Shadowing Practice: My IELTS - 1A - Unit 1 - Speaking Focus 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “My IELTS - 1A - Unit 1 - Speaking Focus 1”. This video has 10 sentences and 131 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:52. The speaker talks at a natural 152 words per minute, close to everyday conversation.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| disagree verb | /dɪsəˈɡɹi/ | To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. |
| grandparent noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)pɛəɹənt/ | The parent of someone's parent. |
| restaurant noun | /ˈɹɛst(ə)ˌɹɑnt/ | An eating establishment in which diners are served food, usually by waiters at their tables but sometimes (as in a fast food restaurant) at a counter. |
| holiday noun | /ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/ | A day on which a religious event or secular celebration is traditionally observed. |
| lunch noun | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ | A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. |
| spend verb | /spɪnd/ | To pay out (money). |
| sister noun | /ˈsɪs.tɚ/ | A daughter of the same parents as another person; a female sibling. |
| weekend noun | /ˈwiˌkɛnd/ | The break in the working week, usually two days including the traditional holy or sabbath day. Thus in Western countries, Saturday and Sunday. |
| shop noun | /ʃɑp/ | An establishment that sells goods or services to the public; originally only a physical location, but now a virtual establishment as well. |
| evening noun | /ˈiv.nɪŋ/ | The time of day between afternoon and night. |
| afternoon noun | /ˌæf.tɚˈnun/ | The part of the day from noon or lunchtime until sunset, evening, or suppertime or 6pm. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | love playing |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are working |
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 homework, disagree, grandparent.
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.