Shadowing Practice: Harry Kane: Resilience - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Rejection is a tricky thing when you're a kid.
2
When I was eight years old, I was released by Arsenal.
3
My dad was the one who told me.
4
I wasn't old enough to fully understand the feeling of rejection, and dad didn't show any signs of disappointment.
5
He just put his arm around me and said, we go again and work even harder.
6
Let's see where it takes us.
7
And so we did.
8
Dad then told me Tottenham wanted me.
9
We took the opportunity and put in the hard work.
10
I was desperate to make the first team, but I had to be patient and I had to keep believing in myself.
11
I kept thinking to myself before every game, I'm going to do it.
12
I'm going to work as hard as possible.
13
But then I was sent out on loan.
14
It definitely wasn't easy.
15
I had to work hard through some really tough times.
16
There was self-doubt, but I didn't want anyone feeling sorry for me.
17
I kept repeating to myself.
18
We go again and work even harder.
19
I was determined to prove that I was good enough.
20
I knew my chance was going to come.
21
Embrace!
22
So wherever you are, whatever your struggles, keep working, keep going, and most importantly, always believe in yourself.
23
Because the more I believed in myself, along with the support of others, the more real everything became.
✨ Recommend Video
![Believe- Cristiano Ronaldo Motivation [1 Minute Motivation]](https://img.youtube.com/vi/DMppwPk1FWw/mqdefault.jpg)
B11,594
15 sentences
Believe- Cristiano Ronaldo Motivation [1 Minute Motivation]
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12,577
11 sentences
The 7 Habits of Highly Successful Students (Part 6) 💯
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
334 sentences
Lamine Yamal - How a Poor Boy From Barcelona Became a Champion at 17
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
167 sentences
10 Things England Captain Harry Kane Can't Live Without | GQ Sports
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11,636
11 sentences
Hard Work — The Key to Success and Achievement #speakconfidentenglish #english #speakingeveryday
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B12
38 sentences
This Song is An Anthem For Life! 🔥 (LISTEN EVERY DAY For A Stronger Mind!) ⚡️
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B11
194 sentences
27k
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A25
108 sentences
Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity | Level A2 | English shadowing
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B12
368 sentences
GRIT: The Power Of Passions and Perseverance | Daily English Conversations for Beginners (A2-B1)
Business EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
B21
54 sentences
My Rich Parents Lost All Their Money
Business EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B18
115 sentences
We Qualified for The World Cup | Erling Haaland Vlog
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B131
73 sentences
The Secret That Changed His Life Forever | Listen & Learn English | Motivational English Story
Business EnglishTeensHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 23 sentences and 235 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:40. The speaker talks at a steady 142 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rejection noun | /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | The act of rejecting. |
| desperate adjective | /ˈdɛs.p(ə.)ɹɪt/ | In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire. |
| wherever | /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ | Regardless of the place in, at or to which. |
| embrace verb | /ɛmˈbɹes/ | To clasp (someone or each other) in the arms with affection; to take in the arms; to hug. |
| importantly adverb | /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/ | Used to mark a statement as having importance. |
| disappointment noun | /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/ | The feeling or state of being disappointed: a feeling of sadness or frustration when something is not as good as one hoped or expected, or when something bad… |
| tricky adjective | /ˈtɹɪk.i/ | Hard to deal with, complicated. |
| loan noun | /loʊn/ | An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use. |
| determine verb | /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/ | To set the boundaries or limits of. |
| struggle noun | /ˈstɹʌɡəl/ | A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task. |
| repeat verb | /ɹɪˈpiːt/ | To do or say again (and again). |
| definitely adverb | /ˈdɛf.ɪ.nɪt.li/ | Without question and beyond doubt. |
| opportunity noun | /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/ | A chance for advancement, progress or profit. |
| doubt noun | /daʊt/ | Disbelief or uncertainty (about something); (countable) a particular instance of such disbelief or uncertainty. |
| fully adverb | /ˈfʊli/ | In a full manner; without lack or defect; completely, entirely. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, patient /ˈpeɪ̯ʃənt/
- Long words — get the stress right: importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, disappointment /ˌdɪsəˈpɔɪntmənt/, definitely /ˈdɛf.ɪ.nɪt.li/, opportunity /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/
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 rejection, desperate, wherever.
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 | was released · was sent · was determined |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep believing · kept thinking · kept repeating |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to do · I'm going to work |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | had to be · had to work |
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.