Shadowing Practice: Michael and Ryan: An Unrequited Love - The Office US - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 243 sentences and 1297 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:54. The speaker talks at a steady 131 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.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• marry /ˈmæɹi/ (verb) — To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife.
• swing /ˈswɪŋ/ (verb) — To rotate about an off-centre fixed point.
• toilet /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ (noun) — A room, enclosed area or single-purpose building containing a fixture or fixtures used for urination and defecation; a bathroom or water closet.
• shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
• soap /soʊp/ (noun) — A metallic salt derived from a fatty acid, commonly used in cleaning products.
• allergy /ˈæl.əɹ.d͡ʒi/ (noun) — A disorder of the immune system causing adverse reactions to substances (allergens) not harmful to most and marked by the body's production of histamines and…
• compare /kəmˈpɛɚ/ (verb) — To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it…
• refer /ɹɪˈfɜː/ (verb) — To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
• romantic /ɹoʊˈmæn(t)ɪk/ (adjective) — Fantastic, unrealistic (of an idea etc.); fanciful, sentimental, impractical (of a person).
• wire /ˈwaɪɚ/ (noun) — Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.
• afterwards /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/ (adverb) — At a later or succeeding time; after that;
• steal /stiːl/ (verb) — To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
• engage /ɪnˈɡeɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To engross or hold the attention of; to keep busy or occupied.
• affair /əˈfɛɹ/ (noun) — Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
• mature /məˈt͡ʃʊ(ə)ɹ/ (adjective) — Fully developed; grown up in terms of physical appearance, behaviour or thinking; ripe.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
• come into (verb) — To obtain (usually money or property), especially through inheritance.
• do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
• fall off (verb) — To become detached or to drop from.
• find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
• go for (verb) — To try for, to attempt to reach.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 36 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, crush /kɹʌʃ/, champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/, shave /ˈʃeɪ̯v/, seizure /ˈsi.ʒɚ/
• Long words — get the stress right: unnecessary /ʌnˈnɛs.əˌsɛɹ.i/, inappropriate /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/, curiosity /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/, criterion /kɹaɪˈtɪɹ.i.ən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like marry, swing, toilet.

Grammar in this video

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