Shadowing Practice: Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: running, road, places, hill, hurt. This video has 35 sentences and 278 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 62 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
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| thunder noun | /ˈθʌndɚ/ | The loud rumbling, cracking, or crashing sound caused by expansion of rapidly heated air around a lightning bolt. |
| darling noun | /ˈdɑɹlɪŋ/ | Often used as an affectionate term of address: a person who is very dear to one. |
| unhappy adjective | /ʌnˈhæpi/ | Not happy; sad. |
| steal verb | /stiːl/ | To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it. |
| lens noun | /lɛnz/ | An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it. |
| swap verb | /ˈswɑp/ | To exchange or give (something) in an non-normal exchange (for something else). |
| tyranny noun | /ˈtɪəɹəni/ | A government in which a single ruler (a tyrant) has absolute power, or this system of government; especially, one that acts cruelly and unjustly. |
| hurt verb | /hɝt/ | To cause (a person or animal) physical pain and/or injury. |
| hill noun | /hɪl/ | An elevated landmass smaller than a mountain. |
| heat noun | /hit/ | Thermal energy. |
| exchange noun | /ɛksˈt͡ʃeɪnd͡ʒ/ | An act of exchanging or trading. |
| lie verb | /laɪ̯/ | To rest in a horizontal position on a surface. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run up verb | To run (towards someone or something); to hasten to a destination. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 20 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'd, wanna, doesn't. 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 thunder, darling, unhappy.
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.