Shadowing Practice: Inside Costco’s Growing 'Cool Factor' With Younger Shoppers - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 60 sentences and 594 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:32. The speaker talks at a natural 168 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.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• membership (noun) — The state of being a member of a group or organization.
• viral /ˈvaɪɹəl/ (adjective) — Of or relating to a biological virus.
• clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/ (noun) — Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to…
• designer /dɪˈzaɪnɚ/ (noun) — A person who designs something, or who designs things as a profession.
• whereas /(h)wɛɹˈæz/ — In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although.
• decline /dɪˈklaɪn/ (verb) — To move downwards, to fall, to drop.
• luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/ (noun) — Very wealthy and comfortable surroundings; the state of being that they create.
• flood /flʌd/ (noun) — An overflow of a large amount of water (usually disastrous) from a lake or other body of water due to excessive rainfall or other input of water.
• wherever /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ — Regardless of the place in, at or to which.
• folk /foʊk/ (noun) — People, persons.
• lean /ˈliːn/ (verb) — To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating.
• teenager /ˈtiːnˌeɪ̯d͡ʒə/ (noun) — A person between thirteen and nineteen years old (inclusive).
• hint /hɪnt/ (noun) — A clue.
• subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/ (noun) — Access to a resource for a period of time, generally for payment.
• buzz /bʌz/ (noun) — A continuous humming noise, as of bees; a confused murmur, as of general conversation in low tones.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• cash in (verb) — To exchange for cash.
• come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
• draw in (verb) — To attract.
• follow on (verb) — To follow in sequence; to come next.
• grow up (verb) — To mature and become an adult.
• lean into (verb) — To make an effort with; to work hard at; to show determination and perseverance.
• light up (verb) — To illuminate, to bring light to something, to brighten.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 18 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, cloth /klɒθ/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: luxury /ˈlʌk.ʃə.ɹi/, subscription /səbˈskɹɪpʃən/, shopper /ˈʃɑ.pɚ/
• Long words — get the stress right: capitalize /ˈkæpətəˌlaɪz/, embroidery /ɪmˈbɹɔɪdəɹi/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like membership, viral, clothing.