Shadowing Practice: I AM the animals - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “I AM the animals”. This video has 24 sentences and 213 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:09. The speaker talks slowly, about 99 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 66% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloud noun | /ˈklaʊ̯d/ | A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air. |
| silence noun | /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/ | The absence of any sound. |
| mystery noun | /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ | Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown. |
| legend noun | /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/ | The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend). |
| desert noun | /ˈdɛz.ɚt/ | A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| coat noun | /ˈkoʊ̯t/ | An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms. |
| tiger noun | /ˈtaɪɡə/ | Panthera tigris, a large predatory mammal of the cat family, indigenous to Asia. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| lion noun | /ˈlaɪən/ | A big cat, Panthera leo, native to Africa, India and formerly much of Europe. |
| imagination noun | /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/ | The image-making power of the mind; the act of mentally creating or reproducing an object not previously perceived; the ability to create such images. |
| mysterious adjective | /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/ | Of unknown origin. |
| disappear verb | /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ | To vanish. |
| invisible adjective | /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/ | Unable to be seen; out of sight; not visible. |
| elephant noun | /ˈɛlɪfənt/ | A large mammal of the family Elephantidae in the order Proboscidea, having a trunk, and native to Africa and Asia. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/, ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/
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 cloud, silence, mystery.
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.