Shadowing Practice: Frank Sinatra - That's Life (Audio) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 20 sentences and 241 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:48. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- deny /dəˈnaɪ/ (verb) — To disallow or reject.
- poet /ˈpoʊ.ət/ (noun) — A person who writes poems.
- pirate /ˈpaɪɹət/ (noun) — A criminal who plunders at sea; commonly attacking merchant vessels, though often pillaging port towns.
- puppet /ˈpʌpɪt/ (noun) — Any small model of a person or animal able to be moved by strings or rods, or in the form of a glove.
- pawn /ˈpɔːn/ (noun) — The most numerous chess piece, or a similar piece in a similar game. In chess, each side starts with eight; moves are only forward, and attacks are only…
- spin /spɪn/ (verb) — To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
- shake /ˈʃeɪk/ (verb) — To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
- pauper /ˈpɔ.pɚ/ (noun) — One who is extremely poor.
- stomp /stɑmp/ (verb) — To trample heavily.
- jump /d͡ʒʌmp/ (verb) — To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne.
- lay /leɪ/ (verb) — To place down in a position of rest, or in a horizontal position.
- bird /ˈbɜːd/ (noun) — An animal of the clade (traditionally class) Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of…
- quit /kwɪt/ (verb) — To leave (a place).
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- cut out (verb) — To refrain from (doing something, using something etc.), to stop or cease (doing something).
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, can't, gonna. 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 deny, poet, pirate.
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 | I've been |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna buy · gonna roll |
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.