Shadowing Practice: Luyện Nghe 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 215 sentences and 2202 words to shadow. The speech runs for 12:36. The speaker talks at a natural 175 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 58% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| grey adjective | /ɡɹeɪ/ | Commonwealth standard spelling of gray. |
| handsome adjective | /ˈhæn.səm/ | Having a pleasing appearance, good-looking, attractive, particularly |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| recommendation noun | /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ | An act of recommending. |
| bundle noun | /ˈbʌn.dl̩/ | A group of objects held together by wrapping or tying. |
| dada noun | Father, dad. | |
| giver noun | /ˈɡɪvɚ/ | One who gives; a donor or contributor. |
| ngay | for a response or affirmation | |
| lunch noun | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ | A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. |
| jump verb | /d͡ʒʌmp/ | To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne. |
| shower noun | /ˈʃaʊ.ɚ/ | A brief fall of precipitation (spell of rain, or a similar fall of snow, sleet, or cascade); burst of hefty precipitation. |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| upset verb | /ʌpˈsɛt/ | To make (a person) angry, distressed, or unhappy. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. |
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 | You've been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who don · people who say |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will see · will wonder · will be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm thinking · are saying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 49 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, shower /ˈʃaʊ.ɚ/
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 cloth, lazy, grey.
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.












