Shadowing Practice: Locked out of my House - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 56 sentences and 1674 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:42. The speaker talks fast, about 192 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• uber /ˈuːbəɹ/ (adjective) — Super; high-level; high-ranking.
• roommate /ˈɹu(m)ˌmeɪt/ (noun) — A person with whom one shares a room, as in a dormitory, barracks, rooming house, or apartment.
• arrive /əˈɹaɪv/ (verb) — To reach; to get to a certain place.
• heck /hɛk/ — Hell.
• socially /ˈsoʊʃəli/ (adverb) — In a social manner; sociably.
• sushi /ˈsuːʃi/ (noun) — A Japanese dish made of small portions of sticky white rice flavored with vinegar, usually wrapped in seaweed and filled or topped with fish, vegetables or…
• driveway /ˈdɹaɪvˌweɪ/ (noun) — A short private road that leads to a house or garage.
• confused /kənˈfjuːzd/ (adjective) — unable to think clearly or understand
• gate /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ (noun) — A doorlike structure outside a house.
• moral /ˈmoɹəl/ (adjective) — Of or relating to principles of right and wrong in behaviour, especially conforming to principles of rectitude.
• 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.
• solve /sɒlv/ (verb) — To find an answer or solution to a problem or question; to work out.
• bother /ˈbɑðɚ/ (verb) — To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
• connect /kəˈnɛkt/ (verb) — To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
• grass /ɡɹɑːs/ (noun) — Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• break into (verb) — To enter illegally or by force, especially in order to commit a crime.
• get in (verb) — To get into or inside something, literally or figuratively.
• live in (verb) — To reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.)
• get into (verb) — To move into (an object), such that one ends up inside it.
• back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
• break down (verb) — To stop functioning.
• come back (verb) — To return to a place.
• come back from (verb) — To become successful, confident or effective again after an injury, setback, failure, embarrassment, etc.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 55 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, breathe /bɹiːð/, booth /buθ/, lethargic /ləˈθɑɹd͡ʒɪk/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: socially /ˈsoʊʃəli/, sushi /ˈsuːʃi/, garage /ɡəˈɹɑʒ/, anxious /ˈæŋkʃəs/, corrections /kəˈɹɛkʃənz/
• Long words — get the stress right: elementary /ˌɛləˈmɛntəɹi/, hilarious /hɪˈlɛə.ɹi.əs/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/, embarrassment /ɪmˈbæɹ.əs.mənt/, energetic /ˌɛn.əɹˈdʒɛt.ɪk/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like uber, roommate, arrive.

Grammar in this video

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