Shadowing Practice: Nearly Headless Nick | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Your attention, please.
2
Let the feast begin.
3
I'm half and half.
4
My dad's a muggle.
5
A bit of a nasty shock for him when he found out.
6
Say, Percy, who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?
7
Oh, that's Professor Snape, head of Slytherin House.
8
What's he teach?
9
Potions.
10
But everyone knows it's the dark arts he fancies.
11
He's been after Quirrell's job for years.
12
Hello!
13
How are you?
14
So, welcome to Gryffindor.
15
What the hell is the bloody Baron?
16
Hello, Sir Nicholas.
17
Have a nice summer.
18
Dismal.
19
Once again, my request to join the Headless Hunt has been denied.
20
I know you.
21
You're nearly headless Nick.
22
I prefer Sir Nicholas, if you don't mind.
23
Nearly headless?
24
How can you be nearly headless?
25
Like this.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Nearly Headless Nick”. This video has 17 sentences and 122 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:42. The speaker talks slowly, about 72 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 7 of its 17 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shock noun | /ʃɔk/ | A sudden, heavy impact. |
| fancy noun | /ˈfæn.si/ | The imagination. |
| deny verb | /dəˈnaɪ/ | To disallow or reject. |
| nasty adjective | /ˈnæs.ti/ | Dirty, filthy. |
| feast noun | /ˈfiːst/ | A holiday, festival, especially a religious one |
| headless adjective | /ˈhɛdləs/ | Synonym of decapitated. |
| dismal adjective | /ˈdɪzməl/ | Disastrous, calamitous. |
| potion noun | /ˈpoʊ.ʃən/ | A small portion or dose of a liquid which is medicinal, poisonous, or magical. |
| teach verb | /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ | To pass on knowledge to. |
| prefer verb | [pɹɪˈfɝ] | To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better. |
| hunt verb | /hʌnt/ | To find or search for an animal in the wild with the intention of killing the animal for its meat or for sport. |
| nearly adverb | /ˈnɪəli/ | In close approximation; almost, virtually. |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
| join verb | /ˈd͡ʒɔɪn/ | To connect or combine into one; to put together. |
| teacher noun | /ˈti.t͡ʃɚ/ | A person who teaches, especially one employed in a school; preceptor. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, potion /ˈpoʊ.ʃən/
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 shock, fancy, deny.
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.