Shadowing Practice: How I Practice Shadowing for Better English | Zendaya Interview - Learn English Speaking with Video
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I have received quite a few comments from you guys asking me to make more videos about shadowing,
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how I do shadowing, who I recommend shadowing, and that's what we're going to do today.
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You and I are going to practice some shadowing together.
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In one of my previous videos, I showed you my shadowing practice with Dakota Johnson.
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I told you guys how much I love her voice
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and the way she speaks is very charming
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but for today's shadowing exercise i've chosen an interview with zendaya she is awesome and
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so much fun i'm sure you'll enjoy it we'll enjoy it together we will try to imitate her rhythm stress
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and manner of speaking hi i'm alba a non -native english teacher
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and as a teacher I constantly have to work on my accent my pronunciation
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because well this is my job right
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and there is always room for improvement English is not my native language
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so I know what it's like to work really hard to try your best to sound more natural
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and feel frustrated with your English at times
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so I think you guys can benefit from my experience
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because we're going through the same thing we're in this together right
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and since i'm always working on my accent i'm constantly looking for new tools to use alongside shadowing
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and i've recently discovered this really cool app called bold voice i really like the concept
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and i thought it would be useful for you guys
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so i reached out to bold voice and they kindly agreed to sponsor today's video which I'm really thankful for.
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Bold Voice gives you personalized feedback on your pronunciation.
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It has lessons from professional accent coaches
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and they recently launched this feature called Accent Oracle
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which can identify more than 300 accents from around the world and we're going to test it right now.
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So I'm supposed to speak for about 30 seconds
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and then the app will tell me where it thinks my accent is from.
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As the saying goes, face the truth and push through.
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The days are so long and slow when you're young.
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Okay, wow.
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Your accent DNA, Russian, 53%.
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Surprise, surprise.
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This is interesting.
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Kazakh, 18%.
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Okay, but what can I say?
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It's pretty accurate and it doesn't just identify your accent and that's it.
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It also gives you specific feedback based on the sounds that might be problematic for you.
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For example, it's telling me to work on my Z sound because sometimes it sounds like S.
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And I know I have this tendency to de -voice consonants at the end of the words
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because that's what we do in Russian.
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I'm a native Russian speaker so for example instead of today's today's i say today's
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so i have to practice today's not today's yeah okay
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it's not easy to find let alone afford a personal accent coach
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so i think bold voice is a great option if you want to improve your pronunciation your accent
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So give Bold Voice a try.
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Use the link in the description below and get 10 % off with my code ALBA10.
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All right, now let's watch a clip.
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Well, you know, Tom got the call.
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Well, you know, Tom got the call.
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So we're trying to imitate how she pronounces the vowels.
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Well, you know, Tom got the call.
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Christopher Nolan called and my heart was just so full.
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I was so excited for him.
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You know what I mean?
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He's the best and he deserves this.
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Christopher Nolan called and my heart was just so full.
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I was so excited for him.
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And you will notice throughout the entire video, Zendaya is using a lot of conversational fillers words such as you know what i mean
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you know like we use them in everyday speech to connect ideas to give ourselves some time to think
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and just to make our speech flow more naturally
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let's see how she connects it here
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so instead of saying you know what i mean we connect
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it all together there's a flap t you know what i mean not
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we know what i mean what i what i you know what i mean he's the best and he deserves this
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And I was just so excited.
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Also, I'm, you know, I'm obviously his biggest fan, but I'm also a Chris Nolan fan.
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And I was just so excited.
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You know, I'm obviously his biggest fan, but I'm also a Chris Nolan fan.
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Let's try this last part one more time.
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There's a lot of connected speech happening, but I'm also, but I'm not, but I'm, but I'm also,
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but I'm also a Chris Nolan fan.
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So when that kind of opportunity comes around, I was just so excited.
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That kind of opportunity.
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Again, we're connecting it all together.
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That kind of opportunity, kind of, kind of opportunity.
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So when that kind of opportunity comes around, I was just so excited.
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Like I didn't even put myself in that equation at all.
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Like we already won.
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I didn't even put myself in
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that equation at all let's pay attention to at all we connect it
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and there's a flap t not at all at all let's say
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it all together like i didn't even put myself in
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that equation at all all right i have to say something isn't zendaya just awesome
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she exudes charisma i absolutely love how expressive and passionate she is.
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Anyway, let's break down her speech.
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And then he had another meeting.
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So he had the script.
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I made a little, you know, peaky peak.
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And then he had another meeting.
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So he had the script and I may have done a little, you know, peaky peak.
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This one is interesting.
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What does it mean to do a little peaky peak?
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It's just a playful way to say I had a look at something, especially when you're not really supposed to do it.
