Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Play Hooky - Learn English Speaking with Video
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12 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
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There are many types of games people can play, but what does it mean when you're doing this?
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Playing hooky.
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Hey, I didn't see you in our fitness class today.
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Yeah, I was playing hooky.
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I just didn't feel like going all the way across town for class.
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Oh, I see.
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Well, next time, let me know so I can play hooky too.
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To play hooky means to be absent from a place or event where you are supposed to be without permission.
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Often, this expression is used for children who are absent from school.
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Some believe the noun hooky may have come from the 19th century phrase hook it, meaning escape.
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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: Play Hooky”. This video has 12 sentences and 124 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:55. The speaker talks at a steady 136 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 11 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| absent adjective | /ˈæb.sn̩t/ | Being away from a place; withdrawn from a place; existing but not present; (sometimes) missing. |
| fitness noun | /ˈfɪt.nəs/ | The condition of being fit, suitable or appropriate. |
| hook noun | /hʊk/ | A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| noun noun | /naʊn/ | A word that functions as the name of a specific object or set of objects, such as person, animal, place, word, thing, phenomenon, substance, quality, or idea… |
| hooky adjective | /ˈhʊki/ | Full of hooks (in any sense). |
| escape verb | /ɪˈskeɪp/ | To get free; to free oneself. |
| suppose verb | /səˈpoʊz/ | To take for granted; to conclude, with less than absolute supporting data; to believe. |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| permission noun | /pəɹˈmɪʃ.ən/ | authorisation; consent (especially formal consent from someone in authority) |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
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 | children who are |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was playing |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may have |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're doing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/, permission /pəɹˈmɪʃ.ən/
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 absent, fitness, hook.
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.