Shadowing Practice: Family and friends 1: Unit 11 - skill time - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Recommend Video
A1Fam 1 unit 3 skills time
A1Family and Friends 1 (2nd Edition) Unit 2 - Listening 28
A1L2 013 Meet the Animals 13 Siberian Tiger
A1Family 1 unit 12 lesson 5
A1GS1 Friends
A1GS1 Family at the zoo
A1Giới thiệu về gia đình bằng TIẾNG TRUNG - HSK 1
A1Family and friends - unit 9 - lesson 4
A1Family & Friends 2 - Unit 1 - Lesson 1
A1GSU10 BV 15 Whose Is It
A1File nói Global Success 2 - Unit 3,6,10
A1Family and friends - unit 11 - lesson 5
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Family and friends 1: Unit 11 - skill time”. This video has 17 sentences and 92 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:50. The speaker talks at a steady 111 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 4 of its 17 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ear noun | /ˈɪə̯/ | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea. |
| leaf noun | /lif/ | The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants. |
| giraffe noun | /d͡ʒəˈɹæf/ | A ruminant in the genus Giraffa of the African savannah with long legs, a highly elongated neck, yellow fur patterned with dark spots typically in the form of… |
| yellow adjective | /ˈjɛloʊ/ | Of a yellow hue. |
| neck noun | /ˈnɛk/ | The part of the body connecting the head and the trunk found in humans and some animals. |
| tall adjective | /tɔl/ | Having great vertical extent (usually reckoned from the bottom of the feet to the very top of the head) when standing. (For instance, somebody with a height of… |
| tree noun | /tɹiː/ | A perennial woody plant taller and larger than a shrub with a wooden trunk and, at some distance from the ground, having leaves and branches. |
| animal noun | /ˈænɪməl/ | A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia that is usually mobile, with cells that are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing them from plants… |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm saying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, haven'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.
- 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 ear, leaf, giraffe.
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.