Shadowing Practice: Heinemann Grade K - 58 Birds - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 58 sentences and 275 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:12. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 79% 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:

• duck /dʌk/ (noun) — Any of certain aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet, distinguished from swans and geese by generally being smaller and…
• eagle /ˈiːɡəl/ (noun) — Any of several large carnivorous and carrion-eating birds in the family Accipitridae, having a powerful hooked bill and keen vision.
• penguin /ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/ (noun) — Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual…
• swim /swɪm/ (verb) — To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means.
• flamingo /fləˈmɪŋɡoʊ/ (noun) — A wading bird of the family Phoenicopteridae of the order Phoenicopteriformes.
• parrot /ˈpæɹət/ (noun) — A kind of bird, many species of which are colorful and able to mimic human speech, of the order Psittaciformes or (narrowly) of the family Psittacidae.
• 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…
• pink /ˈpɪŋk/ (noun) — A color reminiscent of pinks, the flowers.
• welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
• color /ˈkʌl.ə/ (noun) — The spectral composition of visible light.
• drink /ˈdɹɪŋk/ (verb) — To consume (a liquid) through the mouth.
• 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.
• wonderful /ˈwʌndəfl̩/ (adjective) — Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.
• fly /ˈflaɪ̯/ (noun) — Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies.
• hello /hɛˈloʊ/ — A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

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

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like duck, eagle, penguin.