Shadowing Practice: Lipstick made from cactus and insects?! #cactus #shorts - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Lipstick made from cactus and insects?!”. This video has 12 sentences and 153 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:54. The speaker talks at a natural 171 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 71% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lipstick noun | /ˈlɪpˌstɪk/ | Makeup for the lips. |
| bug noun | /bʌɡ/ | An insect of the order Hemiptera (the “true bugs”). |
| cactus noun | /ˈkæktəs/ | Any member of the family Cactaceae, a family of flowering New World succulent plants suited to a hot, semi-desert climate. |
| beeswax noun | /ˈbiːzwæks/ | A wax secreted by bees from which they make honeycomb; or, the processed form of this wax used in the manufacture of various goods. |
| cochineal noun | /ˌkɑt͡ʃɪˈni(ə)l/ | A scale insect of the species Dactylopius coccus, native to the tropical and subtropical Americas, which lives on prickly pear cacti (genus Opuntia). |
| scrape verb | /skɹeɪp/ | To draw (an object, especially a sharp or angular one), along (something) while exerting pressure. |
| timeless adjective | Eternal. | |
| tuck verb | /tʌk/ | To pull or gather up (an item of fabric). |
| resin noun | /ˈɹɛzɪn/ | A viscous water-insoluble hydrocarbon exudate of certain plants, or such a substance as a component of a plant exudate; used in lacquers, varnishes and many… |
| handmade adjective | /ˈhændˌmeɪd/ | Made by hand; manufactured manually. |
| insect noun | /ˈɪn.sɛkt/ | An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton. |
| herb noun | /hɜːb/ | A plant whose stem is not woody and does not persist beyond each growing season. |
| greenhouse noun | /ˈɡɹːnˌ(h)aʊs/ | A building used to grow plants, particularly one with large glass windows or plastic sheeting to trap heat from sunlight even in intemperate seasons or… |
| boil verb | /bɔɪ(ə)l/ | To heat to the point where it begins to turn into a gas. |
| glow verb | /ɡloʊ/ | To emit heat and light without a flame. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| warm over verb | To reheat food that was previously cooked. |
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 lipstick, bug, cactus.
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.