Shadowing Practice: How to Talk About Your Home in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “How to Talk About Your Home in English”. This video has 387 sentences and 3990 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:05. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| balcony noun | /ˈbælkəni/ | An accessible structure extending from a building, especially outside a window. |
| dine verb | /daɪn/ | To eat; to eat dinner or supper. |
| curtain noun | /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/ | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light. |
| laundry noun | /ˈlɔːn.dɹi/ | A laundering; a washing. |
| 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… |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| cupboard noun | /ˈkʌb.əd/ | A cabinet, closet, or other piece of furniture with shelves intended for storing cookware, dishware, or food; similar cabinets or closets used for storing… |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| boil verb | /bɔɪ(ə)l/ | To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas. |
| container noun | /kənˈteɪ.nəɹ/ | An item in which objects, materials or data can be stored or transported. |
| blender noun | /ˈblɛn.dɚ/ | A machine with sharp rotating blades in a bowl, for mashing, crushing, or liquefying food ingredients. |
| drawer noun | /dɹɔɹ/ | An open-topped box that can be slid in and out of the cabinet that contains it, used for storing clothing or other articles. |
| 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. |
| rack noun | /ɹæk/ | A series of one or more shelves, stacked one above the other. |
| incorrect adjective | /ˌɪn.kəˈɹɛkt/ | Not correct; erroneous or wrong. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
| make out of verb | To construct from; to create (something) using (a material or substance). |
| pull out verb | To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat. |
| stick around verb | To stay; to linger; to remain. |
| blow up verb | To explode or be destroyed by explosion. |
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. |
| close off verb | To seal or block the entrance to a road, an area, or a building so that people cannot enter. |
| fall over verb | To fall from an upright or standing position to a horizontal or prone position. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- First question, where do you usually sleep?
- Where do you usually sleep?
- Tell me, what do you guys prefer?
- I sit on the table and eat dinner?
- I sit at the table and eat dinner?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · is made · are usually not dressed |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've already talked · hasn't woken · I've now added |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep improving · stop studying · started smoking |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most recent · the most extreme |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 67 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I'll, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: toothbrush /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/, bathtub /ˈbæθtʌb/, toothpaste /ˈtuθpeɪst/, cloth /klɒθ/, rhythm /ˈɹɪð.əm/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: brush /bɹʌʃ/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, conditioner /kənˈdɪʃənə/, demolish /dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, conditioner /kənˈdɪʃənə/, comically /ˈkɑmɪk(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 balcony, dine, curtain.
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.
































