Shadowing Practice: Lesson 20-1 - What Can You Do - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 85 sentences and 430 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:02. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• skill /skɪl/ (noun) — A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
• ton /tʌn/ (noun) — The short ton of 2000 pounds (about 907 kg), 20 hundredweights of 100 pounds avoirdupois each.
• follower /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/ (noun) — One who follows, comes after another.
• asleep /əˈsliːp/ (adjective) — In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting.
• chef /ʃɛf/ (noun) — The presiding cook in the kitchen of a large household.
• taxi /ˈtæksi/ (noun) — A vehicle that may be hired for single journeys by members of the public, particularly one with an automated meter to calculate the fare.
• beard /bɪɹd/ (noun) — Facial hair on the chin, cheeks, jaw and neck.
• writer /ˈɹaɪ.təɹ/ (noun) — A person who writes, or produces literary work; an author can refer to themselves as "the writer".
• teach /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To pass on knowledge to.
• cook /kʊk/ (verb) — To prepare food for eating, typically by heating it, combining it with other ingredients, seasoning it, preparing it for serving, etc.
• restaurant /ˈɹɛst(ə)ˌɹɑnt/ (noun) — An eating establishment in which diners are served food, usually by waiters at their tables but sometimes (as in a fast food restaurant) at a counter.
• excuse /ɪksˈkjuz/ (verb) — To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• work in (verb) — To find time or space for, amid other things.
• have in (verb) — To allow in; grant permission or admittance to; invite in or over; admit.
• work at (verb) — To make a physical or mental effort to progress some specified task; to endeavor or struggle on an issue or project.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, don't, 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 skill, ton, follower.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: