Shadowing Practice: Flower pincher caught green-handed on CCTV | 9 News Australia - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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A pot plant bandit has been caught red -handed, ripping flowers from the garden beds of Norwood businesses, leaving the owners bewildered.
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The woman appeared to be prepared with her own pots for the job, with reports of at least three locations hit in less than a week.
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A trolley -wielding plant pincher caught on camera.
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Armed with her own plastic pots, a woman rips flowers straight from garden beds on McGill Road over the weekend,
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smoothing over the soil, checking for witnesses before darting away with plants in tow.
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Yeah, she had a little trolley and had her pots ready to go and, you know, was making sure she was keeping a good eye out as well.
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So it was, yeah, she was ready for it.
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Scott Giles was left bewildered at the video of his garden bed being the scene of a horticultural heist.
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Five plants down, but nearly 100 ,000 views up on Instagram.
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To have someone so brazenly come and plan a bit of a heist like that was, yeah, Yeah, something worthy of sharing I think.
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And it was soon clear the green thumb had struck before.
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Bridal gown designer Greta, based just a few streets away, hit two days prior.
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And one resident stung today.
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They did appear to have a trolley and the plants had just sort of been taken straight out.
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While the business owners are frustrated at the cost and inconvenience incurred, they aren't letting it plant a seed of distrust in them, saying flowers will return to the beds here soon.
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But through the power of social media the woman was tracked down late today, returned the plants and apologised.
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Scott says all's well that ends well.
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Will Lawrence, Nine News.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 18 sentences and 289 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:38. The speaker talks at a natural 176 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
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… |
| pot noun | /pɑt/ | A flat-bottomed vessel (usually metal) used for cooking food, possibly excluding saucepans (see usage notes). |
| rip verb | /ɹɪp/ | To divide or separate the parts of (especially something flimsy, such as paper or fabric), by cutting or tearing; to tear off or out by violence. |
| designer noun | /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ | A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession. |
| soil noun | /sɔɪl/ | A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth. |
| smooth adjective | /smuːð/ | Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough. |
| resident noun | /ˈɹɛzɪdənt/ | A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area. |
| worthy adjective | /ˈwɝ.ði/ | Having worth, merit, or value. |
| thumb noun | /ˈθʌm/ | The shortest and thickest digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers. |
| sting verb | /ˈstɪŋ/ | To hurt, usually by introducing poison or a sharp point, or both. |
| gown noun | /ˈɡaʊ̯n/ | A loose, flowing upper garment. |
| inconvenience noun | /ɪnkənˈvinjəns/ | The quality of being inconvenient. |
| dart noun | /dɑɹt/ | A pointed missile weapon, intended to be thrown by the hand; for example, a short lance or javelin. |
| bridal adjective | /ˈbɹaɪd(ə)l/ | Of or pertaining to a bride, or to wedding; nuptial. |
| trolley noun | A trolley pole; a single-pole device for collecting electrical current from an overhead electrical line, normally for a tram/streetcar or a trolleybus. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| track down verb | To hunt for or locate; to search for; to find. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been caught · be prepared · was left |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been caught |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: smooth /smuːð/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/, thumb /ˈθʌm/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like flower, pot, rip.
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.