Shadowing Practice: English Listening Practice: Understanding Time — Mini English Class - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 42 sentences and 599 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:20. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• lesson /ˈlɛs.ən/ (noun) — A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided.
• encourage /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
• awareness /əˈwɛɹ.nəs/ (noun) — The state or level of consciousness where sense data can be confirmed by an observer.
• connect /kəˈnɛkt/ (verb) — To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
• remind /ɹəˈmaɪnd/ (verb) — To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person).
• routine /ɹuˈtin/ (noun) — A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.
• measurement /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/ (noun) — The act of measuring.
• cherish /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/ (verb) — To treat with affection, care, and tenderness; to nurture or protect with care.
• occur /əˈkɜː/ (verb) — To happen or take place.
• contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/ (noun) — The degree of this difference.
• anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ (noun) — An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event.
• deeply /ˈdi(ː)pli/ (adverb) — To a deep extent or degree; very greatly.
• mood /muːd/ (noun) — A mental or emotional state, composure.
• clock /klɑk/ (noun) — A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day.
• aspect /ˈæspɛkt/ (noun) — Any specific feature, part, or element of something.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• wait for (verb) — To wait until the specified event occurs.
• build on /bɪldɑn/ (verb) — To add additional elements or components to (a framework, a concept, a device, etc.) in order to extend it.
• move forward (verb) — To cause to make progress.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.

Pronunciation to watch

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: measurement /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/, cherish /ˈt͡ʃɛɹɪʃ/, contrast /kənˈt(ʃ)ɹæst/, conclusion /kənˈkluːʒən/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/
• Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, historically /hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/, civilization /ˌsɪv.ɪ.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/

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 lesson, encourage, awareness.

Grammar in this video

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