Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Break Even - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 16 sentences and 142 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:56. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 94% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• earn /ɝn/ (verb) — To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work.
• earnings (noun) — Wages, money earned, income.
• bankrupt /ˈbæŋk.ɹəpt/ (adjective) — In a condition of bankruptcy; unable to pay outstanding debts or meet financial obligations; specifically, having been legally declared insolvent.
• rethink /ɹiːˈθɪŋk/ (verb) — To think again about something, with the intention of changing or replacing it.
• angry /ˈæŋ.ɡɹi/ (adjective) — Displaying or feeling anger.
• equal /ˈiːkwəl/ (adjective) — The same in one or more respects.
• barely /ˈbeɹ.li/ (adverb) — By a small margin.
• profit /ˈpɹɑfɪt/ (noun) — Total income or cash flow minus expenditures. The money or other benefit a non-governmental organization or individual receives in exchange for products and…
• welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
• shop /ʃɑp/ (noun) — An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well.
• coffee /ˈkɑfi/ (noun) — A beverage made by infusing the beans of the coffee plant in hot water.
• ill /ɪl/ (adjective) — Indicative of unkind or malevolent intentions; harsh, cruel.

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 earn, earnings, bankrupt.