Shadowing Practice: How to be Positive Everyday? | Podcast and Chill | Beginner - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 1058 sentences and 8827 words to shadow. The speech runs for 57:25. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| listener noun | /ˈlɪs(ə)nɚ/ | Someone who listens, especially to a speech or a broadcast. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| chill verb | /tʃɪl/ | To lower the temperature of something; to cool. |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| feedback noun | /ˈfiːdˌbæk/ | Critical assessment of a process or activity or of their results. |
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| achievement noun | /əˈt͡ʃiːv.mənt/ | The act of achieving or performing; a successful performance; accomplishment. |
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| mentality noun | /mɛnˈtæləti/ | A mindset; a way of thinking; a set of beliefs. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| happiness noun | /ˈhæpinɪs/ | The emotion of being happy; joy; elation. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fall apart verb | To disintegrate, to break into pieces. |
| fall behind verb | To be late (for a regular event) |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
| push forward verb | To continue to act or do something, especially with a lot of effort |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| stick around verb | To stay; to linger; to remain. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 205 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, empathy /ˈɛmpəθi/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/, breathe /bɹiːð/, athlete /ˈæθ.liːt/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, patience /ˈpeɪ̯.ʃəns/, perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, ownership /ˈoʊnɚʃɪp/
- Long words — get the stress right: mentality /mɛnˈtæləti/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, positively /ˈpɑ.zɪ.tɪv.li/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/
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 mindset, listener, podcast.
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 I were their friend, I would start · if you don't push for more, won't you · If we don't update our skills, we'll fall |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to think |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | We've also made · has been changed · we've taken |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are often told · has been changed · are often filtered |
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.
































