Shadowing Practice: My Mother - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 26 sentences and 302 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:45. The speaker talks at a natural 173 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| meal noun | /ˈmiːl/ | Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity. |
| homework noun | /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ | Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class. |
| supper noun | /ˈsʌpɚ/ | An optional light meal consumed shortly before going to bed. |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| pet noun | /pɛt/ | An animal kept as a companion or otherwise for pleasure, rather than for some practical benefit or use. |
| whoever | /huˈɛvɚ/ | Who ever: an emphatic form of who. |
| comfort noun | /ˈkʌm.fət/ | Contentment, ease. |
| nurse noun | /nɝs/ | Anyone performing this role, regardless of training or profession. |
| dish noun | /dɪʃ/ | A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle. |
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| cook verb | /kʊk/ | To prepare food for eating, typically by heating it, combining it with other ingredients, seasoning it, preparing it for serving, etc. |
| favourite adjective | /ˈfeɪv.ɹɪt/ | Most-liked. (In other words, [person]'s favorite [noun] = the [noun] that [person] likes the most.) |
| feed verb | /fiːd/ | To give (someone or something) food to eat. |
| dirty adjective | /ˈdɝti/ | Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who you · people who can |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to do · need to be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, won't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, dish /dɪʃ/
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 meal, homework, supper.
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.