Shadowing Practice: Just the Way You Are - Learn English Speaking with Video
B1Bruno Mars - Just The Way You Are (Official Music Video)
B1Better Together
B1Lady
B1BABYMONSTER - 'Scars To Your Beautiful' COVER (Clean Ver.)
B1The way you say my name | classic 1950 music
B1So blue - Binz ft. Am1r (Lyrics)
B1Carly Rae Jepsen - Call Me Maybe
B1Letra Traducida When I was your man de Bruno Mars
B1Ed Sheeran - Perfect (Lyrics)
B1Bruno Major - The Most Beautiful Thing (Lyric & Chord Video)
B1Adele live - One and Only
B1Michael Bublé - Haven't Met You Yet | Lyrics
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Just the Way You Are”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: amazing, stares, stops, smile. This video has 21 sentences and 291 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:39. The speaker talks slowly, about 80 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 11 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| stare verb | /stɛɚ/ | To look fixedly (at something). |
| lip noun | /lɪp/ | Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth. |
| sexy adjective | /ˈsɛksi/ | Having sex appeal; attractive. |
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| compliment noun | /ˈkɑmpləmənt/ | An expression of praise, congratulation, or respect. |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| laugh verb | /læf/ | To show mirth, satisfaction, or derision, by peculiar movement of the muscles of the face, particularly of the mouth, causing a lighting up of the face and… |
| perfectly adverb | /ˈpɝ.fɪk(t).li/ | With perfection. |
| search verb | /sɝt͡ʃ/ | To look in (a place) for something. |
| stupid adjective | /ˈstjuːpɪd/ | Lacking in intelligence. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | they're not shining · you're searching |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | won't believe · I'll say |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 stare, lip, sexy.
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.