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So she was not supposed to look at the script, but she did it anyway.
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So she used this expression.
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I may have done a little peeky peek and let's repeat it after her.
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Instead of saying she may have done, we shorten it or contract and say may have,
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may have, I may have done a little, you know, peaky peak.
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I gotta know.
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There's a Christopher Nolan script in my house.
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What am I gonna do?
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I gotta know.
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That is just, I have to know, or I have got to know.
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And we shorten it and we just say, I gotta know.
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Let's practice.
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I gotta know.
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There's a Christopher Nolan script in my house.
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Okay.
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Look at this one.
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We have another contraction here.
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What am I going to do?
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But she doesn't say it like that.
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We shorten it and connect it together.
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What am I gonna do? what am I gonna do you know okay
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and then he went off to his meeting and then
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when he came home
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I was like okay like tell me all about it like
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how was he what was it like first let's look at went off we connected
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and we basically drop the T we don't pronounce the T
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she doesn't pronounce the T let's listen one more time
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and then he went off to his meeting
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and then we went off right we connected and we dropped the t
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and then he went off to his meeting
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and then he went off to his meeting
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when he came home
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i was like okay like tell me all about it like how was he what was it like and then
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when he came home
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i was like okay tell me all about it like how
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was it what was it like tell me all about it let's connect
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it tell me all about it about it again there's flap t because the T is between two vowels.
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So we say about it.
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You know what I mean?
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I was like so ready, so excited.
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Zendaya's favorite.
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You know what I mean?
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I was so ready, so excited.
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And he goes, read this again.
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And I was like, what, why?
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Like I just read it.
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Like we just read it last night.
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This is very interesting.
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Look at how Zendaya is telling a story.
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And he goes, read this again.
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And I was like, why?
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Like I just read it.
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We just read it last night.
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What does it mean? and he goes it basically means
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and he says
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or he said we use it a lot in storytelling the same with i was like
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and i am like or and i was like which means
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and i said
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and i reacted this way we just read it last night he's like read it again
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but with athena in mind and i was like yo stop it right
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and he's like read it again but with athena in mind
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and i was like yo stop it right now okay i'm not as charismatic
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and expressive as zendaya but i'm trying my best here
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i was just like my i just yeah i freaked out i freaked out
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which means i panicked
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but then this context in a good way yeah i freaked out i was
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so grateful and that he got to be the one to tell me i was
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so grateful and
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that he got to be the one to tell me
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this one is a little tricky for me
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he got to be the one we don't say to tell me again she blends it all together
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and we've got he got to be the one to tell me the one to tell me
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yeah okay that's it for our shadowing practice thank you
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so much for joining me today i hope you enjoyed it
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because i definitely did let me know how you feel down in the comments i feel excited
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and thrilled but also a little tired if i'm being honest
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because apparently shadowing is very energy demanding
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so i need some quiet time now i'm gonna just lie down and do nothing
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yeah thanks again for watching this video let me know in the comments
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if you want me to upload more videos like this and um yeah i'll see you in the next one bye
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How I Practice Shadowing for Better English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: accent, shadowing, excited, Nolan, voice. This video has 172 sentences and 1723 words to shadow. The speech runs for 10:39. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| shadow noun | /ˈʃædəʊ̯/ | A dark image projected onto a surface where light (or other radiation) is blocked by the shade of an object. |
| script noun | /skɹɪpt/ | A writing; a written document. |
| bold adjective | /ˈbəʊld/ | Courageous, daring. |
| equation noun | /ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/ | The act or process of equating two or more things, or the state of those things being equal (that is, identical). |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| grateful adjective | /ˈɡɹeɪtf(ə)l/ | Of a person or their actions, feelings, etc.: expressing gratitude or appreciation; appreciative, thankful. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| alongside | /əˌlɔŋˈsaɪd/ | Side by side with. |
| discover verb | /dɪˈskʌvə/ | To find or learn something for the first time. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come around verb | /kʌ.məˈɹaʊnd/ | To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first. |
| go off verb | To explode. | |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| lie down verb | To assume a horizontal position. | |
| push through verb | To force (legislation or a plan) to be passed or agreed to or a decision to be reached. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- All right, now let's watch a clip.
- You know what I mean?
- Let's try this last part one more time.
- What am I gonna do?
- What am I going to do?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 52 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/, thankful /ˈθæŋkfəl/, thrill /θɹɪl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shadow /ˈʃædəʊ̯/, equation /ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, passionate /ˈpæʃənɪt/, shorten /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, problematic /ˌpɹɑ.bləˈmæt.ɪk/, charismatic /ˌkɛɹəzˈmætək/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/
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 connect, accent, shadow.
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.