Shadowing Practice: FAMILY AND FRIENDS 2 UNIT 10 IT'S HOT TODAY - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “FAMILY AND FRIENDS 2 UNIT 10 IT'S HOT TODAY”. This video has 190 sentences and 863 words to shadow. The speech runs for 11:07. The speaker talks slowly, about 78 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 49% 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
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sunny adjective | /ˈsʌni/ | Featuring a lot of sunshine. |
| kite noun | /ˈkiːtɛ/ | A bird of prey of the family Accipitridae. |
| windy adjective | /ˈwɪn.di/ | Accompanied by wind. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| coat noun | /ˈkoʊ̯t/ | An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms. |
| umbrella noun | /ʌmˈbɹɛl.ə/ | A cloth-covered frame used for protection against rain or sun. |
| skate noun | /skeɪt/ | A runner or blade, usually of steel, with a frame shaped to fit the sole of a shoe, made to be fastened under the foot, and used for gliding on ice. |
| chant verb | /t͡ʃænt/ | To sing, especially without instruments, and as applied to monophonic and pre-modern music. |
| slide noun | /ˈslaɪ̯d/ | An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again. |
| tick noun | /tɪk/ | A tiny woodland arachnid of the suborder Ixodida. |
| sunglasses noun | Tinted glasses worn to protect the eyes from the sun or other bright light, and may also be worn as a fashion accessory. | |
| snowman noun | /ˈsnoʊ.mæn/ | A humanoid figure made with large snowballs stacked on each other. Human traits like a face and arms may be fashioned with sticks (arms), a carrot (nose), and… |
| raincoat noun | /ˈɹeɪnkoʊt/ | A waterproof coat to be worn in the rain; (loosely) any coat or jacket with this purpose. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, haven't, you're. 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 sunny, kite, windy.
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.













