Shadowing Practice: How to brush your teeth - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to brush your teeth”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: teeth, brush, surface, toothbrush, toothpaste. This video has 42 sentences and 320 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:09. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 85% 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
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| brush noun | /bɹʌʃ/ | An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including… |
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| plaque noun | /plæk/ | Any flat, thin piece of clay, ivory, metal, etc., used for ornament, or for painting pictures upon, as a dish, plate, slab, etc., hung upon a wall; also, a… |
| afterwards adverb | /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/ | At a later or succeeding time; after that; |
| gently adverb | /ˈd͡ʒɛntli/ | Without strong force or quickness: softly, lightly. |
| dentist noun | /ˈdɛntɪst/ | A medical doctor who specializes in teeth. |
| toothbrush noun | /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/ | A brush, used with toothpaste, for cleaning the teeth. |
| toothpaste noun | /ˈtuθpeɪst/ | A paste, normally used with a toothbrush, for cleaning the teeth. |
| lollipop noun | /ˈlɑlipɑp/ | An item of confectionery consisting of a piece of candy or sweet attached to a stick. |
| hole noun | /hoʊl/ | A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; a dent; a depression; a fissure. |
| properly adverb | /ˈpɹɑpɚli/ | In a proper manner, appropriately, suitably; correctly, justifiably |
| circle noun | /ˈsɜɹkəl/ | A two-dimensional geometric figure, a line, consisting of the set of all those points in a plane that are equally distant from a given point (center). |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| regularly adverb | /ˈɹɛɡ.jə.lɚ.li/ | With constant frequency or pattern. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Can I eat the lollipop now?
- Do I have to?
- I'll see you next time.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most important · the most difficult |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to remove · need to do |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/, toothpaste /ˈtuθpeɪst/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brush /bɹʌʃ/, toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like brush, bite, plaque.
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.