Shadowing Practice: I Got Arrested For This Prank... - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “I Got Arrested For This Prank..”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: donut, miss, somebody, boss. This video has 319 sentences and 2667 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:44. The speaker talks at a natural 159 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 56 of its 319 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 |
|---|---|---|
| doughnut noun | /ˈdəʊnʌt/ | A deep-fried piece of dough or batter, usually mixed with various sweeteners and flavors, often made in a toroidal or ellipsoidal shape flattened sphere shape… |
| upstairs adverb | /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/ | Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level. |
| purse noun | /pɚs/ | A small bag for carrying money. |
| porno noun | /ˈpɔːnəʊ/ | Pornography. |
| stimulation noun | /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/ | A pushing or goading toward action. |
| creamsicle noun | A flavored popsicle with an ice cream core. | |
| feces noun | /ˈfiːsiːz/ | Digested waste material (typically solid or semi-solid) discharged from a human or other mammal's stomach to the intestines. |
| prank noun | /pɹæŋk/ | A practical joke or mischievous trick. |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
| hurry verb | /ˈhʌ.ɹi/ | To do things quickly. |
| garbage noun | /ˈɡɑɹ.bɪd͡ʒ/ | Food waste material of any kind. |
| embarrass verb | /ɪmˈbæɹəs/ | To disrupt someone's composure or comfort with acting publicly or freely. |
| cruiser noun | /ˈkɹu.zɚ/ | A frigate or other vessel, detached from the fleet, to cruise independently in search of the enemy or its merchant ships. |
| hallway noun | /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ | A corridor in a building that connects rooms. |
| awe noun | /ɔː/ | A feeling of fear and reverence. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lock up verb | /ˌlɒk ˈʌp/ | To imprison or incarcerate (someone). |
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. | |
| call out verb | To specify, especially in detail. | |
| check through verb | To permit someone to continue onward, e.g. through a security checkpoint, after verifying their identity, tickets, etc. | |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| go in for verb | To enter a competition. | |
| sign out verb | To sign one's name as an indication that one is leaving some location; to take some action to indicate one is leaving a secured program or web page on a… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You think I got time for that?
- What more can I do?
- Miss, miss, are you still on the line?
- Sorry, what room are you calling from?
- He thinks I'm about to shoot up the place?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been staring · I've been trying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't seen · has taken |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should I call · should use · Should kind |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | stop assuming · started tickling · stop playing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 142 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, proposition /ˌpɹɑpəˈzɪʃən/, reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, smash /smæʃ/, confusion /kənˈfjuːʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: stimulation /stɪm.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/, proposition /ˌpɹɑpəˈzɪʃən/, entertainer /ˌɛntɚˈteɪnɚ/, reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.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 doughnut, upstairs, purse.
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.











