Shadowing Practice: Learn English Vocabulary - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hello, I'm AJ Hogue, the Director of Effortless English.
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Today I want to talk about using your body while learning English.
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When you use your body while learning, you will actually learn faster and remember longer.
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This is especially useful for learning vocabulary, new words and phrases.
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So let me tell you exactly how you can use your body to remember vocabulary longer,
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to learn it more deeply, to remember it forever.
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Here's what you need to do.
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Whenever you find a new difficult word or phrase,
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phrases are better, you need to make some kind of physical gesture
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or expression on your face something physical a physical movement
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that is connected to the meaning of the new word or the new phrase
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Then, every time you hear that new word or phrase, you do the movement.
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I'll give you an example in a minute.
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I'll show you how to do this.
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So, for example, when you listen to my vocabulary lessons, every time you hear that word, you make the same movement.
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When you listen to the mini -story lessons, every time you hear that word, you make the same movement.
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And by doing this, making the same movement every time with this new word or new phrase,
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you get the meaning deeper, deeper, deeper into your brain.
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You learn the new vocabulary much faster.
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You remember it longer, and you will use it more quickly and more easily.
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So let me give you a simple example.
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For example, the word loathe. To loathe.
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Okay? To loathe.
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For example, a phrase, he loathes ice cream.
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Now, to loathe means to hate, to really, really hate something.
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So he loathes ice cream means he hates ice cream.
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He really hates ice cream.
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So you need to think of a movement, right?
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This is a new word for you, maybe, for example
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if it's a new word you need to make some movement connected to the meaning
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so it can be anything anything that helps you remember
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so for example i will use my face so we'll say to loathe
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so i want to make my face look like hate like
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so maybe like this right this movement this to me means to loathe to hate he loathes ice cream
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so you want the movement to be exaggerated
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it should be a big movement it should be maybe even a crazy movement because you will remember it better
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so for this example loath so every time i say loath you do the same movement
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so we practice this and you can do this at home
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when you find a new word make your movement then practice it say the word
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and do the movement
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so loathe loathe loathe loathe loathe okay
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i know it's crazy
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but it's fine believe me this will help i promise
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you there's a lot of research about this this will help you learn faster remember longer
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and actually use the vocabulary better now it's better
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if we use a phrase
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so let's use the whole phrase he loathes ice cream for example
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so ice cream we could make a movement let's say we're holding ice cream
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and we're licking it you know right so imagine ice cream cone
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so we would say he loathes ice cream right something like that
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He loathes ice cream.
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This gives us the movement in our body to show the meaning of the phrase.
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So we're pretending we have ice cream, we pretend to lick it, and then we pretend to loathe it.
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So when we hear the word, we do the action.
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He loathes, and then we do ice cream, pretend to lick it, and then we do loathe again.
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He loathes ice cream.
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so again in the beginning the first step we just repeat
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this several times it gets it into our bodies into our brains so we say he loathes ice cream he loathes
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ice cream.
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One more time.
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He loathes ice cream.
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Okay, you can do any action.
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If you don't like my action, make your own action.
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Just be sure the action and the meaning are connected in your mind.
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So we do this again and again.
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Now, every time you listen to the vocabulary lesson, if I'm talking and I say the word loathe,
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immediately you do the action.
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When you listen to the mini story lessons, if you hear the word loathe, immediately you do the action.
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You do the same action every time you hear that word in an article,
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in a movie, in a vocabulary lesson, in a mini story lesson in a point of view lesson always do
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that action very strong when you hear the new word or phrase so i say loathe immediately you do that loathe loathe
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every time so you can say the word yourself
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and do the action and then listen to lessons or articles
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that have the word or the phrase
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and every time you hear it do the action
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when you do this every time you train your body you teach your body
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and your mind the meaning of the word not just in your head
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but deep in your body it means it's subconscious you learn it more deeply
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you'll remember it very long time a very long time
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and you will be able to use it much faster and more automatically.
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All right, so please do this.
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Do this with all your new vocabulary.
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I will see you next time.
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Bye -bye.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Learn English Vocabulary”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: loathe, word, cream, ice, movement. This video has 84 sentences and 920 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:54. The speaker talks at a steady 133 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.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| connect verb | /kəˈnɛkt/ | To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object. |
| lick verb | /lɪk/ | To stroke with the tongue. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| gesture noun | /ˈd͡ʒɛs.t͡ʃɚ/ | A motion of the limbs or body, especially one made to emphasize speech. |
| cone noun | /ˈkoʊn/ | A surface of revolution formed by rotating a segment of a line around another line that intersects the first line. |
| loathe verb | /ˈloʊð/ | To detest, hate, or revile (someone or something). |
| exaggerate verb | /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/ | To overstate, to describe more than the fact. |
| subconscious adjective | /sʌbˈkɑn.ʃəs/ | Occuring in the part of our mind that we are not normally aware of. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Here's what you need to do.
- I'll give you an example in a minute.
- I'll show you how to do this.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is connected · be exaggerated · are connected |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will actually learn · I'll give · I'll show |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | we're holding · we're licking · we're pretending |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to make · need to think |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, exaggerate /ɛɡˈzæd͡ʒ.ə.ɹeɪt/
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 phrase, lesson, vocabulary.
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.