Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Start from Scratch - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 17 sentences and 122 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:53. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• scratch /skɹæt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
• meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
• kitchen /ˈkɪt͡ʃ(ə)n/ (noun) — A room or area for preparing food.
• beginning /bɪˈɡɪn.ɪŋ/ (noun) — The act of doing that which begins anything; commencement of an action, state, or space of time; entrance into being or upon a course; the first act, effort…
• welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
• basic /ˈbeɪsɪk/ (adjective) — Necessary, essential for life or some process.
• library /ˈlaɪˌbɹɛɹ.i/ (noun) — An institution which holds books and/or other forms of media for use by the public or qualified people often lending them out, as well as providing various…
• fresh /fɹɛʃ/ (adjective) — Newly produced or obtained; recent.
• smart /smɑɹt/ (adjective) — Exhibiting social ability or cleverness.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 scratch, meal, kitchen.

Grammar in this video

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