Shadowing Practice: (English Vlog) Walk With Me in Vancouver, Canada! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “(English Vlog) Walk With Me in Vancouver, Canada!”. This video has 29 sentences and 3357 words to shadow. The speech runs for 22:04. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 22 of its 29 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| harbor noun | /ˈhɑːbə/ | Any place of shelter. |
| taco noun | /ˈtɑkoʊ/ | A Mexican snack food made of a small tortilla (soft- or hard-shelled) filled with ingredients such as meat, rice, beans, cheese, diced vegetables, and salsa. |
| cruise noun | /kɹuz/ | A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for pleasure. |
| palm noun | /pɑm/ | The inner and somewhat concave part of the human hand or other primate hand that extends from the wrist to the bases of the fingers. |
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| maple noun | /ˈmeɪpl̩/ | Any member of any species of genus Acer, characterized by (usually) palmate, five-lobed leaves and winged seeds, and often grown for syrup or wood |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| beef noun | /bif/ | The meat from cattle or other bovines; especially, that from adults. |
| globe noun | /ɡloʊb/ | The eyeball. |
| statue noun | /ˈstæt͡ʃu/ | A three-dimensional work of art, usually representing a person or animal, usually created by sculpting, carving, molding, or casting. |
| yacht noun | /jɑt/ | A slick and light ship for making pleasure trips or racing on water, having sails but often motor-powered. At times used as a residence offshore on a dock. |
| rainy adjective | /ˈɹeɪni/ | Pouring with rain; wet; showery |
| cloudy adjective | /ˈklaʊ̯diː/ | Covered with or characterised by clouds. |
| sand noun | /sænd/ | Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in… |
| insane adjective | /ɪnˈseɪn/ | Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| get over verb | To overcome. | |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| take off verb | To remove. | |
| bring back verb | /ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/ | To fetch something. |
| bring over verb | To cause to change allegiance or point of view. | |
| catch up verb | To pick up suddenly. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Ah, do you see that's the beach over there?
- Why do I get so excited about palm trees?
- Can you see how big they are?
- Do you want the sandwich cut in half?
- Hey, can we go get a frozen yogurt?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to work |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is also divided · is not known · is brought |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might not be · might hear · might be |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should get · shouldn't have |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 74 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, installation /ˌɪn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/, shade /ʃeɪd/, facial /ˈfeɪ.ʃəl/, leash /liːʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: installation /ˌɪn.stəˈleɪ.ʃən/, technically /ˈtɛk.nɪˌkəl.i/, affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, quesadilla /ˌkeɪ̯səˈdijə/
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 harbor, taco, cruise.
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.
































