Shadowing Practice: Kalogeras Sisters SUMMON GHOSTS - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Kalogeras Sisters SUMMON GHOSTS”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: eye, mary, bloody, ghost. This video has 649 sentences and 6337 words to shadow. The speech runs for 33:24. The speaker talks fast, about 190 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| summon verb | /ˈsʌmən/ | To call people together; to convene; to convoke. |
| elevator noun | /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/ | Anything that raises or uplifts. |
| candle noun | /ˈkæn.dəl/ | A light source consisting of a wick embedded in a solid, flammable substance such as wax, tallow, or paraffin. |
| scare verb | /skɛɚ/ | To frighten, terrify, startle, especially in a minor way. |
| haunt verb | /hɔnt/ | To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). |
| aisle noun | /aɪ̯l/ | A wing of a building, notably in a church separated from the nave proper by piers. |
| stall noun | /stɔːl/ | A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed. |
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| possess verb | /pəˈzɛs/ | To have (something) as, or as if as, an owner; to have, to own. |
| genuinely adverb | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/ | In a genuine manner; truthfully, truly. |
| eagle noun | /ˈiːɡəl/ | Any of several large carnivorous and carrion-eating birds in the family Accipitridae, having a powerful hooked bill and keen vision. |
| coronavirus noun | /kəˈɹoʊnəˌvaɪɹəs/ | A member of the family Coronaviridae, comprising viruses which infect animals and human beings, and the genome of which consists of a single strand of RNA. |
| washroom noun | /ˈwɒʃrʊm/ | A room intended to wash the face and hands. |
| feminism noun | /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/ | A social theory or political movement which argues that legal and social restrictions on women must be removed in order to bring about equality of the sexes in… |
| spouse noun | /spaʊ̯s/ | A person in a marriage or marital relationship. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| turn around verb | To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| fall out verb | To come out of something by falling. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| get down verb | /ɡɛt ˈdaʊn/ | To bring or come down; to descend; to cause to bring or come down. |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm wearing, what happened?
- You know what I'm offering?
- You want them to try to possess you?
- Wait, guys, don't we have to bring garlic?
- Why didn't we bring a bat?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if i saw people do this i'd be · if you do ellie then we'll leave · If on the fifth floor encounter, we'll say |
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been feeling · have been doing |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was forced · been blocked · can be haunted |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | i've ever seen · has never been blocked · i've gotten |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 282 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: washroom /ˈwɒʃrʊm/, shine /ʃaɪn/, dish /dɪʃ/, mansion /ˈmæn.ʃən/, dimension /daɪˈmɛn.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: elevator /ˈɛləˌveɪtɚ/, genuinely /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ju.ɪn.li/, coronavirus /kəˈɹoʊnəˌvaɪɹəs/, feminism /ˈfɛmɪnɪz(ə)m/, exasperate /ɪɡˈzæsp(ə)ɹeɪt/
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 summon, elevator, candle.
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.





















