Shadowing Practice: Human Changes to the Environment - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Every day, people use many things that come from nature.
2
These things are called resources.
3
Some of these resources are air for us to breathe, water for us to drink, soil to grow our fruits and vegetables,
4
and wood to make things like houses and playgrounds.
5
When we use resources, Sometimes we change the environment.
6
Have you seen roads, tall buildings and parks?
7
People make those, but when we do it changes the home of plants and animals.
8
So can you think of ways that people change the environment?
9
Let's always remember, we share our world with lots of other living things.
10
and we need to help take care of it for everyone.
11
Music Don't forget to subscribe!
📺 Same Channel
B1100
Pollination in a Minute
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
C1337
What Causes Tides?
University StudentsWorking Adults
B23
Types of Levers
TOEFL PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Bulbs Arranged in Parallel – Brightness of Bulbs
TOEFL PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B23
Can You Define Energy?
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B14
Earth Water Sources – Streams and Rivers
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B1Simple Machines – Screws
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
All About Mosses
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Continental Climates
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B26
Energy Transformations
TOEFL PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
C14
Mosquito Life Cycle and Disease Prevention
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B14
Electricity Production – Burning Fossil Fuels
University Students
B18
Using Rocks and Minerals
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Interactions in Ecosystems – Wetlands
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Temperate Climates
High School StudentsUniversity Students
C15
The Earth's Atmosphere
University Students
A22
Sound, Vibrations and Sound Waves
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B14
All About Magnets
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B13
Electricity – Sources and Uses
TOEFL PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Electric Charge
High School StudentsUniversity Students
✨ Recommend Video
A21
56 sentences
🌱 Unit 11 – Our Greener World | Speaking | Global Success 6
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
44 sentences
Climate Change: Crash Course Kids #41.2
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A21
108 sentences
Natural Resources for Kids | Teach your kids and students about Earths Natural Resources
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A271
25 sentences
y2mate com Oxford Discover 2 Unit 3 WHAT IS OUR WORLD MADE OF jzOcbxq40HA 360p 2
KidsTeensHigh School Students
A22
14 sentences
Weather Forecasts
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A23
47 sentences
How Do Plants Grow?
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
15 sentences
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A22
22 sentences
Best Scenes Ever - Ratatouille (Change is nature)
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A21
43 sentences
English Listening Practice-Environment-Elementary Level
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A26
8 sentences
science 4 Unit 2 1
KidsTeensHigh School Students
A21
19 sentences
Bài nói Thư
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A24
51 sentences
G7 U10 Q&A Topic
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Human Changes to the Environment”. This video has 11 sentences and 118 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:02. The speaker talks at a steady 113 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 2 of its 11 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| resource noun | /ɹɪˈzɔːs/ | Something that one uses to achieve an objective, e.g. raw materials or personnel. |
| soil noun | /sɔɪl/ | A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| vegetable noun | /ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ | A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice… |
| playground noun | /ˈpleɪɡɹaʊnd/ | A large open space for children to play in, usually having dedicated play equipment (such as swings and slides). |
| fruit noun | /fɹut/ | A product of fertilization in a plant, specifically |
| tall adjective | /tɔl/ | Having great vertical extent (usually reckoned from the bottom of the feet to the very top of the head) when standing. (For instance, somebody with a height of… |
| environment noun | /ɪnˈvaɪ.ɚn.mənt/ | The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest. |
| nature noun | /ˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/ | The way things are, the totality of all things in the physical universe and their order, especially the physical world in contrast to spiritual realms and… |
| drink verb | /ˈdɹɪŋk/ | To consume (a liquid) through the mouth. |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| plant noun | /plɑːnt/ | An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis, and typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a… |
| animal noun | /ˈænɪməl/ | A multicellular organism of the kingdom Animalia that is usually mobile, with cells that are not encased in a rigid cell wall (distinguishing them from plants… |
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 | are called |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to help |
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 resource, soil, breathe.
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.