Shadowing Practice: How to talk about films in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi everyone, I'm George.
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Because of lockdown, lots of people have been watching more films this year.
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So today, we're going to learn how to talk about movies in English.
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Oh, and before I continue, don't forget to like the video and to subscribe to the channel.
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You Hiya, what film?
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Birthday Revenge.
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Any good?
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Yeah?
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It's useful to learn some film vocabulary to continue the conversation about the movie you've seen.
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You might want to start by talking about the genre.
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Is it an action film?
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A fantasy.
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A horror. or a sci -fi
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After you've told the person the genre you might want to say
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when or where the film is set This means when
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or where the action happens
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So you could say it's a sci -fi film set on the moon or it's set in London in the
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1930s or it's set in Korea in the year 3000 I saw a film last night.
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Oh yeah, what film?
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Birthday Revenge.
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Any good?
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Yeah, it's an action film set in London.
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Next, you can tell someone the general story by using the phrase, it's about.
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For example, it's about a boy who gets bitten by a radioactive spider and has superhuman spider -like abilities.
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It's about a gangster boss called Tommy Lee who has a birthday party but one of the gangsters called Johnny isn't there.
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Where's Johnny?
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I'm at the supermarket.
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You're going to wish you came to my birthday party.
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Next you could talk about the film's special effects.
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When we talk about special effects we mean the action that's made using computers
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or special equipment to make the film look more exciting.
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For example, the film had amazing special effects or the special effects were really impressive.
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There's some really impressive special effects.
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You might also want to talk about the soundtrack, the music used in the film.
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For example, the soundtrack was awesome Or, that film had a great soundtrack.
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It has an awesome soundtrack.
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Next, you could talk about the cast, the actors in the film.
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For example, it has a great cast.
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You could also talk about the acting too.
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For example, the acting was really convincing, which means realistic or the acting was a bit unconvincing, not very realistic.
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The acting is a bit rubbish.
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If you hurt me Tommy I will call the police.
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The film might also have a twist which is a sudden change in the story which you didn't expect.
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For example, the film had a brilliant twist.
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There's a great twist at the end.
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Why Why weren't you at my birthday party?
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Tommy, your birthday is next Tuesday.
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What?
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That's why I wasn't at your party.
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But that's not possible.
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The film might also have some plot holes in it too.
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Plot means story, so there are lots of holes in the story.
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It doesn't really make sense.
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For example, the film was great but it had a few plot holes.
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But there are a few plot holes in it.
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Why didn't you tell me before?
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I don't know.
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What film have you seen recently?
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Please tell us about it in the comment section below.
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And if you enjoyed the video, please like it and don't forget to subscribe to the channel.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to talk about films in English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: film, example, birthday, effects, soundtrack. This video has 60 sentences and 546 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:15. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 11 of its 60 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| soundtrack noun | /ˈsaʊndˌtɹæk/ | A narrow strip running down a movie film that carries the recorded sound in synchronization with the pictures. |
| twist verb | /twɪst/ | To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force. |
| gangster noun | /ˈɡæŋ.stəː/ | A member of a criminal or street gang. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| realistic adjective | /ˌɹɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/ | Expressed or represented as being accurate, practicable, or not idealistic. |
| genre noun | /ˈ(d)ʒɑnɹə/ | A kind; a stylistic category or sort, especially of literature or other artworks. |
| spider noun | /ˈspaɪ̯dɚ/ | Any of various eight-legged, predatory arthropods, of the order Araneae, most of which spin webs to catch prey. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| superhuman adjective | Beyond what is possible for a human being. | |
| unconvincing adjective | not convincing, plausible or believable | |
| lockdown noun | /ˈlɑkˌdaʊn/ | The confinement of people in their own rooms (e.g., in a school) or cells (in a prison), or to their own homes or areas (e.g., in the case of a city- or… |
| radioactive adjective | /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈæktɪv/ | Exhibiting radioactivity. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| rubbish noun | /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/ | Refuse, waste, garbage, junk, trash. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Next you could talk about the film's special effects.
- That's why I wasn't at your party.
- Why didn't you tell me before?
- What film have you seen recently?
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 seen · you've told |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | convincing, which means · twist which is |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might want · might also want · might also have |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | we're going to learn · You're going to wish |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: genre /ˈ(d)ʒɑnɹə/, rubbish /ˈɹʌbɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: radioactive /ˌɹeɪdioʊˈæktɪv/, supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/
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 soundtrack, twist, gangster.
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.