Shadowing Practice: National pride fuels holiday shopping | Vietnam Today - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 17 sentences and 304 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:58. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/ (verb) — To include (something) as a part.
• occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/ (noun) — A favorable opportunity; a convenient or timely chance.
• outfit /ˈaʊtfɪt/ (noun) — A set of clothing (with accessories).
• practical /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ (adjective) — Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis.
• clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/ (noun) — Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to…
• element /ˈɛləmənt/ (noun) — One of the simplest or essential parts or principles of which anything consists, or upon which the constitution or fundamental powers of anything are based.
• rank /ˈɹæŋk/ (noun) — A row of people or things organized in a grid pattern, often soldiers.
• reflect /ɹɪˈflɛkt/ (verb) — To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.
• increasingly (adverb) — Increasing in amount or intensity.
• impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/ (noun) — The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another.
• upcoming (adjective) — Happening or appearing in the relatively near future.
• celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The formal performance of a solemn rite, such as Christian sacrament.
• tourism /ˈtʊɹɪzəm/ (noun) — The act of travelling or sightseeing, particularly away from one's home.
• functional /ˈfʌŋkt͡ʃənəl/ (adjective) — In good working order.
• collections /kəˈlɛkʃənz/ (noun) — A state being beyond merely past due.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: clothing /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/, enthusiasm /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: occasion /əˈkeɪ̯ʒən/, impression /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, collections /kəˈlɛkʃənz/, personalization /ˌpɝs(ə)nəlaɪˈzeɪʃən/
• Long words — get the stress right: incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, enthusiasm /ɪnˈθuziæzəm/, accessory /əkˈsɛs.(ə.)ɹi/, patriotism /ˈpeɪtɹi.əˌtɪzəm/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like incorporate, occasion, outfit.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: