Shadowing Practice: English Verbs: DUCK - Learn English Speaking with Video
A210 Daily English Verbs You Need to Know! #Shorts
A21 Stop the Cars
A2How was school today?#learnenglish
A2tricky words #animation
A2How to Use Can, Could, Would & Should Naturally in English | Easy English Conversation for Beginners
A2Irregular Verbs Song Part 2 by The Teacher İhsan
A2Ep0- A Rainy Day - (Một Ngày Mưa)| Slow English for Shadowing | | Beginner (A1–A2)
A2Practice Speaking English | Daily English Conversations | At The Park
A2Let's Learn English! Topic: Everyday Verbs! 👕🐕📌
A2SP LESSON 32 Vocabulary
A2Easy English Action Verbs for Beginners | Lesson 1
A2Driving Vocabulary in #English #vocabulary #learnenglish
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “English Verbs: DUCK”. This video has 10 sentences and 114 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:45. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 2 of its 10 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| duck noun | /dʌk/ | Any of certain aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet, distinguished from swans and geese by generally being smaller and… |
| tennis noun | /ˈtɛnɪs/ | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets. |
| forehead noun | /ˈfɔɹ.hɛd/ | The part of the face above the eyebrows and below the hairline. |
| playground noun | /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/ | A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides). |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| 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… |
| boomerang noun | /ˈbuːməɹæŋ/ | Any of various traditional throwing sticks used for hunting or combat by Australian aborigines, including the symmetrical, crescent-shaped, type (the returning… |
| fail verb | /feɪl/ | To be unsuccessful. |
| avoid verb | /əˈvɔɪd/ | To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun. |
| cross noun | /kɹɑs/ | A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other. |
| quickly adverb | /ˈkwɪk.li/ | Rapidly; with speed; fast; with expedition. |
| imagine verb | /ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/ | To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind. |
| comment noun | /ˈkɑmɛnt/ | A spoken or written remark. |
| fly noun | /ˈflaɪ̯/ | Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being hit · been hit |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was crossing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as wasn't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like duck, tennis, forehead.
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.