Shadowing Practice: How many people are in hell? | Bishop Robert Barron - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hell is a corollary of two more fundamental teachings, namely that God is love and that we're free,
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which means we can respond to that love, we can incorporate that love, we can hook ourselves onto it or we can resist it.
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And hell would be the permanent and eternal absolute no to God.
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If you're at a party, there's a party swirling around you.
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Everyone's having a great time.
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There's music and there's good food and everyone's laughing.
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But you're in the worst mood of your life.
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That party is increasing your suffering.
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If you were by yourself, you wouldn't suffer as much as you would in that party.
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Well, see, hell would be like that.
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The Bible is very clear on the existence of hell.
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Well, some time ago, I did a video where I suggested we may hope that all people be saved.
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I didn't say, I know all people are saved.
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I didn't say, no problem, don't worry about it.
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I said, we may hope.
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And I must say, I was very surprised at the vehemence of the reaction of
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some people who seem to be very enthusiastic about a populated hell.
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The position I take, I think, is kind of a middle ground between saying, well, obviously everyone goes to heaven,
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and well, obviously there's lots and lots or most people in hell.
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Mine, I think, is a middle position.
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What are arguments for a crowded hell?
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Look around us.
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I mean, that's easy in a way.
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There's plenty of wickedness to go around.
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And so we can say Hitler and Stalin and the real limit cases, but come on, look around and look in.
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Well, the Bible says there's no man righteous, no, not one.
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So that's easy in a way.
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Yeah, if I just look at human achievement, morally speaking, I'd say most of us would go to hell.
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What's the counter -argument?
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God, and God's love, and God's mercy, and more to it, what God has accomplished in Christ.
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The Father sent the Son, where?
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Into our sin, so that he could, in principle, and how it is possible, carry everybody back to the Father.
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So, yes, I look all around, what do I see?
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People destined for hell.
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Jesus himself said that the road to perdition is wide and most taken.
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Yeah, sure, that's true.
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But, but, that same Jesus went to the end of that road, so that as we run away from the Father,
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we are running into the arms of the Son.
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Are we ready for intimacy with God, which is what heaven means?
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Well, not until we've purged selfishness, cruelty, different forms of wickedness from our lives.
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We require, therefore, the scola animarum, the school of souls, this purgative process by which we're readied for love.
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Might this take place even after we die?
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Why?
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Let's face it, in this life it's not the case
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that the best people get rewarded and the most wicked people are punished.
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I mean, sometimes, but not always.
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And so people, I think, very naturally have said, no, there must be some realm where things are set right,
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where a God who is a God of justice sets things right.
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Now is anyone in the state of hell permanent, everlasting rejection of God?
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Well, we don't know.
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Purgatory, a place of purification, where imperfections are burned away, where things are set right, might we hope for that,
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hope for that, even for all people?
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We may hope — I don't know it.
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To claim to know it is to fall into a heresy.
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I'm not going to do that.
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But I may hope, given the acrobatic display of God's love in Christ, I may hope that all people be saved.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “How many people are in hell?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: hell, saved, Father. This video has 40 sentences and 626 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:58. The speaker talks at a natural 158 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 8 of its 40 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suffer verb | /ˈsʌfɚ/ | To undergo hardship. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| mood noun | /muːd/ | A mental or emotional state, composure. |
| hook noun | /hʊk/ | A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment. |
| achievement noun | /əˈt͡ʃiːv.mənt/ | The act of achieving or performing; a successful performance; accomplishment. |
| principle noun | /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ | A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief. |
| fundamental adjective | /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/ | Related to a foundation, base, or basis; serving as a foundation. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| mercy noun | /ˈmɝsi/ | Relenting; forbearance to cause or allow harm to another. |
| resist verb | /ɹɪˈzɪst/ | To attempt to counter the actions or effects of. |
| eternal adjective | /ɪˈtɝ.nl̩/ | Lasting forever; unending. |
| accomplish verb | /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/ | To finish successfully. |
| namely adverb | /ˈneɪmli/ | Specifically; that is to say. |
| punish verb | /ˈpʌnɪʃ/ | To cause (a child, student, or someone else being looked after, or a suspect or criminal) to suffer for crime or misconduct, to administer disciplinary action… |
| rejection noun | /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | The act of rejecting. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. |
| burn away verb | To remove or be removed by burning. |
| go around verb | To move or spread from person to person. |
| run away from verb | To avoid or shirk a problem or consequences; to rush to back away from or disclaim responsibility for something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I mean, that's easy in a way.
- Might we hope for that, hope for that, even for all people?
- We may hope- I don't know it.
- I'm not gonna do that.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you were by yourself, you wouldn't suffer |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be saved · are saved · are punished |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has accomplished · we've purged · have said |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who seem · God, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, punish /ˈpʌnɪʃ/, rejection /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, imperfection /ɪmpɚˈfɛkʃən/, perdition /pɜː(ɹ)ˈdɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, fundamental /ˌfʌn.dəˈmɛn.təl/, incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, enthusiastic /ɪnˌθjuːzɪˈæstɪk/, intimacy /ˈɪn.tɪ.mə.si/
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 suffer, naturally, mood.
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.