Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Lost Cause - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 14 sentences and 107 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:50. The speaker talks at a steady 129 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• indoor /ˈɪndoɹ/ (adjective) — Situated in, or designed to be used in, or carried on within, the interior of a building.
• fail /feɪl/ (verb) — To be unsuccessful.
• expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ (noun) — The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc.
• plant /plɑːnt/ (noun) — An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis, and typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a…
• welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
• extra /ˈɛkstɹə/ (adjective) — Beyond what is due, usual, expected, or necessary; extraneous; additional; supernumerary.
• movement /ˈmuːv.mənt/ (noun) — Physical motion between points in space.
• spend /spɪnd/ (verb) — To pay out (money).
• accept /əkˈsɛpt/ (verb) — To receive, especially with a consent, with favour, or with approval.
• window /ˈwɪndoʊ/ (noun) — An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• move on (verb) — To continue; to proceed; to go on.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like indoor, fail, expression.

Grammar in this video

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