Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Spread Yourself Too Thin - Learn English Speaking with Video
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15 sentences
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1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
If something is too thin, it may not be strong.
3
But does this expression have anything to do with size or rate?
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Spread yourself too thin.
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There you are!
6
I haven't seen you in the office all week!
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Oh, I have been here.
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But with all these new projects, all I do now is go to meetings.
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I don't even have time to do actual work.
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Sounds like you have spread yourself too thin, mister.
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You are right about that.
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If you spread yourself too thin, you are doing a lot of things, perhaps too many, at the same time.
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Because of this, it is hard to perform any of these activities especially well.
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People who spread themselves too thin may feel tired and overworked.
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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: Spread Yourself Too Thin”. This video has 15 sentences and 137 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:57. The speaker talks at a steady 145 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 10 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| mister noun | /ˈmɪstəɹ/ | Alternative spelling of Mister, especially when used as a form of address without a name. |
| overworked adjective | Subjected to too much work. | |
| perform verb | /pəˈfɔːm/ | To do (something); to execute. |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| spread verb | /spɹid/ | To stretch out, open out (a material etc.) so that it more fully covers a given area of space. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| activity noun | /ækˈtɪv.ɪ.ti/ | The state or quality of being active; activeness. |
| actual adjective | /ˈækʃuəl/ | relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical |
| tired adjective | [ˈtaɪ̯ɚd] | In need of some rest or sleep. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't seen · have been · have spread |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | People who spread |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may not be · may feel |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are doing |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/, actual /ˈækʃuəl/
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 thin, mister, overworked.
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.