Shadowing Practice: France vs England Food - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 13 sentences and 79 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:25. The speaker talks fast, about 190 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 73% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• versus /ˈvɝsəs/ — Against; in opposition to.
• chip /t͡ʃɪp/ (noun) — A small piece broken from a larger piece of solid material.
• dish /dɪʃ/ (noun) — A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle.
• steak /steɪk/ (noun) — Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.
• fry /fɹaɪ/ (verb) — To cook (something) in hot fat.
• crunch /kɹʌnt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To crush something, especially food, with a noisy crackling sound.
• tilak /ˈtɪlək/ (noun) — A mark or symbol worn on the forehead by Hindus, ornamentally or as an indication of status.
• croissant /kɹəˈsɑnt/ (noun) — A flaky roll or pastry in a form of a crescent.
• macaron /ˈmækəɹɑn/ (noun) — Any of various confections made with almond and egg white, traditionally made in France.
• masala /məˈsɑːlə/ (noun) — Any of many blends of spices used in Indian cuisine, most often containing cardamom, coriander, mace together with pepper, nutmeg, fennel seeds, jeera etc.
• pure /pjʊɹ/ (adjective) — Free of flaws or imperfections; unsullied.
• fish /ˈfɪʃ/ (noun) — A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills; any vertebrate that is not a tetrapod.
• cross /kɹɑs/ (noun) — A geometrical figure consisting of two straight lines or bars intersecting each other such that at least one of them is bisected by the other.
• section /ˈsɛkʃən/ (noun) — A cutting; a part cut out from the rest of something.
• fair /ˈfɛə/ (adjective) — Unblemished (figuratively or literally); clean and pure; innocent.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.

Pronunciation to watch

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, fish /ˈfɪʃ/, section /ˈsɛkʃən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like versus, chip, dish.