Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Night Owl - Learn English Speaking with Video
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17 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
An owl is a kind of bird found all over the world.
3
Night owl.
4
Why would you describe a person as a night owl?
5
Well, I did it.
6
I finished a part of cards.
7
How?
8
You just started watching the show last week.
9
I've always been a night owl, Jonathan.
10
So I've been staying up late to get through the show.
11
You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?
12
A night owl is someone who stays up late.
13
Owls are most active at night.
14
That is where this expression comes from.
15
The opposite of a night owl is an early bird.
16
Someone who favors waking up very early in the morning.
17
And that's English in a Minute.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “English in a Minute: Night Owl”. This video has 17 sentences and 123 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:55. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 3 of its 17 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
10 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| owl noun | /aʊ(ə)l/ | Any of various birds of prey of the order Strigiformes, families Strigidae and Tytonidae, that are primarily nocturnal and have forward-looking, binocular… |
| bird noun | /ˈbɜːd/ | An animal of the clade (traditionally class) Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of… |
| opposite adjective | /ˈɑ.pə.sɪt/ | Located directly across from something else, or from each other. |
| favor noun | /ˈfeɪ.vɚ/ | A kind or helpful deed; an instance of voluntarily assisting (someone). |
| describe verb | /dɪˈskɹaɪb/ | To represent in words. |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| active adjective | /ˈæk.tɪv/ | Having the power or quality of acting; causing change; communicating action or motion; acting;—opposed to passive, that receives. |
| finish verb | /ˈfɪnɪʃ/ | To complete (something). |
| wake verb | /ˈweɪ̯k/ | (often followed by up) To stop sleeping. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stay up verb | To remain awake; to not go to bed. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been staying · haven't been sleeping |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who stays · Someone who favors |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've always been |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | started watching |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, haven't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/, finish /ˈfɪnɪʃ/
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 owl, bird, opposite.
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.