Shadowing Practice: Family & Friends 3 - Unit 10: In the park (Second Edition Full) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Family & Friends 3 - Unit 10: In the park”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Listen, Listening, gingerbread, flowers, fox. This video has 119 sentences and 565 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:34. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| flower noun | /ˈfloʊɚ/ | A reproductive structure in angiosperms (flowering plants), often conspicuously colourful and typically including sepals, petals, and either or both stamens… |
| chase verb | /t͡ʃeɪs/ | To follow at speed. |
| grass noun | /ɡɹɑːs/ | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as… |
| shout verb | /ʃaʊt/ | To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc. |
| fountain noun | /ˈfaʊn.tɪn/ | A natural source of water; a spring. |
| playground noun | /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/ | A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides). |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| tray noun | /tɹeɪ/ | A small, typically rectangular or round, flat, and rigid object upon which things are carried. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| sandwich noun | /ˈsæn(d).wɪd͡ʒ/ | A dish or foodstuff where at least one piece, but typically two or more pieces, of bread serves as the wrapper or container of some other food. |
| shelf noun | /ʃɛlf/ | A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects. |
| chant verb | /t͡ʃænt/ | To sing, especially without instruments, and as applied to monophonic and pre-modern music. |
| gingerbread verb | /ˈd͡ʒɪn.d͡ʒɚˌbɹɛd/ | To decorate or embellish in an ornate or intricate way. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run away verb | To flee by running. |
| turn off verb | To power down, to switch off, to put out of operation, to deactivate (an appliance, light, mechanism, functionality etc.). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Holly, you mustn't pick the flowers.
- Holly, let's play with this ball.
- No, you mustn't play here.
- Outside there's rain but I'm in with my trains.
- Can we go home now?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | mustn't pick · mustn't walk · must walk |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're running · I'm eating · I'm turning |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as mustn't, I'm, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shout /ʃaʊt/, shelf /ʃɛlf/
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 flower, chase, grass.
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.



























