Shadowing Practice: Fairy Tale Barn, The Princess and the Pea Ep1: Mine! - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 30 sentences and 146 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:25. The speaker talks slowly, about 43 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• chick /t͡ʃɪk/ (noun) — A young bird.
• asleep /əˈsliːp/ (adjective) — In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting.
• comb /koʊm/ (noun) — A toothed implement for grooming the hair or (formerly) for keeping it in place.
• muffin /ˈmʌf.ɪn/ (noun) — A type of flattish bun, usually cut in two horizontally, toasted and spread with butter, etc., before being eaten.
• blueberry /ˈbluˌbɛ.ɹi/ (noun) — An edible round berry, belonging to the cowberry group (Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus), with flared crowns at the end, that turns blue on ripening.
• bouncy /ˈbaʊnsi/ (adjective) — Easily bounced.
• cosy /ˈkoʊzi/ (adjective) — Affording comfort and warmth; snug; social and comfortable.
• kitchen /ˈkɪt͡ʃ(ə)n/ (noun) — A room or area for preparing food.
• calm /kɑm/ (adjective) — Peaceful, quiet, especially free from anger and anxiety.
• yours /jɔɹz/ — That or those belonging to you; the possessive second-person singular pronoun used without a following noun.
• warm /wɔɹm/ (adjective) — Of a somewhat high temperature, often but not always connoting that the high temperature is pleasant rather than uncomfortable.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go away (verb) — To depart or leave a place.
• give up (verb) — To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
• go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as won't, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 chick, asleep, comb.