Shadowing Practice: Family&Friends 5 Unit 2 The Crown Diamond - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Family&Friends 5 Unit 2 The Crown Diamond”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Moran, Holmes, Watson, Billy, diamond. This video has 38 sentences and 180 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:15. The speaker talks slowly, about 80 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 75% 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
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| diamond noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.mənd/ | A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| exit noun | /ˈɛɡzət/ | An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure. |
| robbery noun | /ˈɹɑbəɹi/ | The act or practice of robbing. |
| curtain noun | /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/ | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light. |
| notebook noun | /ˈnoʊtˌbʊk/ | A book (physical or digital) in which notes or memoranda are written. |
| doorbell noun | /ˈdɔɹ.bɛl/ | A bell, buzzer, or chime device mounted on or adjacent to a door's exterior, meant to be rung by a visitor to announce one's presence. |
| crown noun | /kɹaʊ̯n/ | A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem. |
| arrest verb | /əˈɹɛst/ | To stop or slow (a process, course etc.). |
| enter verb | /ˈɛntɚ/ | To go or come into an enclosed or partially enclosed space. |
| window noun | /ˈwɪndoʊ/ | An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle. |
| scene noun | /siːn/ | The location of an event that attracts attention. |
| ring noun | /ɹɪŋ/ | A circumscribing object, (roughly) circular and hollow, looking like an annual ring, earring, finger ring etc. |
| dangerous adjective | /ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/ | Full of danger. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, haven't, I'll. 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 diamond, steal, exit.
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.