Shadowing Practice: Lessons in Chemistry, first two minutes - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 38 sentences and 179 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:35. The speaker talks at a steady 113 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| sponsor noun | /ˈspɒn.səː/ | A person or organization with some sort of responsibility for another person or organization, especially where the responsibility has a religious, legal, or… |
| bake verb | /beɪk/ | To cook (something) in an oven (for someone). |
| sodium noun | /ˈsəʊ.di.əm/ | The chemical element (symbol Na) with an atomic number of 11 and atomic weight of 22.990. It is a soft, waxy, silvery, reactive alkali metal that is never… |
| viewer noun | /ˈvju.ɚ/ | Someone who views a spectacle; an onlooker or spectator. |
| sponsorship noun | The state or practice of being a sponsor. | |
| chloride noun | /ˈklɔɹˌaɪd/ | Any binary compound of chlorine and another element or radical. |
| kosher adjective | /ˈkoʊʃɚ/ | Fit for use or consumption, in accordance with Jewish law (especially relating to food). |
| uniodized adjective | Not iodized. | |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| salt noun | /sɒlt/ | A common substance, chemically consisting mainly of sodium chloride (NaCl), used extensively as a food ingredient, seasoning, condiment, and preservative. |
| counter noun | /ˈkaʊn.tɚ/ | One who counts. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, gotta, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: dish /dɪʃ/, kosher /ˈkoʊʃɚ/
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 dish, sponsor, bake.
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.