Shadowing Practice: English in a Minute: Whitewash - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
14 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Welcome to English in a Minute.
2
Whitewash is a liquid used for painting things like walls and fences.
3
Whitewash.
4
Okay, the boss just told me the company is only cutting a few jobs.
5
She said not to worry.
6
How is that supposed to make me feel better?
7
Steve just got fired today.
8
But she said the company is fine.
9
Sounds like she's trying to whitewash the problem.
10
When you whitewash something, you cover its natural condition with whiteness.
11
Whitewash can make surfaces look clean.
12
But in conversation, whitewashing means to make something wrong or illegal look okay.
13
It is a way of hiding a truth or covering up unpleasant facts.
14
And that's English in a Minute.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B1English in a Minute: Thorn in My Side
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B2English in a Minute: Ahead of the Curve
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B159
English in a Minute: Get Out Of Here
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B123
English in a Minute: Stay in Touch
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B119
English in a Minute: Wishful Thinking
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B111
English in a Minute: Chalk It Up to Something
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A212
Call It A Day
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B111
English in a Minute: Like Oil and Water
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A26
Stay in Touch
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B17
It's Been Ages
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B25
English in a Minute: Pound the Pavement
American AccentInterview EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B2English in a Minute: The Jury is Still Out
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B14
English in a Minute: When it Rains, it Pours
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B16
English in a Minute: It's Up To You
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B19
English in a Minute: Two Left Feet
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
English in a Minute: Barking Up the Wrong Tree
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
English in a Minute: Sharp Cookie
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
English in a Minute: Hollywood Ending
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A24
English in a Minute: Start from Scratch
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B14
English in a Minute: It's Been Ages
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
17 sentences
English in a Minute: Window Dressing
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B21
14 sentences
English in a Minute: Canary in a Coal Mine
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B25
32 sentences
Fun English Speaking Practice - Shadow Walter White
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A21
26 sentences
🍽️ At the restaurant customer confused #english #englishtips #shorts
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
238 sentences
ESL Advanced English | What Americans Really Say at Work | Workplace Phrases B2–C1
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B26
769 sentences
English with FRIENDS | Seasons 6-10 COMPILATION
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
A24
75 sentences
Let's learn English | Level 2 | Lesson 1: Budget Cuts | Learning English with VOA
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
C15
273 sentences
Real English at Work – Advanced Listening Practice (C1 Level)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
118 sentences
Practice your English game – 5
IELTS PrepDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
526 sentences
English Conversations for Everyday Use | Formal & Informal English in Different Situations (A2-B1)
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
172 sentences
25 British Phrases Natives Say Every Day (Speak Real English) 🇬🇧
British AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
29 sentences
7 English Expressions in 57 Seconds
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “English in a Minute: Whitewash”. This video has 14 sentences and 116 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:57. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| liquid noun | /ˈlɪk.wɪd/ | A substance that is flowing, and keeping no shape, such as water; a substance of which the molecules, while not tending to separate from one another like those… |
| fence noun | /fɛns/ | A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc. |
| unpleasant adjective | /ʌnˈplɛzn̩t/ | Not pleasant. |
| whiteness noun | /ˈwaɪtnəs/ | The state or quality of being white (all senses). |
| suppose verb | /səˈpoʊz/ | To take for granted; to conclude, with less than absolute supporting data; to believe. |
| paint verb | /peɪnt/ | To apply paint to. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| clean adjective | /kliːn/ | Free of dirt, filth, or impurities (extraneous matter); not dirty, filthy, or soiled. |
| condition noun | /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/ | A state or quality. |
| worry verb | /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ | To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. |
| surface noun | /ˈsɜː.fɪs/ | The external boundary of an object or body. |
| boss noun | /bɔs/ | One who oversees and directs the work of others; a supervisor. |
| conversation noun | /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ | Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| cover up verb | To conceal or disguise. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: condition /kənˈdɪʃ(ə)n/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
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 liquid, fence, unpleasant.
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.