Shadowing Practice: Leaving - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: leaving, goodbye, beg, crying, wish. This video has 30 sentences and 254 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:29. The speaker talks slowly, about 73 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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
9 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| goodbye | /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ | Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing. |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| clock noun | /klɑk/ | A chronometer, an instrument that measures time, particularly the time of day. |
| pretend verb | /pɹəˈtɛnd/ | To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance. |
| sleepless adjective | /ˈsliːpləs/ | Characterized by an absence of sleep: wakeful. |
| cry verb | /kɹaɪ/ | To shed tears; to weep, especially in anger or sadness. |
| pull verb | /pʊl/ | To apply a force to (an object) so that it comes toward the person or thing applying the force. |
| bag noun | /bæɡ/ | A soft container made out of cloth, paper, thin plastic, etc. and open at the top, used to hold food, commodities, and other goods. |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Have we broken into, am I really gonna lose you tonight?
- How did we come to this?
- Is there something we missed all the way?
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 | you've been crying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've called · Have we broken |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're leaving · I'm leaving |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna lose · gonna say · gonna cry |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 26 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, gonna, you've. 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 goodbye, tear, clock.
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.