Shadowing Practice: Most Watched of 2021 - Key & Peele - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 1308 sentences and 8604 words to shadow. The speech runs for 59:13. The speaker talks at a steady 145 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| falcon noun | /ˈfælkən/ | Any bird of the genus Falco, all of which are birds of prey. |
| racist noun | /ˈɹeɪ.sɪst/ | A person who believes in or supports racism; a person who believes that a particular race is superior to others, or who discriminates against other races. |
| zombie noun | /ˈzɑmbi/ | A person, usually undead, animated by unnatural forces (such as magic), with no soul or will of his or her own, typically being slow, obedient, and harmless… |
| arrow noun | /ˈæɹəʊ/ | A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow. |
| armor noun | /ˈɑːɹ.mɚ/ | A protective layer over a body, vehicle, or other object intended to deflect or diffuse damaging forces. |
| terrorist noun | /ˈtɛɹəɹɪst/ | A person, group, or organization that uses violent action, or the threat of violent action, to further political goals. |
| awkward adjective | /ˈɔk.wɚd/ | Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments. |
| burger noun | /ˈbɝ.ɡɚ/ | A hamburger. |
| bump noun | /bʌmp/ | A light blow or jolting collision. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| grass noun | /ɡɹɑːs/ | Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as… |
| honey noun | /ˈhʌni/ | A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans. |
| departure noun | /dɪˈpɑː(ɹ)tjə(ɹ)/ | The act of departing or something that has departed. |
| beam noun | /ˈbiːm/ | Any large piece of timber or iron long in proportion to its thickness, and prepared for use. |
| roller noun | /ˈɹoʊlɚ/ | Any rotating cylindrical device that is part of a machine, especially one used to apply or reduce pressure. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| 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)… |
| get back to verb | Return to (an activity) | |
| get past verb | To continue around a blockage; to get around (something); to surpass something that is in the way. | |
| hold up verb | To wait or delay. | |
| stand up verb | To rise from a lying or sitting position. | |
| blow out verb | To extinguish something, especially a flame, especially by means of a strong current of air or another gas. | |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 356 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: worthy /ˈwɝ.ði/, gather /ˈɡæðɚ/, thirty /ˈθɝti/, grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, ninth /naɪnθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, shell /ʃɛl/, racial /ˈɹeɪʃəl/, shotgun /ˈʃɑtɡʌn/, flash /flæʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/, psychology /saɪˈkɑ.lə.d͡ʒi/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/
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 falcon, racist, zombie.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been standing · we've been standing · I've been saying |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have killed · has gone · it's been pressed |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | being murdered · was designed · been pressed |
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.




















