Shadowing Practice: For beginners| One story a day| Book 2-19 The turtle race - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 10 sentences and 75 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:46.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| turtle noun | /ˈtɝtl̩/ | Any land, aquatic, or semi-aquatic reptile of the order Testudines, characterised by a protective shell enclosing its body. See also tortoise. |
| egg noun | /ɛɡ/ | An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, insects, reptiles, and other animals, often housing an embryo within a membrane or shell… |
| hatch verb | /hæt͡ʃ/ | To emerge from an egg. |
| tiny adjective | /ˈtaɪni/ | Very small. |
| quickly adverb | /ˈkwɪk.li/ | Rapidly; with speed; fast; with expedition. |
| reach verb | /ɹiːt͡ʃ/ | To extend, stretch, or thrust out (for example a limb or object held in the hand). |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| dangerous adjective | /ˈdeɪn.ʒ(ə.)ɹəs/ | Full of danger. |
| path noun | /pɑːθ/ | A trail for the use of, or worn by, pedestrians. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will reach |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to move |
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 turtle, egg, hatch.
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.






























