Shadowing Practice: Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day - Learn English Speaking with Video

I'm going to go to the next video.

Just waking up in the morning, gotta thank God I don't know, but today seems kinda odd No barking from the dog,

no smoke And mama cooked the breakfast with no hug I got my grub on, but didn't pig out Finally got a call from a girl I wanna dig out

Hooked it up for later as I hit the door Thinking will I live another 24?

I gotta go, cause I got me a drop top And if I hit the switch, I can make the ass drop Had to stop at a red light Looking in my mirror,

not a jack or in sight

And everything is alright I got a beat from Kim

And she could do it all night Called up the homies at a I'm axing y'all.

Which part are y'all playing basketball?

Get me on the court and I'm troubled.

Last week messed around and got a triple-double.

Freaking brothers every way like MJ.

I can't believe today was a good day.

Drove to the pad

and hit the showers Didn't even get no static from the

cowards Cause just yesterday them fools tried to blast me Saw the police and they roll right past me No flexing,

didn't even look in a brother's direction as I ran the intersection Went to show Dog's House, they was watching yo MTV raps What's the haps on the craps?

Shake em up, shake em up, shake em up, shake em I'm in a circle of homies and watch me break them with a 7,

7-11, 7-11, 7 even back door little jump, I picked up the cash flow,

then we play bones, and I'm yelling domino, plus nobody I know got killed in South Central LA, today was a good day

Left my homie's house paid Picked up a girl, been tryna dig since the 12th grade It's ironic,

I had the boo, she had the chronic The Lakers beat the Super Sun

Felt on the big fat fanny Pulled out the jammy And killed the Poonani And my Jimmy runs deep So deep,

so deep Put her butt to sleep

Woke her up around 1 She didn't hesitate To call Ice Cube the top gun Drove her to the pad

and I'm coasting Took another sip of the potion Hit the

three wheel motion I was glad everything had worked out Dropped the vert off and then chirped out

Today was like one of those five dreams Didn't even see

a berry flash in those high beams No helicopter looking for

the murder Two in the morning got the fat burger Even saw the lights of the Goodyear blip

And it read ice cubes a pinch

Drunk as hell but no throwing up Halfway home

and my page is still blowing up Today I didn't even

have to use my 8k i gotta say it was a good day

The thing And

it Move!

Put your hands in my mouth!

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34 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day”. This video has 37 sentences and 499 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:45. The speaker talks slowly, about 105 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 75% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
homie noun	/ˈhoʊ.mi/	Someone, particularly a friend or male acquaintance, from one's hometown.
domino noun	/ˈdɑməˌnoʊ/	A tile divided into two squares, each having 0 to 6 (or sometimes more) dots or pips (as in dice), used in the game of dominoes.
potion noun	/ˈpoʊ.ʃən/	A small portion or dose of a liquid which is medicinal, poisonous, or magical.
coward noun	/ˈkaʊɚd/	A person who lacks courage.
flex verb	/flɛks/	To bend something.
pinch verb	/pɪnt͡ʃ/	To squeeze a small amount of a person's skin and flesh, making it hurt.
hesitate verb	/ˈhɛz.ə.teɪt/	To stop or pause respecting decision or action; to be in suspense or uncertainty as to a determination.
axe noun	/æks/	A tool for felling trees or chopping wood etc. consisting of a heavy head flattened to a blade on one side, and a handle attached to it.
ironic adjective	/aɪˈɹɑ.nɪk/	Characterized by or constituting (any kind of) irony.
cube noun	/kjub/	A regular polyhedron having six identical square faces.
yell verb	/jɛl/	To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement.
bark noun	/bɑɹk/	The exterior covering of the trunk and branches of a tree or of various other woody plants.
intersection noun	/ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/	The junction of two (or more) paths, streets, highways, or other thoroughfares.
berry noun	/ˈbɛɹi/	A small succulent fruit, of any one of many varieties.
static adjective	/ˈstæt.ɪk/	Unchanging; that cannot or does not change.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
pick up verb		To lift; to grasp and raise.
blow up verb		To explode or be destroyed by explosion.
call up verb		To retrieve from personal or computer memory.
dig out verb		To remove something by digging.
mess around verb		To fiddle idly.
pull out verb		To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.
throw up verb		To vomit.
work out verb	/ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/	To calculate.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

I'm going to go to the next video.
Get me on the court and I'm troubled.
I can't believe today was a good day.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, I'm, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: potion /ˈpoʊ.ʃən/, intersection /ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: intersection /ˈɪntəɹˌsɛkʃən/, helicopter /ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/

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 homie, domino, potion.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Ice Cube - It Was A Good Day - Learn English Speaking with Video

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