Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Dig Your Heels In - Learn English Speaking with Video
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15 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
The heel is the back of the foot, and to dig is to go deep into the ground.
3
Dig your heels in.
4
This expression sounds as if Anna and Jonathan are walking heavily.
5
Our work party is going to be at a skating rink?
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Yes.
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Olga planned it this year, and that's what she wants.
8
Not everyone in the office can roller skate.
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Why not do something everyone can enjoy?
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I agree.
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But when Olga digs her heels in, there is no changing her mind.
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If you dig your heels deeply into the ground, you could be very hard to move.
13
People who dig their heels in refuse to change their opinions or plans.
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In other words, they are very stubborn.
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And that's English in a Minute.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 15 sentences and 133 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:56. The speaker talks at a steady 143 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| heel noun | /hil/ | The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. |
| skate noun | /skeɪt/ | A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| refuse verb | /ɹɪˈfjuːz/ | To decline (a request or demand). |
| dig verb | /dɪɡ/ | To move hard-packed earth out of the way, especially downward to make a hole with a shovel. Or to drill, or the like, through rocks, roads, or the like. More… |
| roller noun | /ˈɹoʊlɚ/ | Any rotating cylindrical device that is part of a machine, especially one used to apply or reduce pressure. |
| stubborn adjective | /ˈstʌbɚn/ | Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something. |
| rink noun | /ɹɪŋk/ | A sheet of ice prepared for playing certain sports, such as hockey or curling. |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| heavily adverb | /ˈhɛvɪli/ | With a great weight. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| agree verb | /əˈɡɹi/ | To be in harmony about an opinion, statement, or action; to have a consistent idea between two or more people. |
| opinion noun | /əˈpɪn.jən/ | A belief, judgment or perspective that a person has formed, either through objective or subjective reasoning, about a topic, issue, person or thing. |
| foot noun | /fʊt/ | A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | People who dig |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are walking |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | is going to be |
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 heel, skate, deeply.
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.