Shadowing Practice: Global Warming and Climate Change Explained - Learn English Speaking with Video
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22 sentences
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Climate change has become a huge issue lately, to the point where it's not only rocking the world of science, but politics as well.
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Yet, many people are still unaware of what climate change is and what some of the potential implications are.
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So, in this video, we'll be going over the basic concept of climate change.
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The sun's rays take roughly 8 minutes to travel that 93 million mile distance to Earth, where it will light up our beautiful skies.
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The thing is that the sun doesn't just release those golden rays of light we see in the morning.
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It releases radiation in other parts of the electromagnetic spectrum, like UV or the infrared radiation we feel in the form of heat.
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Sometimes the emitted infrared radiation will be reflected back into space when it hits
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Earth, but other times that reflected infrared radiation can be trapped by a layer of gas in our atmosphere called greenhouse gases,
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which typically consist of water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide and most infamously carbon and carbon dioxide.
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Imprisoned by that pesky greenhouse gas the infrared radiation has nowhere else to go
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and remains on earth where it begins to heat up the planet, a phenomena we have come to call global warming.
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Global warming can have many implications.
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For example, it can melt glaciers which can result in sea levels rising.
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It can also cause more evaporation leading to more precipitation
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which can change the weather patterns in certain areas causing to become wetter or drier.
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This This change in overall weather patterns in certain regions is called climate change.
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Climate change isn't just wreaking havoc via droughts and rising sea levels.
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In Siberia, for example, the permafrost is now thawing out and may potentially release many bacteria and viruses that are trapped inside.
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Of course, that's just one of the many problems we're facing now.
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In our climate change series, we'll be taking a look at the more complicated consequences of climate change,
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as well as some of the solutions scientists are working on to give our blue rock a second chance.
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So, be sure to hit that subscribe button, and most importantly, don't forget to stay tuned for more science videos.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Global Warming and Climate Change Explained”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: climate, radiation, infrared, earth, release. This video has 22 sentences and 369 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:59. The speaker talks fast, about 186 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| radiation noun | /ˌɹeɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The shooting forth of anything from a point or surface, like diverging rays of light. |
| infrared adjective | /ˌɪnfɹəˈɹɛd/ | Having a wavelength in the infrared spectrum. |
| reflect verb | /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ | To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface. |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| greenhouse noun | /ˈɡɹːnˌ(h)aʊs/ | A building used to grow plants, particularly one with large glass windows or plastic sheeting to trap heat from sunlight even in intemperate seasons or… |
| implication noun | /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/ | The act of implicating. |
| complicated adjective | /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/ | Difficult or convoluted. |
| atmosphere noun | /ˈætməsˌfɪɹ/ | The gases surrounding the Earth or any astronomical body. |
| virus noun | /ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/ | A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and… |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| layer noun | /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ | A single thickness of some material covering a surface. |
| nowhere adverb | /ˈnoʊ.(h)wɛɹ/ | In no place. |
| potentially adverb | /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/ | In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way. |
| roughly adverb | /ˈɹʌf.li/ | In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness. |
| tune noun | /tjuːn/ | A melody. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| going over noun | An inspection, examination, review, or investigation. |
| heat up verb | To heat, to cause to become hotter. |
| light up verb | To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be reflected · can be trapped · is called |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has become · have come |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'll, doesn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: methane /ˈmiːθeɪn/, thaw /θɔː/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: radiation /ˌɹeɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, precipitation /pɹɪˌsɪpɪˈteɪʃn̩/, glacier /ˈɡleɪ.ʃɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: radiation /ˌɹeɪ.diˈeɪ.ʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/, phenomenon /fəˈnɒm.ɪ.nən/
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 radiation, infrared, reflect.
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.