Shadowing Practice: Expectations for the US-China summit | Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 72 sentences and 999 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:33. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- stability /stəˈbɪlɪti/ (noun) — The condition of being stable or in equilibrium, and thus resistant to change.
- summit /ˈsʌmɪt/ (noun) — The highest point of a hill, mountain, or similar geographical feature.
- strategic /stɹəˈti.dʒɪk/ (adjective) — Of or pertaining to strategy.
- relation /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ (noun) — The manner in which two things may be associated.
- deficit /ˈdɛfəsɪt/ (noun) — Deficiency in amount or quality; a falling short; lack.
- concrete /ˌkɑnˈkɹit/ (adjective) — Real, actual, tangible.
- ease /iz/ (verb) — To free (something) from pain, worry, agitation, etc.
- pole /pəʊl/ (noun) — Either of the two points on the earth's surface around which it rotates; also, similar points on any other rotating object.
- voter /ˈvoʊtɚ/ (noun) — Someone who votes or is entitled to vote.
- observer /əbˈzɝvɚ/ (noun) — One who makes observations, monitors or takes notice.
- leverage /ˈlɛv.(ə.)ɹɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — A force compounded by means of a lever rotating around a pivot.
- concession /kənˈsɛʃən/ (noun) — The act of conceding.
- vast /væst/ (adjective) — Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).
- percentage /pə(ɹ)ˈsɛntɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — The amount, number or rate of something, regarded as part of a total of 100; a part of a whole.
- stable /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ (noun) — A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
- lead up to (verb) — To set in motion; to act as a causal or preparatory event or sequence of events.
- talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
- wipe out (verb) — To destroy (especially, a large number or complete set of people or things); to obliterate.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'll, don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: relation /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, concession /kənˈsɛʃən/, establish /ɪˈstæb.lɪʃ/, reduction /ɹɪˈdʌk.ʃən/, initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/
- Long words — get the stress right: stability /stəˈbɪlɪti/, economics /ˌiːkəˈnɒmɪks/, initiative /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/, mechanism /ˈmɛk.ə.nɪ.zəm/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/
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 stability, summit, strategic.
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.
































