Shadowing Practice: Mitosis: The Amazing Cell Process that Uses Division to Multiply! (Older Video 2016 ) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Have you ever looked down at your leg
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or your arm to find some cut and you have no idea where it came from or how you got it?
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So you put a bandage on it and a few days later it's gone.
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It's all healed and you don't even think anything of it, of this amazing process that causes this to happen.
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Or let's say you're looking at your nails and you notice they're a lot longer since the last time you cut them.
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Or let's say you're looking in the mirror and you notice
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that you are a lot bigger than you were when you were 5 years old.
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What do all of these things have in common?
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One major thing they have in common is mitosis.
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Mitosis is a type of cell division done by most of your body cells and it's really important for cells to divide.
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If they didn't divide, you wouldn't grow.
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I mean, how do you grow if you can't make more cells, right?
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So one reason why you're bigger than you were when you were 5 is mitosis.
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Mitosis also is great for repair of damage.
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If you have some kind of accident, like when we were talking about that cut on your arm or leg, well you want to make sure it gets repaired well.
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So you have to make more cells to do that.
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Mitosis is great for that.
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Now, it's really important to understand what it is not.
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Mitosis is not a process that makes sperm or egg cells because that's something different called meiosis.
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Which sounds like mitosis, unfortunately, but it's a different process.
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Mitosis is done to produce body cells.
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Mitosis makes identical cells.
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That is the goal.
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Identical cells cells.
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So if you're trying to make more skin cells to replace worn out or damaged skin cells, you don't want to start suddenly making stomach cells there.
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That would be ridiculous.
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You want to make sure you have identical cells replacing what was lost.
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So mitosis makes identical cells.
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It's a really important thing.
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Now it's also important to understand that your cells are not dividing all the time.
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If all they did was divide, it would just be rapid, crazy growth.
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In fact, this is kind of what cancer is.
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Cancer is uncontrolled cell growth.
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We have a clip on the cell cycle and what the cell is usually doing most of its daily life, which is actually a phase called interphase,
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where it's growing and replicating its DNA and carrying out its daily cell functions.
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That's where cells spend most of their time in respect to the whole cell cycle cycle.
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Mitosis is a very short amount of time in respect to the whole cell cycle.
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But mitosis is a critical process because this is where it is going to divide and make more cells.
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Before we get into the steps of division, it's really important to understand that your cells have something inside them, an organelle called the nucleus.
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And the nucleus holds your DNA.
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DNA is really important because it's your genetic information, and if you're going to make more cells,
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you need to have the same DNA in those new cells as you did in your original cells.
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You want it to be identical.
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No mistakes.
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Very important.
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The problem is you've got a lot of DNA, and we've got to get that DNA into the new cells using mitosis.
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So there has to be a better way to organize that DNA.
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Well, what actually happens is that DNA can be organized into these condensed units called chromosomes.
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Chromosomes are made of DNA and protein.
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You've probably heard before that humans have 46 chromosomes.
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That means 46 chromosomes are found in most human body cell nuclei.
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What are nuclei?
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Well, it's the plural of nucleus.
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You don't say nucleuses, you say nuclei.
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Well, in the nuclei there are 46 chromosomes.
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Organizing DNA into condensed chromosomes makes it a lot easier to move over when you're making new cells.
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So if you have 46 chromosomes in a human body cell, you have to duplicate those chromosomes in interphase before mitosis starts.
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That basically means you are duplicating your DNA since chromosomes are made of DNA and protein.
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You have to do this before mitosis starts because
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if you're going to make an identical cell that has 46 chromosomes just like the original, it makes sense you have to duplicate the genetic material before splitting.
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So if you look at our cell cycle video clip, we talk about interphase.
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That's a stage where most of the time cells are spending their time.
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They're actually duplicating their DNA during that time.
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So ready for the tricky part?
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Well, because we tend to count chromosomes by the number of centromeres present,
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when the 46 chromosomes duplicate - we still say there are 46 chromosomes,
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as the sister chromatids are still attached, and we're counting bicentromeres.
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So 46 chromosomes here, they replicate in interphase, and you still have 46 chromosomes in this picture,
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but you went from 46 to 92 chromatids.
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We have a video explaining that in more depth and how that factors in for mitosis.
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Okay, so now we can get right into mitosis.
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I like to tell students to remember PMAT.
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It's a little acronym that helps you remember.
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The P is for prophase, the M is for metaphase, the A is for anaphase, and the T is for telophase.
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So remember PMAT.
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The stage is in order.
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The very first step is prophase.
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Prophase, because it's the beginning step, the nucleus is still there.
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And it's going to go away later on, but this is a stage where it's actually still there.
