Shadowing Practice: James A. Garfield | 60-Second Presidents | PBS - Learn English Speaking with Video

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17 sentences

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There was a time when James Garfield was among the most beloved presidents in U.S history.

Sadly for Garfield, that time was right after he was assassinated.

On paper, Garfield was a lot like his predecessor, Rutherford Hayes.

They were both lawyers, Civil War heroes, experienced politicians, Ohioans, and bearded wonders.

Hayes promised to serve only one term, and when Republicans needed a replacement in 1880, Garfield ended up as their guy.

He won by a whisker.

Back then, the Republicans were split into two factions.

Stalwarts operated big political machines that relied on the favors they could accumulate by doling out federal jobs.

Moderates favored civil service reform, meaning federal hires would be made mostly on merit.

Hayes had been a moderate, and Garfield picked up where he left off.

He fought powerful stalwart senators and asserted his right to hire whoever he wanted.

A few months into his term, the era of personal favors turning into political jobs seemed to be ending.

And then it went horribly wrong.

Charles Guiteau, a mentally unstable man who wanted a federal job, stalked and shot Garfield in the back, claiming he was a hero of the Stalwarts.

Garfield hung on for a few months, but 19th century medicine wasn't so great.

He was dead after just six months on the job.

The second shortest presidency ever.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “James A. Garfield”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Garfield, stalwart, Hayes, federal. This video has 17 sentences and 225 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:09. The speaker talks fast, about 196 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 71% 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
moderate adjective	/ˈmɑdəɹət/	Not excessive; acting in moderation.
accumulate verb	/əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/	To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together (either literally or figuratively), often gradually and without active intent.
assassinate verb	/əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/	To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons.
horribly adverb	/ˈhɔɹəbli/	In a horrible way; very badly.
stalwart adjective	/ˈstɔːl.wət/	Firmly or solidly built.
whisker noun	/ʍɪskə(ɹ)/	That part of the beard which grows upon the sides of the face, usually of the male, or upon the chin, or upon both.
assert verb	/əˈsɝt/	To declare with assurance or plainly and strongly; to state positively.
faction noun	/ˈfæk.ʃən/	A group of people, especially within a political organization, which expresses a shared belief or opinion different from people who are not part of the group.
predecessor noun	/ˈpɹɛd.ə.sɛs.ɚ/	One who precedes; one who has preceded another in any state, position, office, etc.; one whom another follows or comes after, in any office or position.
unstable adjective	/ʌnˈsteɪ.bəl/	Not stable.
beard noun	/bɪɹd/	Facial hair on the chin, cheeks, jaw and neck.
merit noun	/ˈmɛɹɪt/	A claim to commendation or a reward.
presidency noun	/ˈpɹɛzɪdənsi/	The office or role of president.
politician noun	/ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/	One engaged in politics, especially an elected or appointed government official.
beloved adjective	/bɪˈlʌvd/	Much loved, dearly loved.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
end up verb	To bring to a conclusion.
leave off verb	To omit.
pick up verb	To lift; to grasp and raise.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was assassinated · were split · would be made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	man who wanted

Pronunciation to watch

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: faction /ˈfæk.ʃən/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/
Long words — get the stress right: accumulate /əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/, assassinate /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/, predecessor /ˈpɹɛd.ə.sɛs.ɚ/, presidency /ˈpɹɛzɪdənsi/, politician /ˌpɑ.ləˈtɪʃ.ən/

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 moderate, accumulate, assassinate.

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: James A. Garfield | 60-Second Presidents | PBS - Learn English Speaking with Video

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