Shadowing Practice: Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Say, You're Not Stupid! - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
77 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
But five minutes ago you said you would marry me.
2
But that's before Dorothy phoned me.
3
But what on earth could she say to make you change your mind?
4
She just said everything's okay now.
5
But I don't quite understand...
6
Oh dear.
7
Well.
8
Hello father.
9
Hello son.
10
I know what you're here for father and I don't care.
11
I've made up my mind.
12
I'm gonna make her marry me.
13
Oh bless your heart that's wonderful.
14
I presume this is the young lady?
15
Well yes.
16
Such a pretty little girl.
17
American?
18
Yes, except on my father and mother's side, they're Irish.
19
Believe me, son, I'm delighted about this.
20
I've wanted to see you married for a long time.
21
Anybody but that monster, Lorelei Lee.
22
What?
23
Mr. Esme, I am Lorelei Lee.
24
Pretty early in the game to start teaching your father -in -law.
25
What's the matter with you, father?
26
Nothing.
27
I can take a joke.
28
What joke?
29
This is Lorelei.
30
Mother, this is not the sort of thing one would joke about.
31
I don't have my driver's license with me, but you can take my word for it.
32
Honest.
33
Look.
34
That's I.
35
See my name?
36
Well...
37
I'm too old for this sort of thing.
38
Father, I don't understand.
39
You don't understand?
40
How do you think I feel with thousands of Lorelei Lees coming at me from everywhere?
41
But believe me, son, you're not going to marry any one of them.
42
Father, I love her.
43
I love her very much.
44
I've never had a feeling like this.
45
Shut up.
46
Young lady, you don't fool me one bit.
47
I'm not trying to, but I bet I could, though.
48
No, you might convince this jackass that you love him, but you'll never convince me.
49
That's too bad, because I do love him.
50
Certainly, for his money.
51
No, honestly.
52
Have you got the nerve to stand there and expect me to believe
53
that you don't want to marry my son for his money?
54
It's true.
55
Then what do you want to marry him for?
56
I want to marry him for your money.
57
Fair.
58
Oh, Lorelei...
59
Don't you see that's why we have to have his consent, silly?
60
Well, at least we're getting down to brass tacks.
61
You admit that all you're after is money.
62
No, I don't.
63
Aren't you funny?
64
Don't you know that a man being rich is like a girl being pretty?
65
You might not marry a girl just because she's pretty.
66
But my goodness, doesn't it help?
67
And if you had a daughter, wouldn't you rather she didn't marry a poor man?
68
But I was...
69
You'd want her to have the most wonderful things in the world and to be very happy.
70
Oh, why is it wrong for me to want those things?
71
Well, I concede that...
72
Say, they told me you were stupid.
73
You don't sound stupid to me.
74
I can be smart when it's important, but most men don't like it.
75
Except Gus.
76
He's always been interested in my brains.
77
No. No, that much of a fool he's not.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B11
67 sentences
Love is not about physical appearance, but about what's inside.
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
86 sentences
No one is allowed to bully my daughter！🔥#movie #edit #foryou #funny
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B1112
22 sentences
Legally Blonde - Girls Like Me Don't Go Out With Losers Like You
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
54 sentences
Straight Guy Marries A Husband #aiblstory #blstory #straightguymarriesahusband
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B15
79 sentences
TANGLED Clip - "Bad Horse" (2010) Disney
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A25
279 sentences
💒✨ SLOW ENGLISH | Wedding Manners | Good vs Bad | Real Life English Speaking Story
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
136 sentences
Logan's Family Doesn't Like Rory | Gilmore Girls
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
418 sentences
'Wednesday' Cast Test How Well They Know Each Other | Vanity Fair
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
54 sentences
Fences (2016) - I Ain't Got to Like You Scene (2/10) | Movieclips
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B2205 sentences
They’re Both Lowkey Scheming | How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
63 sentences
Olive and Adam's First Kiss on The Love Hypothesis
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
112 sentences
Husband Catches Wife’s Secret Date | @DramatizeMe.Special
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes - Say, You're Not Stupid!”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: marry, father, Lorelei, joke, Lee. This video has 77 sentences and 509 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:56. The speaker talks at a natural 173 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 17 of its 77 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| marry verb | /ˈmæɹi/ | To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife. |
| convince verb | /kənˈvɪns/ | To make someone believe, or feel sure about something, especially by using logic, argument or evidence. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| consent verb | /kənˈsɛnt/ | To express willingness, to give permission. |
| nerve noun | /nɝv/ | A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics. |
| bless verb | /blɛs/ | To make something holy by religious rite, sanctify. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| brass noun | /bɹæs/ | A memorial or sepulchral tablet usually made of brass or latten: a monumental brass. |
| delight noun | /dəˈlaɪt/ | Joy; pleasure. |
| presume verb | /pɹɪˈz(j)um/ | To be so presumptuous as (to do something) without proper authority or permission [with to (+ infinitive)]. |
| concede verb | /kənˈsid/ | To yield or suffer; to surrender; to grant |
| jackass noun | /ˈd͡ʒækæs/ | A male donkey. |
| tack noun | /tæk/ | A small nail with a flat head. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get down to verb | To start focusing on doing something serious | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I've made up my mind.
- I presume this is the young lady?
- What's the matter with you, father?
- Then what do you want to marry him for?
- Don't you see that's why we have to have his consent, silly?
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 made · I've wanted · I've never had |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might convince · might not marry |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm not trying · we're getting |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna make · you're not going to marry |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 31 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I've. 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.
- 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 marry, convince, silly.
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.