:53. The speaker talks slowly, about 95 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| comprehensive adjective | /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/ | Broadly or completely covering; including a large proportion of something. |
| eventual adjective | /ɪˈvɛn.t͡ʃu.əl/ | Finally resulting or occurring (after a period of time); inevitable. |
| tricky adjective | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | Hard to deal with, complicated. |
| sensitive adjective | /ˈsɛn.sɪt.ɪv/ | Having the faculty of sensation; pertaining to the senses. |
| brave adjective | /bɹeɪv/ | Strong in the face of fear; courageous. |
| behave verb | /bɪˈheɪv/ | To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform. |
| terrific adjective | Very strong or intense; excessive, tremendous. | |
| quiz noun | /kwɪz/ | A competition in the answering of questions. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| refer verb | /ɹɪˈfɜː/ | To direct the attention of (someone toward something). |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| necessarily adverb | /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ | Inevitably; of necessity. |
| temporary adjective | /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/ | Not permanent; existing only for a period or periods of time. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are connected · is easily affected |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | comprehensible, which means · person who is |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may not mean · may be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is understanding · we're talking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as isn't, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, deliberation /dɪˌlɪbəˈɹeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: comprehensive /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/, eventual /ɪˈvɛn.t͡ʃu.əl/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, temporary /ˈtɛmp(əˌɹ)ɛɹi/, emotionally /ɪˈməʊʃənəli/
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 comprehensive, eventual, tricky.
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.