Shadowing Practice: Martin Luther King Jr. Biography - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
43 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I Have a Dream
2
The opening line of one of the most iconic speeches of our time by the late great Martin Luther King, often simply referred to as MLK.
3
Born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929, King was a religious minister who rose to fame as
4
a national leader in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 60s.
5
King, who was actually named Michael upon birth, was five years old when his father,
6
also Michael, became inspired by the works of the late German Protestant Reformation leader,
7
Martin Luther, and decided to change both he and his son's names.
8
King's father was also a minister and a strict father who fought for civil rights.
9
Having long witnessed his father's fight against segregation and racial abuse, it was inevitable that King would follow in his father's footsteps.
10
He was a gifted student who skipped grades 9 and 12 and entered college early at the age of 15,
11
graduating with a degree in sociology four years later.
12
He then went on to receive a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1951
13
and finally his doctorate in theology from Boston University in 1955.
14
Amidst all his studies, King married and became a father to four children.
15
At the age of 25,
16
King became a pastor at a Baptist church in Alabama and quickly gained fame for his booming voice and powerful congregational speeches.
17
His role in defending Rosa Parks in the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955 shot King to national fame.
18
Ms. Parks was arrested for sitting in a whites-only seat of a city bus.
19
These kinds of segregation laws were exactly what King wanted to abolish.
20
He urged communities to come together to stop this kind of repression.
21
The boycott lasted just over a year and resulted in a change of law that prohibited segregation on buses.
22
This was just the beginning of King's leadership.
23
The Civil Rights Movement gained many victories as a result of his hard work and often personal sacrifices.
24
As a big believer in Gandhi's ideals, King always maintained a nonviolent approach to resolving disputes.
25
Despite this, there was constant opposition who believed that black people did not deserve any extra rights, and King was arrested and jailed repeatedly,
26
close to 30 times during his lifetime, apparently.
27
His family was threatened daily, and his house was even bombed at one point.
28
However, King was resilient, and he fought on, determined to create a better,
29
safer, more peaceful life for his family, his friends, and his followers.
30
He founded the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which was instrumental in civil rights reforms.
31
He led the Great March in Washington in 1963, which advocated for the civil and economic rights of African Americans.
32
He called for an end to racism with one of the most famous speeches ever, joined by around 250,000 supporters.
33
He played a huge part in the passing of new voting laws for black people in the U.S in 1964 and 1965.
34
And in October of 1964,
35
he became the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for leading nonviolent resistance to racial prejudice in the U.S.
36
Sadly, King was assassinated on April 4,
37
1968, aged just 39, shot whilst on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.
38
But his legacy went on to succeed him as just days after his death, U.S.
39
Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 prohibiting all manner of racial discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions.
40
This was believed to be a tribute to the great leader.
41
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established as an annual national holiday in the U.S in 1971,
42
and he was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977.
43
King's dreams and beliefs live on.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
A2836
Hobbies and Interests
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A230
Friends & Family
KidsTravel EnglishTeens
A210
Adverbs of Manner, Talking about Skills & Abilities | Job Interview
Interview EnglishWorking Adults
B1914
Talking About Your Job
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A2132
Weather | Describing the Weather
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
Comparing Things | Comparatives & Superlatives 2
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A21,852
Ordering in a Restaurant | Beginner English | Food
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B123
Small Talk | Making Small Talk | Everyday English
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B114
Travel Experiences | ESL Intermediate English
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
A226
Travel | Everyday English
Travel EnglishWorking Adults
B16
The Environment | English Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B22
International Culture
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A25
Talking about Music English Conversation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A216
Making Plans | Planning a Holiday | How to Make Plans in English | Future with Going to
KidsTravel EnglishTeens
A225
Feeling Sick | Talking about the Flu | ESL Conversation
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
B119
Business English Conversation | Negotiations
Business EnglishWorking Adults
A216
Pets & Animals | Beginner English
KidsTeensDaily Conversation
A28
How to Introduce yourself Vocabulary Builder | Learn Natural ways to Introduce Yourself
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
A24
Likes and Dislikes Talking about your Job | Adjectives and Daily Work Routines
Business EnglishInterview EnglishTeens
A245
Talking about a Trip using the Past Simple | An English Conversation about a Past Trip
Travel EnglishTeensDaily Conversation
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B27
49 sentences
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" Speech | History
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B29
47 sentences
Martin Luther King Jr. Greatest Speech Ever!
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B25
90 sentences
#24 IELTS Speaking Forecast Quý 1/2026 | Part 2&3: Famous People | Bài mẫu & Phân tích chi tiết
IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
B13
12 sentences
NE1 U17
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepHigh School Students
C12
233 sentences
Are we WRONG about most FAMOUS LINGUISTICS experiment??
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B14
61 sentences
Thomas Jefferson Made Easy | American History
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B219
80 sentences
The Speech that Made Obama President
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C12
57 sentences
Albert Einstein | The Humorous Humanitarian | Biography
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B28
79 sentences
ENGLISH SPEECH | KING CHARLES III: First Speech as King (English Subtitles)
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B21
85 sentences
Social mobility and education: DISCUSSION - BBC Newsnight
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C1374 sentences
Karl Marx: The Most Dangerous Philosopher in History || English Listening Practice ✅
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B212
41 sentences
IELTS Speaking Part 2 | Describe A Famous Person
IELTS PrepCambridge Exam PrepHigh School Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Martin Luther King Jr. Biography”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: King, rights, civil, became, father. This video has 43 sentences and 608 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:26. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| segregation noun | /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/ | The act of setting apart and organizing things based upon their characteristics. |
| prohibit verb | /pɹəˈhɪbɪt/ | To forbid, disallow, or proscribe officially; to make illegal or illicit. |
| boycott noun | /ˈbɔɪkɑt/ | The act of boycotting. |
| abolish verb | /əˈbɑl.ɪʃ/ | To end a law, system, institution, custom or practice. |
| assassinate verb | /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/ | To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. |
| congregational adjective | /kɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃənəl/ | Of or pertaining to a congregation. |
| doctorate noun | /ˈdɑk.tɚ.ət/ | The highest degree awarded by a university faculty. |
| footstep noun | /ˈfʊtstɛp/ | The mark or impression left by a foot; a track. |
| posthumously adverb | After death. | |
| resilient adjective | /ɹɪˈzɪl.jənt/ | Returning quickly to original shape after force is applied; elastic. (of objects or substances) |
| repression noun | /ɹəˈpɹɛʃən/ | The act of repressing; state of being repressed. |
| follower noun | /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/ | One who follows, comes after another. |
| amidst | /aˈmɪdst/ | In the midst or middle of; surrounded or encompassed by; among. |
| motel noun | /moʊˈtɛl/ | A type of hotel or lodging establishment, often located near a major highway, which typically features a series of rooms whose entrances are immediately… |
| believer noun | /bɪˈlivɚ/ | A person who believes; especially regarding religion. |
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 | was actually named · was arrested · was threatened |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | student who skipped · Conference, which was |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: theology /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: segregation /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/, abolish /əˈbɑl.ɪʃ/, congregational /kɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃənəl/, repression /ɹəˈpɹɛʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: segregation /sɛɡɹəˈɡeɪ̯ʃən/, assassinate /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/, congregational /kɑŋɡɹəˈɡeɪʃənəl/, sociology /ˌsoʊsiˈɑləd͡ʒi/, theology /θiˈɒ.lə.d͡ʒi/
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 segregation, prohibit, boycott.
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.