Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Back-Seat Driver - Learn English Speaking with Video
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13 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
Here is a phrase that is not praise.
3
Backseat driver.
4
Listen to these two people talk about driving.
5
Adam's mother made him so nervous every time he took her to the store.
6
You're not kidding.
7
She would tell him where to turn, how fast to go, and which road to take.
8
She was such a backseat driver.
9
Where does this phrase come from?
10
When cars were first invented, rich owners would often ride in the backseat.
11
They would tell their drivers where to go and how to drive.
12
Now, when someone is a backseat driver, he is interfering, and it's considered to be bad behavior.
13
And that's English in a Minute.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “English in a Minute: Back-Seat Driver”. This video has 13 sentences and 117 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:55. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 11 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| praise verb | /pɹeɪz/ | To give praise to; to commend, glorify, or worship. |
| interfere verb | /ˌɪn.tɚˈfɪɚ/ | To get involved or involve oneself, causing disturbance. |
| invent verb | /ɪnˈvɛnt/ | To design a new process or mechanism. |
| driver noun | /ˈdɹaɪvɚ/ | One who drives something. |
| kid noun | /ˈkɪd/ | A child, adolescent, or (loosely) a young adult. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| rich adjective | /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ/ | Wealthy: having a lot of money and possessions. |
| ride verb | /ɹaɪd/ | To transport oneself by sitting on and directing a horse, later also a bicycle etc. |
| owner noun | /ˈoʊnɚ/ | One who owns something. |
| behavior noun | /bɪˈheɪ.vjə/ | Human conduct relative to social norms. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | You're not kidding · is interfering |
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 phrase, praise, interfere.
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.