Shadowing Practice: How to Play Chess With Friends on Duolingo - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 15 sentences and 101 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:45. The speaker talks at a steady 135 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- chess /t͡ʃɛs/ (noun) — A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the…
- friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ (noun) — The condition of being friends.
- dramatic /dɹəˈmætɪk/ (adjective) — Of or relating to the drama.
- glory /ˈɡlɔːɹi/ (noun) — Great beauty and splendor.
- invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
- foe /foʊ/ (noun) — An enemy.
- deteriorate /dɪˈtɪɹ.iə.ɹeɪt/ (verb) — To make worse; to make inferior in quality or value; to impair.
- survive /sɚˈvaɪv/ (verb) — Of a person, to continue to live; to remain alive.
- battle /ˈbætl̩/ (noun) — A contest, a struggle.
- challenge /ˈt͡ʃæl.ɪnd͡ʒ/ (noun) — An antagonization or instigation intended to convince a person to perform an action they otherwise would not.
- begin /bɪˈɡɪn/ (verb) — To start, to initiate or take the first step into something.
- feature /ˈfi.t͡ʃɚ/ (noun) — A component that draws attention or interest.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'll, you'll, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 chess, friendship, dramatic.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | you'll be · will become · we'll still be |
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.