Shadowing Practice: hey man I'm in your bed now - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “hey man I'm in your bed now”. This video has 29 sentences and 217 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:11. The speaker talks fast, about 184 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 13 of its 29 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 |
|---|---|---|
| awake verb | /əˈweɪk/ | To become conscious after having slept. |
| ridiculous adjective | /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/ | Deserving of ridicule; foolish, absurd. |
| asleep adjective | /əˈsliːp/ | In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| beast noun | /biːst/ | Any four-footed land mammal. |
| lonely adjective | /ˈloʊnli/ | Unhappy due to feeling isolated from contact with other people. |
| furthermore adverb | /ˈfɜː(ɹ).ðə(ɹ)ˌmɔː(ɹ)/ | In addition; besides; further; what's more (i.e. to denote additional information). |
| apologize verb | /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ | To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| floorboard noun | Any of the long boards laid over joists to make a floor. | |
| hiss verb | /hɪs/ | To make a hiss, a sibilant sound of air escaping. |
| narcolepsy noun | /ˈnɑː(ɹ)kəˌlɛpsi/ | A disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable attacks of deep sleep, often brief, sometimes accompanied by paralysis and hallucinations. |
| toothbrush noun | /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/ | A brush, used with toothpaste, for cleaning the teeth. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Hey, are you awake?
- I bet you were pretending to be asleep, weren't you?
- Can I spend the night in your bed?
- Why do you never say it back?
- Is it about the whole house fire I started?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, shan't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: furthermore /ˈfɜː(ɹ).ðə(ɹ)ˌmɔː(ɹ)/, toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, apologize /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/, narcolepsy /ˈnɑː(ɹ)kəˌlɛpsi/
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 awake, ridiculous, asleep.
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.