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The chromosomes are visible.
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In fact, we say they're condensing, which means they are thickening and visible.
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The next stage is metaphase.
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M for metaphase, but I also like to remember M for middle because in this stage, the chromosomes line up in the middle of the cell.
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The nucleus has been disassembled it's no longer there, so we've got the chromosomes in the middle waiting there.
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Next, the A is for anaphase.
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In anaphase, I like to think as the A for away.
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The chromosomes move away.
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They are moving to opposite sides of the cell, so they are moving towards the poles of the cell.
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Now, one thing to point out, these chromosomes, they're not moving by themselves.
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They actually have something called spindles.
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These spindles are fibers that help move the chromosomes to the ends.
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Kind of helps them move along.
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The last stage of mitosis, think T for telophase.
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In telophase, the chromosomes are actually at the complete opposite ends
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and new nuclei are forming on each side to make these two new cells.
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The nuclei are starting to surround the chromosomes on both sides.
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I like to think of the T4 too
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because you can really see in this step
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that the end goal is going to be two cells and in the human body they're each going to have 46 chromosomes.
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And again, remember, they are identical.
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Now cytokinesis is responsible for the final separation into two cells by splitting the cytoplasm,
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which completes after the PMAT mitosis stages.
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So why did all this matter?
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Without understanding cell division, we wouldn't understand how growth and repair happens, because they both require more cells to be made.
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Understanding mitosis is also very important for cancer research.
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Cancer itself is uncontrolled cell growth.
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So in other words, uncontrolled mitosis.
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Well, that's it for the Amoeba Sisters, and we remind you to stay curious.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Mitosis: The Amazing Cell Process that Uses Division to Multiply!”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cell, chromosomes, mitosis, Dna, identical. This video has 108 sentences and 1262 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:01. The speaker talks at a natural 157 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| chromosome noun | /ˈkɹoʊməˌsoʊm/ | A linear arrangement of condensed DNA and associated proteins (such as chaperone proteins) which contains the genetic material (genome) of an organism. |
| mitosis noun | /maɪˈtoʊ.sɪs/ | The division of a cell nucleus in which the genome is copied and separated into two identical halves. It is normally followed by cell division. |
| nucleus noun | /ˈnuː.kli.əs/ | The core, central part of something, around which other elements are assembled. |
| duplicate verb | /ˈd(j)uː.plɪˌkeɪt/ | To make a copy of. |
| interphase noun | The stage in the life cycle of a cell between two successive mitotic or meiotic divisions. | |
| anaphase noun | /ˈænəˌfeɪz/ | The stage of mitosis and meiosis during which the chromosomes separate, the chromatid moving to opposite poles of the cell. |
| condense verb | /kənˈdɛns/ | To concentrate toward the essence by making more close, compact, or dense, thereby decreasing size or volume. |
| metaphase noun | The stage of mitosis and meiosis that follows prophase and comes before anaphase, during which condensed chromosomes become aligned before being separated. | |
| prophase noun | The first stage of mitosis, during which chromatin condenses to form the chromosomes. | |
| telophase noun | The final stage of mitosis or meiosis during which the daughter chromosomes move towards opposite ends of the nuclear spindle | |
| uncontrolled adjective | Not controlled; not under control. | |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| chromatid noun | /ˈkɹəʊmətɪd/ | After DNA replication, either of the two connected double-helix strands of a metaphase chromosome that separate during mitosis. |
| spindle noun | /ˈspɪndəl/ | A rod used for spinning and then winding fibres (especially wool), usually consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower… |
| replicate verb | /ˈɹɛplɪkeɪt/ | To make a copy (replica) of. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| go away verb | To depart or leave a place. | |
| move along verb | To continue without being distracted; to keep going. | |
| move away verb | To go away from a place, especially when permanently changing one's residence. | |
| move over verb | To move (oneself, or someone/something else) so as to free up space. | |
| point out verb | To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the body. | |
| wear out verb | To cause (something) to become damaged, useless, or ineffective through continued use, especially hard, heavy, or careless use. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- If they didn't divide, you wouldn't grow.
- You don't say nucleuses, you say nuclei.
- It's a little acronym that helps you remember.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If they didn't divide, you wouldn't grow |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was lost · is uncontrolled · can be organized |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you ever looked · You've probably heard · has been disassembled |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | life, which is · condensing, which means |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 24 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, they're, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: cytokinesis /ˌsaɪtoʊkɪˈniːsɪs/, cytoplasm /ˈsaɪtəʊˌplæzəm/, disassemble /dɪs.əˈsɛm.bəl/
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 chromosome, mitosis, nucleus.
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.