Shadowing Practice: "Justify Your Venom" | Downton Abbey - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
87 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Going away?
2
Do you care?
3
Look, I wasn't to know you hadn't told him.
4
It never occurred to me...
5
Just shut up!
6
I don't know what's happened.
7
Tom's made you feel bad. Or Papa.
8
Or maybe it's just the same old
9
Mary who wants her cake and hate me to.
10
I never meant to.
11
Yes, you did!
12
Who do you think you're talking to?
13
Mama, your maid.
14
I know you.
15
I know you to be a nasty, jealous, scheming bitch.
16
Now listen, you possessive...
17
You're a bitch!
18
And not content with ruining your own life, you're determined to ruin mine.
19
I have not ruined my life.
20
And if Bertie's put off by that, then...
21
Don't demean yourself by trying to justify your venom.
22
Just go.
23
And you're wrong, you know.
24
As you so often are.
25
Henry's perfect for you.
26
You're just too stupid and stuck up to see it.
27
Still, at least he's got away from you.
28
Which is something to give thanks for, I suppose.
29
Granny, when did you arrive?
30
Yesterday evening.
31
I spent the night before in Southampton and an entire day on trains, so I've come hot foot.
32
If you're here to reprimand me about Edith, please don't.
33
Tom's already torn me into strips.
34
Why did you do it?
35
I don't know.
36
She was so...
37
Anyway, I'm sorry now.
38
You should be.
39
With Edith, I just say things and then they can't be unsaid.
40
Tom believes you're unhappy.
41
That's why you lash out as you do.
42
Look, if this is about Henry Talbot, you should be clear, he hasn't much to offer.
43
Bertie Hexham is a loss, but not Henry.
44
He's well -born, but there's no money or position.
45
He's not even a countryman, not really.
46
He grew up in London.
47
He shoots?
48
Yes, he shoots.
49
Like every social climbing banker shoots.
50
But let's leave his credentials to one side for a moment and concentrate on what is important. Which is?
51
Tom says that he is in love with you and that you are in love with him. Do you believe him?
52
Do you deny it?
53
Oh, for you of all people to talk as if his qualifications don't matter.
54
Tony Gillingham had all that I could wish.
55
Birth, money, looks.
56
but he didn't suit you.
57
No. No, he wasn't clever enough.
58
He wasn't strong enough.
59
Henry Talbot is both.
60
All right, Granny, it's not his poverty.
61
But did Tom tell you I stood there, staring at a car in flames, wondering if it were him?
62
I think he's told me everything.
63
Then you'll know I can't be a crash widow again.
64
I can't.
65
I'd live in terror, dreading every race, every practice, every trial.
66
I cannot do it.
67
Does he know this?
68
He'd feel he should give it up, but I don't want that.
69
He'd resent me.
70
Oh, can't you find me some duke?
71
There must be one spare so I can put Edith in her place.
72
You are the only woman I know who likes to think herself cold and selfish and grand.
73
Most of us spend our lives trying to hide it.
74
Oh, Granny, please don't lecture me on sentimental virtues.
75
Don't worry, don't worry.
76
I believe in rules and traditions and playing our part.
77
But there is something else.
78
And what is that, pray?
79
I believe in love.
80
I mean, brilliant careers, rich lives, are seldom led without just an element of love.
81
Oh, Granny, you do surprise me.
82
Oh, I am glad.
83
So climbing all those stairs wasn't wasted.
84
No. No, I would only say this first.
85
Make peace with your sister.
86
And then, make peace with yourself, Mary.
87
Thank you.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B18
The Dowager Countess sides with Lady Sybil #shorts | Downton Abbey
British AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B24
Opening 10 Minutes Of Downton Abbey: New Era | Extended Preview | Downton Abbey: New Era
British AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1Lord Grantham's Dinner Outburst | Downton Abbey
British AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B1The First 10 Minutes of Downton Abbey | Season 1
British AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
C11
84 sentences
Margaret Gives Elizabeth A Taste of Her Own Medicine | The Crown (Claire Foy, Vanessa Kirby)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
31 sentences
4x23 Elena tells Damon she loves him
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
49 sentences
Sherlock Holmes Kills It With His "Best-Man Speech"
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
456 sentences
Why Lynette Hated Bree | Desperate Housewives
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C13
104 sentences
PEARL | Monologue (2022) Movie CLIP HD
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
69 sentences
The Loumand Fight | Interview With The Vampire S2
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C12
50 sentences
'Are You Okay With Me Dying, Judge?' - How to Get Away with Murder
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
577 sentences
Peaky Blinders S01E01 subtitles arabic and english
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
39 sentences
Whitney argues with Ben about the van - EastEnders (03/06/19)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
C11
204 sentences
kate sharma and anthony bridgerton banter | kanthony | bridgerton season 2
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
272 sentences
Daisy Edgar-Jones & Fiona Shaw Rank 5 Iconic British Snacks | Bazaar UK
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B2136 sentences
Heroes vs. Villains With Tom Hiddleston | Man About Town
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “"Justify Your Venom"”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Granny, Edith, shoots, Henry, Tom. This video has 87 sentences and 609 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:59. The speaker talks at a steady 122 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ruin noun | /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ | The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| occur verb | /əˈkɜː/ | To happen or take place. |
| element noun | /ˈɛləmənt/ | One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based. |
| poverty noun | /ˈpɑːvɚti/ | The quality or state of being poor; lack of money |
| duke noun | /dʒuːk/ | The male ruler of a duchy (female equivalent: duchess). |
| pray verb | /pɹeɪ/ | To direct words, thoughts, or one's attention to a deity or any higher being, for the sake of adoration, thanks, petition for help, etc. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| strip verb | /ˈstɹɪp/ | To remove or take away, often in strips or stripes. |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| spare adjective | /spɛɚ/ | Being more than what is necessary, or what must be used or reserved; not wanted, or not used; superfluous. |
| terror noun | /ˈtɛɹɚ/ | Intense dread, fright, or fear. |
| jealous adjective | /ˈd͡ʒɛl.əs/ | Suspecting rivalry in love; troubled by worries that one might have been replaced in someone's affections; suspicious of a lover's or spouse's fidelity. |
| mama noun | /ˈmɑmə/ | Synonym of mother (“a female parent”). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| put off verb | To postpone, especially through procrastination. | |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Look, I wasn't to know you hadn't told him.
- I don't know what's happened.
- Who do you think you're talking to?
- Granny, when did you arrive?
- Why did you do it?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 33 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: selfish /ˈsɛlf.ɪʃ/, qualification /ˌkwɑlɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/, credential /kɹɪˈdɛnʃəl/, lash /læʃ/
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 ruin, climb, occur.
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.