Shadowing Practice: Learn English Tenses: PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English Tenses: PAST PERFECT CONTINUOUS”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: tense, verb, continuous, perfect, example. This video has 512 sentences and 4715 words to shadow. The speech runs for 38:28. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 161 of its 512 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| tense noun | /tɛns/ | The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| contraction noun | /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/ | An act of incurring debt; also (generally), an act of acquiring something (generally negative). |
| stative adjective | /ˈsteɪtɪv/ | Of a verb: asserting, generally intransitively, that a subject has a particular property, quality or status. |
| spelling noun | /ˈspɛl.ɪŋ/ | The act, practice, ability, or subject of forming words with letters, or of reading the letters of words; orthography. |
| consonant noun | /ˈkɑn.sə.nənt/ | A sound that results from the passage of air through restrictions of the oral cavity; any sound that is not the dominant sound of a syllable, the dominant… |
| cancel verb | /ˈkæn.sl̩/ | To cross out something with lines etc. |
| apostrophe noun | /əˈpɑs.tɹə.fi/ | The text character ’, which serves as a punctuation mark in various languages and as a diacritical mark in certain rare contexts. |
| vowel noun | /ˈvaʊ.əl/ | A sound produced by the vocal cords with relatively little restriction of the oral cavity, forming the prominent sound of a syllable. |
| shorten verb | /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/ | To make shorter; to abbreviate. |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| unwell adjective | /ʌnˈwɛl/ | Not in good health; not feeling well; somewhat ill |
| voicemail noun | A computerized interactive system for storing, processing and reproducing verbal messages left through a conventional telephone network. | |
| informal adjective | /ɪnˈfɔɹ.m(ə)l/ | Not formal or ceremonious. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go along verb | To participate, cooperate, or conform. |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| go over verb | To look at carefully; to scrutinize; to analyze. |
| order around verb | To command (someone) repeatedly and unpleasantly, pointlessly or without proper authority. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| take out verb | To remove. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Next, how do we form a question?
- Sorry, where had you been working?
- Why had you been working?
- How long had you been working?
- Had you been considering that offer?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | has been looking · we've been learning · have been teaching |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Tense, which is · words which are · contractions, which are |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is also called · was exhausted · be shortened |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've divided · I've given · you've practiced |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 91 contractions and reduced forms, such as hadn't, we're, he'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contraction /kənˈtɹækʃ(ə)n/, shorten /ˈʃɔɹtn̩/, variation /ˌvɛəɹiˈeɪʃn̩/, duration /dʒʊˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: apostrophe /əˈpɑs.tɹə.fi/, conversational /ˌkɒnvə(ɹ)ˈseɪʃənəl/, pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/
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 tense, verb, contraction.
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.

















