Shadowing Practice: Life Lesson from a 96-YEAR-OLD. - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 16 sentences and 156 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:58. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 77% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| bother verb | /ˈbɑðɚ/ | To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for. |
| dancer noun | /ˈdænsəɹ/ | A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession. |
| flaw noun | /flɔ/ | A crack or breach, a gap or fissure; a defect of continuity or cohesion. |
| conscious adjective | /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/ | Alert, awake; with one's mental faculties active. |
| heck | /hɛk/ | Hell. |
| fuss noun | /fʌs/ | Excessive activity, worry, bother, or talk about something. |
| combat noun | /ˈkɑmˌbæt/ | A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used). |
| suppose verb | /səˈpoʊz/ | To take for granted; to conclude, with less than absolute supporting data; to believe. |
| dance noun | /dæns/ | A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction. |
| mission noun | /ˈmɪʃ.ən/ | A set of tasks that fulfills a purpose or duty; an assignment set by an employer, or by oneself. |
| fly noun | /ˈflaɪ̯/ | Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies. |
| shoot verb | /ʃut/ | To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile). |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being shot |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was flying |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might die |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: conscious /ˈkɑn.ʃəs/, mission /ˈmɪʃ.ən/, shoot /ʃut/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like bother, dancer, flaw.
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.