Shadowing Practice: How Film Sets Get Babies To Cry 😢 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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6 sentences
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1
The woman starts crying while standing behind the camera, and within seconds, the baby being filmed begins crying too.
2
That's because most babies will automatically start crying when they hear it from someone else,
3
and film sets use this to get babies to cry on camera.
4
But if they need smiles, the baby wrangler switches to playing peek -a -boo and placing toys near the camera.
5
Now, they're only allowed to film the baby for short periods of time,
6
so many productions hire twins and triplets so they can just swap them out and give them more filming time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How Film Sets Get Babies To Cry 😢”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: crying, camera, baby. This video has 6 sentences and 99 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:37. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| twin noun | /twɪn/ | Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same time; one who was born at the same birth as a sibling. |
| toy noun | /tɔɪ/ | Something to play with, especially as intended for use by a child. |
| swap verb | /ˈswɑp/ | To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else). |
| peek verb | /piːk/ | To look slyly, or with the eyes half closed, or through a crevice; to peep. |
| triplet noun | /ˈtɹɪplət/ | A group of three notes of even rhythm played or written where two of those notes would ordinarily be; a form of tuplet. |
| wrangler noun | /ˈɹæŋɡləː/ | Someone who wrangles or corrals. |
| cry verb | /kɹaɪ/ | To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness. |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| switch noun | /swɪt͡ʃ/ | A device to turn electric current on and off or direct its flow. |
| automatically adverb | /ˌɔː.təˈmæt.ɪ.k(ə.)li/ | In an automatic manner. |
| camera noun | /ˈkæməɹə/ | A device for taking still or moving pictures or photographs. |
| begin verb | /bɪˈɡɪn/ | To start, to initiate or take the first step into something. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| stand behind verb | To support; express one's support for, especially despite opposition; to stick with a decision. |
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 | being filmed |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | starts crying · start crying |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will automatically start |
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 hire, twin, toy.
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.