Shadowing Practice: My Ordinary Life but slowed at best part - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 27 sentences and 477 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:34. The speaker talks at a steady 134 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• grass /ɡɹɑːs/ (noun) — 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…
• spin /spɪn/ (verb) — To rotate, revolve, gyrate (usually quickly); to partially or completely rotate to face another direction.
• tear /tɛɹ/ (verb) — To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
• champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/ (noun) — A sparkling white wine made from a blend of grapes, especially Chardonnay and pinot, produced in Champagne, France, by the méthode champenoise.
• legend /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/ (noun) — The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend).
• shake /ˈʃeɪk/ (verb) — To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
• chill /tʃɪl/ (verb) — To lower the temperature of something; to cool.
• awake /əˈweɪk/ (verb) — To become conscious after having slept.
• heal /ˈhiːl/ (verb) — To make better from a disease, wound, etc.; to revive or cure.
• humble /ˈhʌmbəl/ (adjective) — Not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming.
• cloth /klɒθ/ (noun) — A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
• pill /pɪl/ (noun) — A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
• whip /ˈwɪp/ (noun) — A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a…
• minus /ˈmaɪ.nəs/ — Made less or reduced by (followed by an expression of number or quantity).
• blend /blɛnd/ (verb) — To mingle; to mix; to unite intimately; to pass or shade insensibly into each other.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• ask for (verb) — To request; to order.
• leave behind (verb) — To abandon.
• live in (verb) — To reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.)

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: champagne /ʃæmˈpeɪn/, shake /ˈʃeɪk/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like grass, spin, tear.