Shadowing Practice: Minecraft, But Every Craft is a Gun - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Minecraft, But Every Craft is a Gun”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bro, gosh, dude, gun, diamond. This video has 1052 sentences and 6341 words to shadow. The speech runs for 28:25. The speaker talks fast, about 223 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gosh | /ɡɑːʃ/ | A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm. |
| diamond noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.mənd/ | A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron. |
| craft noun | /ˈkɹæft/ | Ability, skillfulness, especially skill in making plans and carrying them into execution; dexterity in managing affairs, adroitness, practical cunning… |
| boom verb | /bum/ | To make a loud, hollow, resonant sound. |
| buddy | /ˈbʌdi/ | A person far removed from the conversation. |
| sniper noun | /ˈsnaɪ.pɚ/ | A person using long-range small arms for precise attacks from a concealed position. |
| bullet noun | /ˈbʊlɪt/ | A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed. |
| insane adjective | /ɪnˈseɪn/ | Exhibiting unsoundness or disorder of mind; not sane; utterly mad. |
| upgrade verb | /əpˈɡɹeɪd/ | To improve, usually applied to technology, generally by complete replacement of one or more components. |
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| gamer noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯mə/ | A person who plays any kind of game. |
| helmet noun | /ˈhɛlmɪt/ | A hard, protective head covering, typically part of armour. |
| suck verb | /sʌk/ | To use the mouth and lips to pull in (a liquid, especially milk from the breast). |
| log noun | /lɔɡ/ | The trunk of a dead tree, cleared of branches. |
| sword noun | /soɹd/ | A long bladed weapon with a grip and typically a pommel and crossguard (together forming a hilt), which is designed to cut, stab, slash and/or hack. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| move up verb | To promote, put onto a higher level. | |
| watch out | Used to warn someone of an imminent danger. | |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| come down verb | To descend, fall down, collapse. | |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. | |
| team up verb | To join into a team, or into teams. | |
| back up verb | To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What'd you know about the anti -material sniper rifle?
- You don't know what this is?
- Wait, can't we just like sniper extended mag?
- What didn't you want to know?
- How'd you get that, you cheater?
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 made · haven't tried · Have you found |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be called · was just killed · has been made |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might want · might be · might TP |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should make · should I just tell · Should I spawn |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 297 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: nether /nɛð.ə/, thingy /ˈθɪŋi/, deathmatch /ˈdɛθ.mæt͡ʃ/, netherite /ˈnɛðəraɪt/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, shield /ˈʃild/, trash /tɹæʃ/, flash /flæʃ/, friendship /ˈfɹɛn(d)ʃɪp/
- Long words — get the stress right: universal /ˌjunəˈvɜɹs(ə)l/, incendiary /ɪnˈsɛn.di.ɛɹ.i/, alligator /ˈæl.ɪ.ɡeɪ.tɚ/, dandelion /ˈdæn.dəˌlaɪ.ən/, obsidian /əbˈsɪd.i.ən/
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 gosh, diamond, craft.
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.













