Shadowing Practice: Flying Home for Thanksgiving: My Flight Is Delayed - Learn English Speaking with Video
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32 sentences
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1
Excuse me, my app just said my flight is delayed.
2
I'm afraid so. There's a problem with the plane.
3
Oh no. How long is the delay going to be?
4
Right now, it's about four hours. I'm really sorry.
5
Four hours? But I'm supposed to be home for dinner!
6
Okay, don't worry. Let's look at your options together.
7
There's a later flight at seven thirty with open seats.
8
Seven thirty... Then I'll miss dinner completely.
9
Or would you like to go on standby for the two fifteen?
10
Standby? What does that mean, exactly?
11
If someone doesn't show up, you get their seat.
12
Hmm, and if nobody misses the flight?
13
Then you're still booked on the seven thirty. You can't lose.
14
Okay. Put me on the standby list, please.
15
Hi, sweetie! Are you at the airport yet?
16
Yeah... but my flight's been delayed by four hours.
17
Four hours? Oh, honey, that's awful! Will you make it for dinner?
18
Well, I'm on standby for an earlier flight...
19
Okay, don't worry. We'll save you some pumpkin pie.
20
Ha, I guess we're both stuck here, huh?
21
Looks like it. Are you on standby for the two fifteen?
22
Yep! I've flown standby before. It usually works out.
23
So, where are you heading for Thanksgiving?
24
Chicago! My grandma makes the best sweet potato pie!
25
Okay, standby passengers! We've got two seats on this flight.
26
Ms. Lopez and Mr. Hayes, please come to the counter.
27
Wait, that's us! We both got seats!
28
Yes! Grandma's pie, here I come!
29
Oh my goodness, you made it! Come here, sweetie!
30
Hi, Mom! Sorry I missed dinner.
31
Oh, come on. You're just in time for dessert!
32
Is that pumpkin pie? This is the best Thanksgiving ever!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Flying Home for Thanksgiving: My Flight Is Delayed”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: standby, flight, pie, dinner, seat. This video has 32 sentences and 284 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:01. The speaker talks at a steady 141 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 13 of its 32 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| delay noun | /dɪˈleɪ̯/ | A period of time before an event occurs; the act of delaying; procrastination; lingering inactivity. |
| thirty noun | /ˈθɝti/ | A commercial lasting 30 seconds. |
| fifteen noun | /ˈfɪf.tiːn/ | An Irish traybake made with crushed digestive biscuits, marshmallows and glacé cherries combined with condensed milk and desiccated coconut. |
| pumpkin noun | /ˈpʌm(p).kɪn/ | A domesticated plant, in species Cucurbita pepo, similar in growth pattern, foliage, flower, and fruit to the squash or melon. |
| sweetie noun | /ˈswi.ti/ | A person who is much loved. |
| awful adjective | /ˈɔːfʊl/ | Very bad. |
| passenger noun | /ˈpæs.ɪn.d͡ʒɚ/ | One who rides or travels in a vehicle, but who does not operate it and is not a member of the crew. |
| honey noun | /ˈhʌni/ | A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| grandma noun | /ˈɡɹænmɑː/ | Grandmother. |
| potato noun | /pəˈteɪ.təʊ/ | The edible starchy tuber of the plant species Solanum tuberosum. |
| dessert noun | /dɪˈzɝt/ | The last course of a meal, consisting of fruit, sweet confections etc. |
| standby noun | /ˈstændˌbaɪ̯/ | A state of readiness without immediate involvement; remaining in preparation for (a sudden or unforeseen event or situation). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. | |
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Let's look at your options together.
- Then I'll miss dinner completely.
- Are you at the airport yet?
- Will you make it for dinner?
- Are you on standby for the two fifteen?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | flight's been delayed · I've flown |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is delayed · been delayed |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the best |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll miss · Will you make · We'll save |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don'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 delay, thirty, fifteen.
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.