Shadowing Practice: How to speak about famous people - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Sometimes when we converse with a foreigner, a person from another country,
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we happen to talk about some famous people who represent our cultures.
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By the way, the verb to converse means to have a conversation or to engage in a conversation.
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In this video, I'm going to show you five ways
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that can help you speak about famous people and express your respect for them in an English conversation.
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They're my five favorite choices.
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So let's get straight into them, shall we?
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When I was younger, I emulated this actress.
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To emulate means to copy someone because you like them very much, you admire them and you think they're great.
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I'm going to go ahead
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and get some more of the great actresses of the 19th century and
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that was sort of what I emulated what I wanted to
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be I wanted to be Sarah Bernhardt I wanted to be Eleanor Adduza
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when I started work we can say I emulated this person or my brother emulated his character.
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My sister emulated her style and manners.
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There's even an expression to emulate success, which means to repeat someone's success.
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I mean, Joni Cash, who can emulate his success?
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I think nobody can emulate his success.
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Are you nuts about the Rolling Stones?
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I can't get enough of them too.
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If you can't get enough of somebody, it means you will never be tired of them and you want more of them.
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I can't get enough of Robert De Niro.
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I can't get enough of Emma Thompson.
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Oh, Adele, she's one of a kind.
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If you describe someone as one of a kind, you mean they're very different and there's nobody like them.
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She will take you to places in your life that you've never been to before.
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She's just...
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Just one of a kind.
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One of them...
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She's such a prominent writer isn't she?
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He's such a prominent architect, isn't he?
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Prominent means very famous and important.
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This last one is more of an academic way of describing a famous person.
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You can use it in your IELTS test or even in a business conversation.
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As part of the phrase I'm going to use the word to withstand
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which alone means to be strong enough so that nothing can harm, destroy or damage you.
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I think that the longer that you want something and don't get it but are able to
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to withstand that kind of rejection.
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Peter O'Toole.
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I've seen many of his films.
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There's no doubt they will withstand the test of time.
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If you liked today's video, please give it a thumbs up
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or subscribe to my channel to let me know I've been helpful and I'll see you soon for another video.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to speak about famous people”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: emulated, emulate, conversation, famous, success. This video has 43 sentences and 457 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:33. The speaker talks slowly, about 82 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| emulate verb | /ˈɛm.jʊ.leɪt/ | To copy or imitate, especially a person. |
| withstand verb | /wɪðˈstænd/ | To resist or endure (something) successfully. |
| prominent adjective | /ˈpɹɑmɪnənt/ | Standing out, or projecting; jutting; protuberant. |
| converse verb | /kənˈvɝs/ | To talk; to engage in conversation. |
| foreigner noun | /ˈfɔɹ.ɪ.nɚ/ | A person from a foreign country. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| rejection noun | /ɹɪˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | The act of rejecting. |
| admire verb | /ədˈmaɪɹ/ | To regard with wonder and delight. |
| thumb noun | /ˈθʌm/ | The shortest and thickest digit of the hand that for humans has the most mobility and can be made to oppose (moved to touch) all of the other fingers. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| architect noun | /ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/ | A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- They're my five favorite choices.
- So let's get straight into them, shall we?
- I can't get enough of them too.
- She's such a prominent writer isn't she?
- He's such a prominent architect, isn't he?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've never been · I've seen · I've been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who represent · success, which means |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will never be · will take · will withstand |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to show · I'm going to go · I'm going to use |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, I'm, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: withstand /wɪðˈstænd/, thumb /ˈθʌm/
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 emulate, withstand, prominent.
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.