Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Blue in the Face - Learn English Speaking with Video
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11 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
If you have trouble breathing, you could become a bit blue in the face.
3
But what does it mean to talk until you are blue in the face?
4
Dan, do you have five dollars I can borrow?
5
Sorry, I don't.
6
Please, I really need a second cup of coffee, and I'll pay you back tomorrow that tomorrow.
7
Anna, you can ask until you're blue in the face, but I don't have any money on me.
8
If you talk until you are blue in the face, you spend a lot of time talking, but nothing changes.
9
For example, parents might get blue in the face asking their children to clean their room.
10
But that doesn't mean the room will ever get cleaned.
11
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: Blue in the Face”. This video has 11 sentences and 133 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:53. The speaker talks at a steady 149 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 2 of its 11 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 8 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| borrow verb | /ˈbɑɹ.oʊ/ | To receive (something) from somebody temporarily, expecting to return it. |
| dollar noun | /ˈdɑ.lɚ/ | Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere… |
| clean adjective | /kliːn/ | Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| spend verb | /spɪnd/ | To pay out (money). |
| coffee noun | /ˈkɑfi/ | A beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water. |
| trouble noun | /ˈt͡ʃɹʌbəl/ | A distressing or dangerous situation. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might get |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll pay · will ever get |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, doesn't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 breathe, borrow, dollar.
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.