Shadowing Practice: Incense And Peppermints - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Incense And Peppermints”. This video has 17 sentences and 201 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:27. The speaker talks slowly, about 82 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 49% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| innocence noun | /ˈɪnəsn̩s/ | Absence of responsibility for a crime, tort, etc. |
| mankind noun | /mænˈkaɪnd/ | The human race in its entirety. |
| compliment noun | /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ | An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect. |
| pepper noun | /ˈpɛp.ə/ | A plant of the family Piperaceae. |
| clutter noun | /ˈklʌtɚ/ | A confused disordered jumble of things. |
| frighten verb | /ˈfɹaɪ.tən/ | To cause to feel fear; to scare; to cause to feel alarm or fright. |
| meaningless adjective | /ˈmiː.nɪŋ.ləs/ | Lacking meaning. |
| sweater noun | /ˈswɛtɚ/ | A knitted jacket or jersey, usually of thick wool, worn by athletes before or after exercise. |
| grip noun | /ˈɡɹɪp/ | A hold or way of holding, particularly with the hand. |
| tune noun | /tjuːn/ | A melody. |
| define verb | /dɪˈfaɪn/ | To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly. |
| purple noun | /ˈpɝ.pl̩/ | A colour between red and blue; violet, though often closer to magenta. |
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 innocence, mankind, compliment.
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.