Shadowing Practice: Everyday English Speaking - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 270 sentences and 1974 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:19. The speaker talks at a steady 121 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mall noun | /mɔːl/ | A pedestrianised street, especially a shopping precinct. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| thief noun | /ˈθiːf/ | One who carries out a theft. |
| freeze verb | /ˈfɹiːz/ | Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature. |
| recommendation noun | /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ | An act of recommending. |
| robbery noun | /ˈɹɑbəɹi/ | The act or practice of robbing. |
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| membership noun | The state of being a member of a group or organization. | |
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| salary noun | /ˈsæləɹi/ | A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or… |
| deposit noun | /dɪˈpɑ.zɪt/ | Sediment or rock that is not native to its present location or is different from the surrounding material. Sometimes refers to ore or gems. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| grocery noun | /ˈɡɹəʊ.s(ə.)ɹi/ | Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| clean out verb | To clean, especially to tidy by removing the contents. | |
| fill out verb | /fɪl ˈaʊt/ | To complete a form or questionnaire with requested information. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| take up verb | To pick up. |
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 | was disappointed · was parked · are held |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | garden, which has · those who want |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | were doing · was sitting · was carrying |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best · the latest |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 47 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thief /ˈθiːf/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, cooperation /koʊˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, instruction /ɪnˈstɹʌkʃən/, decoration /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, disappointed /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪnɪd/, cooperation /koʊˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, electronics /ɪˌlɛkˈtɹɑ.nɪks/, intermediate /ɪn.tə(ɹ)ˈmi.di.ət/
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 mall, gate, climb.
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.































