Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Cold Shoulder - Learn English Speaking with Video

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16 sentences

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Welcome to English in a Minute.

This is a shoulder.

Cold shoulder.

So if I get a cold shoulder, should I just wear warmer clothing?

Hey, I got your email about the party.

Thanks for inviting me.

But why didn't you invite Megan?

She's a troublemaker.

I get a bad feeling every time I'm around her.

So you're giving her the cold shoulder?

Yeah, that is the best way to deal with people like that.

This expression is not about temperature.

Cold also means distant or unfriendly.

So when you give someone the cold shoulder, you ignore them.

This phrase may come from the fact that when you ignore someone, you turn your body, shoulders included, away from them.

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: Cold Shoulder”. This video has 16 sentences and 125 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:56. The speaker talks at a steady 135 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 3 of its 16 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
ignore verb	/ɪɡˈnɔː/	To deliberately not listen or pay attention to.
invite verb	/ɪnˈvaɪt/	To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
clothing noun	/ˈkloʊðɪŋ/	Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to…
phrase noun	/ˈfɹeɪ̯z/	A short written or spoken expression.
distant adjective	/ˈdɪstənt/	Far off (physically, logically or mentally).
troublemaker noun	/ˈtɹʌbəlˌmeɪkə(ɹ)/	One who causes trouble, especially one who does so deliberately.
unfriendly adjective	/ʌnˈfɹɛn(d)li/	Not friendly; hostile; mean.
shoulder noun	/ˈʃoʊldɚ/	The part of the human torso forming a relatively horizontal surface running away from the neck.
email noun	/ˈiˌmeɪl/	A system for sending messages and datas by means of a computer network, primarily the Internet, using the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol and the Internet…
temperature noun	/ˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.t͡ʃə/	A measure of cold or heat, often measurable with a thermometer.
expression noun	/əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/	The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.
welcome	/ˈwɛl.kəm/	Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
wear verb	/wɛ(ə)ɹ/	To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, perfume, etc.
warm adjective	/wɔɹm/	Of a somewhat high temperature, often but not always connoting that the high temperature is pleasant rather than uncomfortable.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea	should I just wear
Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain	may come
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group	the best
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now	you're giving

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoulder /ˈʃoʊldɚ/, expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/
Long words — get the stress right: troublemaker /ˈtɹʌbəlˌmeɪkə(ɹ)/, temperature /ˈtɛm.p(ə.)ɹə.t͡ʃə/

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 ignore, invite, clothing.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Cold Shoulder - Learn English Speaking with Video

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