Shadowing Practice: its time to have a conversation with them - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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I want to end a friendship because it sucks the life out of me.
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But my friend doesn't know that because I don't think I make it obvious.
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So if I brought it up, it might make me seem crazy or seem random.
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What do I do?
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Well, this is interesting.
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It sounds like to me
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that you've never had a conversation with this friend about whatever it is that makes this relationship exhausting.
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You've never brought it up.
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Now, I don't know what your friend is doing, right?
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And that is helpful information.
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But I will say, in relationships, confrontation is key.
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That's what makes relationships grow, evolve.
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That's what allows relationships to continue through various chapters of life, right?
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If you're not communicating and confronting, it's very hard to keep a relationship going.
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And so I don't know what your friend is doing that sucks the life out of you.
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And that's a serious statement.
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I take that very seriously.
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You know, if this person's sucking the life out of you, that's a big problem and we need to fix that.
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However, if it's possible and fair to yourself,
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I think it's not a terrible idea before just jumping ship on the friendship to perhaps maybe bring up the exhausting traits,
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qualities about your friend to your friend before you just jump ship.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “its time to have a conversation with them”. This video has 22 sentences and 227 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:25. The speaker talks at a natural 160 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suck verb | /sʌk/ | To use the mouth and lips to pull in (a liquid, especially milk from the breast). |
| friendship noun | /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/ | The condition of being friends. |
| exhaust verb | /ɪɡˈzɔst/ | To draw or let out wholly; to drain completely. |
| helpful adjective | /ˈhɛlp.fl̩/ | Furnishing help; giving aid; useful. |
| communicate verb | /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/ | To impart or transmit (information or knowledge) to someone; to make known, to tell. |
| confront verb | /kənˈfɹʌnt/ | To stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with. |
| evolve verb | /ɪˈvɑlv/ | To move (something) in regular procession through a system. |
| confrontation noun | /ˌkɑn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/ | The act of confronting or challenging another, especially face to face. |
| trait noun | /tɹeɪt/ | An identifying characteristic, habit or trend. |
| jump verb | /d͡ʒʌmp/ | To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne. |
| chapter noun | /ˈt͡ʃæptɚ/ | One of the main sections into which a published work is divided, especially a book. |
| obvious adjective | /ˈɑb.vi.əs/ | Easily discovered, seen, or understood; self-explanatory. |
| random adjective | /ˈɹændəm/ | Occurring for no particular reason; haphazard, unpredictable. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| bring up verb | To mention. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you've, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/, confrontation /ˌkɑn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/, confrontation /ˌkɑn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/
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 suck, friendship, exhaust.
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.