Shadowing Practice: Lady Gaga - Poker Face (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 25 sentences and 426 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:33. The speaker talks at a steady 120 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• poker /ˈpoʊkɚ/ (noun) — A metal rod, generally of wrought iron, for adjusting the burning logs or coals in a fire; a firestick.
• breathe /bɹiːð/ (verb) — To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• hook /hʊk/ (noun) — A rod bent into a curved shape, typically with one end free and the other end secured to a rope or other attachment.
• casino /kəˈsiːnəʊ/ (noun) — A public building or room for gambling.
• chick /t͡ʃɪk/ (noun) — A young bird.
• gambling /ˈɡæm.bl̩.ɪŋ/ (noun) — An activity characterized by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance, usually with money wagered on the outcome.
• glue /ɡlu/ (noun) — A hard gelatin made by boiling bones and hides, used in solution as an adhesive; or any sticky adhesive substance.
• bunker /ˈbʌŋ.kə/ (noun) — A hardened shelter, often partly buried or fully underground, designed to protect the inhabitants from falling bombs or other attacks.
• bing /bɪŋ/ (noun) — A slag heap, i.e. a man-made mound or heap formed with the waste material (slag) as a by-product of coal mining or the shale oil industry.
• bluff /blʌf/ (noun) — An act of bluffing; a false expression of the strength of one’s position in order to intimidate or deceive; braggadocio.
• intuition /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/ (noun) — Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes.
• momma /ˈmɑmə/ (noun) — A betel nut plus other ingredients (like areca nut, betel leaves, slaked lime, and tobacco) to be chewed on.
• muffin /ˈmʌf.ɪn/ (noun) — A type of flattish bun, usually cut in two horizontally, toasted and spread with butter, etc., before being eaten.
• promiser (noun) — One who promises; a person who makes a promise; someone who makes a solemn promise to do something.
• roulette /ɹuːˈlɛt/ (noun) — A game of chance in which a small ball is made to move round rapidly on a circle divided off into numbered (usually red and black) spaces. When the ball stops…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come back (verb) — To return to a place.
• read in (verb) — To accept as input.
• do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
• roll with (verb) — To handle and accept (something, especially an inconvenience or setback).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 36 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like poker, breathe, hook.