Shadowing Practice: I’m staying in with Maddie Ziegler - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 1275 sentences and 12105 words to shadow. The speech runs for 59:06. The speaker talks fast, about 205 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| blond adjective | /blɑnd/ | Of a bleached or pale golden (light yellowish) colour. |
| tattoo noun | /tæˈtuː/ | An image made on a body part, usually the skin with ink and a needle. |
| podcast noun | /ˈpɑdˌkæst/ | A program, especially an audio program, produced on a regular basis, delivered over the Internet in a compressed digital format and designed for playback on… |
| lethal adjective | /ˈliː.θəl/ | Of, pertaining to, or causing death; deadly; mortal; fatal. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| stunt noun | /stʌnt/ | A daring or dangerous feat, often involving the display of gymnastic skills. |
| dancer noun | /ˈdænsəɹ/ | A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession. |
| subway noun | /ˈsʌbˌweɪ/ | An underground railway, especially for mass transit of people in urban areas. |
| panda noun | /ˈpɑndə/ | A brahmin who acts as the hereditary superintendent of a particular ghat or temple, and is regarded as knowledgeable in matters of genealogy and ritual. |
| horrible adjective | /ˈhɔɹ.ɪ.bəl/ | Causing horror; terrible; shocking. |
| tape noun | /teɪ̯p/ | Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape. |
| trash noun | /tɹæʃ/ | Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse. |
| valid adjective | /ˈvælɪd/ | Well-grounded or justifiable, pertinent. |
| jake noun | /dʒeɪk/ | A juvenile male turkey. |
| ballet noun | /bælˈeɪ/ | A classical form of dance. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| come off verb | To become detached. | |
| come out with verb | To say (something) unexpectedly. | |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. |
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 wearing · we've been going · i've been liking |
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if you treat it right you'll be · If I met her, I would say |
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to fight · used to be |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've watched · we've not hung · I've learned |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 552 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: lethal /ˈliː.θəl/, theater /ˈθi(ə)tɚ/, thrill /θɹɪl/, clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: trash /tɹæʃ/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, vacation /veɪˈkeɪ.ʃən/, crush /kɹʌʃ/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, uncomfortable /ʌnˈkʌm.fɚ.tə.bl̩/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/
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 blond, tattoo, podcast.
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.












