Shadowing Practice: I Deserve Better (Official Audio) - 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 Deserve Better”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: deserve, kept, forgive, staying, losing. This video has 43 sentences and 441 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:14. The speaker talks slowly, about 104 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| forgive verb | /fɚˈɡɪv/ | To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against. |
| settle verb | /ˈsɛtəl/ | To determine (something which was exposed to doubt or question); to resolve conclusively; to set or fix (a time, an order of succession, etc). |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
| knee noun | /ni/ | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank. |
| bitter adjective | /ˈbɪ.tɚ/ | Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance). |
| loyal adjective | /ˈlɔɪəl/ | Having or demonstrating undivided and constant support for someone or something. |
| heal verb | /ˈhiːl/ | To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| shelf noun | /ʃɛlf/ | A flat, rigid structure, fixed at right angles to a wall or forming a part of a cabinet, desk, etc., and used to display, store, or support objects. |
| distress noun | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature. |
| disrespect noun | /dɪsɹɪˈspɛkt/ | A lack of respect, esteem or courteous behavior. |
| sanity noun | /ˈsæn.əˌti/ | The condition of being sane. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| walk away verb | To withdraw from a problematic situation. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | better than |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | kept shrinking · kept telling · kept holding |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was holding · was giving · was losing |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm walking · I'm letting · I'm choosing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, ain't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 forgive, settle, tear.
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.