Shadowing Practice: 李光耀：不是危机感，这是生存逻辑。 #lky#leekuanyew#singapore#新加坡#李光耀 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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We have not got neighbors who want to see us prosper.
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We are an upstart in this region,
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but we can survive for so long and I believe can survive Given the international environment,
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provided we have a strong system that enables us to maximize our chances, are we not vulnerable?
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If we are not vulnerable, why do we spend 5 to 6 % of GDP year after year?
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Are we mad?
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This is a frugal government you know.
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We dug a deep tunnel for the sewers at a cost of two billion dollars in order to use
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that sewerage water for new water, to be independent.
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So all the wafer flaps, all the non -potable water, clean water, is catered for in that way.
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We are not vulnerable.
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You'd be dead.
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they can beseech you the indonesians just cut off your sea lines
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and your your business comes to a halt what is our
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reply our reply security council plus defense capabilities of our own
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plus a security framework agreement with the americans they stop sand abundance of sand everywhere why As Mahalia says
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Even the present size They are a trouble You let them grow Some more There will be more trouble
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You got friendly neighbours
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Grow up You need to persuade Large segments Of the population
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That we are not That normal country That Many of the things
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That are practiced In other countries Including many of the Smaller countries
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Will not work in Singapore Including You know having a more competitive political environment where leaders are thrown out?
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No. We are not preventing competition.
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What we are preventing is dads getting into government, getting into parliament.
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Look at the quality.
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Any person of quality, we welcome him.
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But we don't want dads in.
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We don't want Chi Sun Chuan, Cha Radnam.
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They are dads.
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They are not going to build a country.
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But any serious man turns up and forms an alternative.
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I say equal to us, I say good.
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Then we are getting a proper alternative.
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Are you satisfied with the level of competition that exists now, given our system?
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Or would you actually have preferred something a bit more competitive?
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I've told you we'd be quite happy if we get a small group of equal caliber contesting against us.
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I mean, you look at the nominated MPs, they talk more sense, right?
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Would they fight an election?
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No. So?
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But they got the brain power.
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They got the knowledge.
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But they're not prepared to jump into the sea.
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well there's a point of view that that's because um many people are intimidated
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are you intimidated well i'm asking you this question
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so obviously i'm not but i just say that there is a perception
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and it's a very real perception i mean among those of us who you know usually interview people
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and all that it's very hard i mean very hard to break it down
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but that it i mean it exists it's fairly pervasive even among the professionals If you believe you are any good,
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I mean, you look at this chap who, who stood up for gay rights, he's not intimidated.
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He's not intimidated.
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We have no objections.
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If he goes and joins the Workers' Party and takes us on, we'll take him on.
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but he can't join the workers party and just let him lambast us away
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we'll demolish him as hard as he tries to demolish us that's part of the game right
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why did i break down when i got out in on 9th august because i left behind
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tens of thousands of people who have joined our rallies
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and I knew that they were going to be handicapped because they were again a minority and leaderless.
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We provided the leadership.
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So when you tell me you're not vulnerable,
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I say, God, you just speak to the SAF commanders and why do they do this?
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Two years of every man's, young man's life.
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5 to 6 percent of GDP and a frugal government and builds up reserves We do this because of hallucinations
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Or because that is the only way we can survive
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “李光耀：不是危机感，这是生存逻辑。”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: intimidated, vulnerable, dads, survive. This video has 63 sentences and 690 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:43. The speaker talks at a steady 121 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 10 of its 63 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vulnerable adjective | /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ | More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. |
| sand noun | /sænd/ | Rock that is ground more finely than gravel, but is not as fine as silt (more formally, see grain sizes chart), forming beaches and deserts and also used in… |
| worker noun | /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ | One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor. |
| perception noun | /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/ | The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| minority noun | /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/ | The state or condition of being smaller, inferior, or subordinate to something or someone else; lesserness. |
| rally noun | /ˈɹæli/ | A public gathering or mass meeting that is not mainly a protest and is organized to inspire enthusiasm for a cause. |
| enable verb | /ɪˈneɪ.bəl/ | To make somebody able (to do, or to be, something); to give sufficient ability or power to do or to be; to give strength or ability to. |
| framework noun | /ˈfɹeɪm.wɜːk/ | A support structure comprising joined parts or conglomerated particles and intervening open spaces of similar or larger size. |
| segment noun | /ˈsɛɡmɛnt/ | A length of some object. |
| tunnel noun | /ˈtʌn(ə)l/ | An underground or underwater passage. |
| capability noun | /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ | The power or ability to generate an outcome. |
| satisfy verb | /ˈsætɪsfaɪ/ | To be enough (for) |
| abundance noun | /əˈbʌn.dn̩s/ | A large quantity; many. |
| persuade verb | /pə(ɹ)ˈsweɪd/ | To successfully convince (someone) to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. | |
| cut off verb | /ˌkʌt ˈɔf/ [ˌkɐɾ ˈɔf] | To remove by cutting. |
| grow up verb | To mature and become an adult. | |
| leave behind verb | To abandon. | |
| stand up for verb | To speak or act in support or defense of (a person, a cause, a belief, or the like). | |
| throw out verb | /ˈθɹəʊ ˌaʊt/ | To discard; to dispense with something; to throw away. |
| turn up verb | To show up; to appear suddenly or unexpectedly. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is catered · are practiced · are thrown |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have preferred · I've told · have joined |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/, objection /əbˈd͡ʒɛkʃən/, demolish /dɪˈmɒl.ɪʃ/, hallucination /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/, capability /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/, intimidate /ɪnˈtɪmɪdeɪt/, hallucination /həˌluːsɪˈneɪʃən/
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 vulnerable, sand, worker.
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.