Shadowing Practice: James Spader’s Courtroom Masterclass | The Blacklist 4K - Learn English Speaking with Video
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95 sentences
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For the record, I have reviewed the immunity agreement.
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The courtroom has now been cleared to protect the defendant's role as the confidential informant.
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This hearing is sealed in accordance with the Classified Evidence Protection Act.
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Mr. Reddington has called Assistant Director Harold Cooper to the stand.
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The witness has been sworn in.
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Mr. Reddington, I'm ready if you are.
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Thank you.
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Hello, Harold.
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Thank you, by the way. For what? Being honest.
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I regret I had to rely upon your integrity just to get this hearing.
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I wish there'd been an easier way.
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Objection.
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I haven't even asked anything yet.
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Something tells me that's the objection.
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Do you have a question for Director Cooper?
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Just one, Your Honor, and it's this.
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Would you do it again?
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Excuse me?
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The deal we made.
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My cooperation in exchange for my freedom.
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As the man who oversaw the arrangement in all its grand and often gory detail, would you do it again?
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Yes.
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Why?
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Sorry, I had two questions. Because it saved lives.
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I don't know how many since we started.
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Maybe thousands.
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Objection.
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Move to strike.
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Oh, for goodness sake.
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Your Honor, I fail to see how this witness's subjective assessment of the
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agreement has any relevance to its scope as a matter of law.
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Overruled.
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Objection.
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On what grounds?
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I just ruled in your favor.
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Your Honor, I object to almost everything about him, beginning with his power tie and ending with his general demeanor.
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Enough.
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Objection.
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Mr. Reddington, if you are going to insist on representing yourself, you will conform yourself to the rules of the court.
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Thank you, Your Honor.
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Same goes for you, counsel.
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Let the witness speak.
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We made this deal for one reason.
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So you could help us find those criminals we never knew existed.
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And you've done that.
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Violent people, evil people are dead or in prison because of you.
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In some cases we recovered dangerous weapons or avoided catastrophic outbreaks.
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Your Honor.
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Let me finish.
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A few years ago we learned some of those criminals are inside our own government.
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The attorney general, a national security advisor, the very people our country depends to maintain law and order.
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To be clear, none of that would have happened without Mr. Reddington.
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So would I do it again?
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You're damn right I would.
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Nothing further, Your Honor.
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You are aware that the defendant has been indicted on multiple counts of treason?
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I am.
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For selling this nation's most highly classified secrets for betraying our country?
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Yes.
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You're aware that for almost 30 years he's maintained a vast criminal empire?
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that the charges against him as the so-called concierge of crime are so extensive and so heinous,
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they occupy a unique place in our country's history.
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I'm aware of the allegations.
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Sorry, allegations?
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Is it your position that the defendant is innocent?
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Until proven guilty.
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Or is it your position that I should ignore the Constitution?
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My position, sir, is that some people are irredeemable.
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that a deal granting immunity to a man like Reddington is beneath the dignity of a country
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that prides itself on the rule of law.
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Objection.
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He's arguing with the man and, frankly, being incredibly self-righteous.
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Sustained the first part, the arguing.
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Move on, counsel.
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Sir, is there no one you wouldn't make a deal with
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if not this defendant is anyone too offensive to be given a free pass by your standards?
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Well, now he's just being insulting.
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I said move on, counsel.
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To be clear, nobody gave Mr. Reddington a free pass.
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He has to earn his freedom.
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There are rules he has to abide by.
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I see.
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And does he abide by them?
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Yes.
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Really?
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So to your knowledge, he hasn't committed any crimes since becoming your informant.
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I won't discuss specific cases.
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What we do is classified and often involves matters of national security.
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Okay, Your Honor.
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You opened the door to this, Director Cooper.
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Does he abide by the rules or not?
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I'll ask you again.
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To your knowledge, has Raymond Reddington committed any unsanctioned crimes since becoming an informant for your task force?
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I have no direct knowledge that he has.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 95 sentences and 700 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:38. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| objection noun | /əbˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/ | The act of objecting. |
| counsel noun | /ˈkaʊn.səl/ | The exchange of opinions and advice especially in legal issues; consultation. |
| defendant noun | /dɪˈfɛnd.ənt/ | In civil proceedings, the party responding to the complaint; one who is sued and called upon to make satisfaction for a wrong complained of by another. |
| abide verb | /əˈbaɪd/ | To endure without yielding; to withstand. |
| argue verb | /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ | To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply. |
| commit verb | /kəˈmɪt/ | To give in trust; to put into charge or keeping; to entrust; to consign; used with to or formerly unto. |
| immunity noun | /ɪˈmjuːnəti/ | Protective resistance against disease. |
| allegation noun | /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/ | An assertion, especially an accusation, not necessarily based on facts. |
| vast adjective | /væst/ | Very large or wide (literally or figuratively). |
| earn verb | /ɝn/ | To gain (success, reward, recognition) through applied effort or work. |
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
| assessment noun | /əˈsɛsmənt/ | The act of assessing or an amount (of tax, levy or duty etc) assessed. |
| offensive adjective | /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/ | Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation. |
| violent adjective | /ˈvaɪ.ə.lənt/ | Involving extreme force or motion. |
| innocent adjective | /ˈɪnəsənt/ | Free from guilt, sin, or immorality. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have reviewed · has now been cleared · has called |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | been cleared · is sealed · has been sworn |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: objection /əbˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, allegation /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/, cooperation /koʊˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, confidential /ˌkɔn.fɪˈdɛn.ʃəl/, concierge /ˌkɑnsiˈɛɹʒ/
- Long words — get the stress right: immunity /ɪˈmjuːnəti/, allegation /ˌæl.ɪˈɡeɪ.ʃən/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, cooperation /koʊˌɑ.pəˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, integrity /ɪnˈtɛɡɹəti/
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 objection, counsel, defendant.
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.