Shadowing Practice: Learn English Conversation Unit 5 Do you have a pet - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 62 sentences and 295 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:39. The speaker talks slowly, about 81 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 72% 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
10 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| monkey noun | /ˈmʌŋki/ | A member of the clade Simiiformes other than those in the clade Hominoidea containing apes, generally (but not universally) distinguished by small size, tails… |
| unusual adjective | /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/ | Not usual, out of the ordinary. |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| vegetable noun | /ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ | A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice… |
| vegetarian noun | /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/ | A person who does not eat animal flesh, or, in some cases, use any animal products. |
| iguana noun | /ɪˈɡwɑnə/ | A green iguana (Iguana iguana), a large tropical American lizard often kept as a pet. |
| fish noun | /ˈfɪʃ/ | A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills; any vertebrate that is not a tetrapod. |
| minute noun | /ˈmɪnɪt/ | A unit of time which is one sixtieth of an hour (sixty seconds). |
| unit noun | /ˈjuː.nɪt/ | Oneness, singularity, seen as a component of a whole number; a magnitude of one. |
| shop noun | /ʃɑp/ | An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have you had |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm thinking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, fish /ˈfɪʃ/, shop /ʃɑp/
- Long words — get the stress right: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, vegetarian /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/
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 monkey, unusual, lazy.
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.


























