Shadowing Practice: Father explains Life to His Son in less than 60 seconds #comedy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Father explains Life to His Son in less than 60 seconds”. This video has 23 sentences and 130 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:16. The speaker talks slowly, about 103 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 4 of its 23 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
11 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| salary noun | /ˈsæləɹi/ | A fixed amount of money paid to a worker, usually calculated on a monthly or annual basis, not hourly, as wages. Implies a degree of professionalism and/or… |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| helmet noun | /ˈhɛlmɪt/ | A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour. |
| cereal noun | /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əl/ | A type of grass (such as wheat, rice or oats) cultivated for its edible grains. |
| baloney noun | /bəˈləʊni/ | A type of sausage; bologna. |
| motorbike verb | /ˈmoʊtɚˌbaɪk/ | To ride a motorbike; to travel by motorbike. |
| girlfriend noun | /ˈɡɝlfɹɛnd/ | A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. |
| apartment noun | /əˈpɑɹt.mənt/ | A complete domicile occupying only part of a building, especially one for rent; a flat. |
| regular adjective | /ˈɹɛɡjəlɚ/ | Bound by religious rule; belonging to a monastic or religious order (often as opposed to secular). |
| ride verb | /ɹaɪd/ | To transport oneself by sitting on and directing a horse, later also a bicycle etc. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, haven't, I'm. 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 salary, shoe, cloth.
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.