Shadowing Practice: NEVER lick your fingers - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Same Channel
A2How a lady sits l How to sorry with grace #hopeisthethingwithfeathers
A2The proper way to pick something up is to walk to the side of it
A1Let’s encourage our children to speak kindly to themselves
A2Pick it up like a lady
Recommend Video
A2Xiaolong-wow! That's how you eat a soup dumpling 🥟🤯
A2How to describe Bad Habits in English? ❌ #learnenglish #shorts
A2This really is the only way you should be eating a banana. #williamhanson #etiquette #food
A2I Found a Hair in My Pasta! 😳 #learnenglish
B1The World's Best BBQ Ribs
A2A2 English Listening Practice - Manners
B1I don’t make the rules 🙃 #clean #declutter #howto #tips #clutter #trending #viral
B1WHO: Five keys to safer food (short version)
B1That text shouldn't be public..
B1Giada De Laurentiis Makes Chicken Piccata | Everyday Italian | Food Network
B2How to be a professional fingerer..#Askanyaussie #crocturnbull #aussie #satire #finger #usa #comedy
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “NEVER lick your fingers”. This video has 10 sentences and 94 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:29. The speaker talks fast, about 191 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| finger noun | /ˈfɪŋɡɚ/ | A slender jointed extremity of the human hand, (often) exclusive of the thumb, and the corresponding part, irrespective of including a thumb, in many other… |
| lick verb | /lɪk/ | To stroke with the tongue. |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| nail noun | /neɪl/ | The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human). |
| juicy adjective | /ˈd͡ʒuːsi/ | Having lots of juice. |
| napkin noun | /ˈnæpˌkɪn/ | A serviette; a (usually rectangular) piece of cloth or paper used at the table for wiping the mouth and hands for cleanliness while eating. |
| germ noun | /d͡ʒɝm/ | The embryo of a seed, especially of a seed used as a cereal or grain. See Wikipedia article on cereal germ. |
| dine verb | /daɪn/ | To eat; to eat dinner or supper. |
| etiquette noun | /ˈɛt.ɪˌkɛt/ | The manners or decent behaviour to be observed in social or professional life; conventional decorum; the ceremonial code of polite society. |
| wing noun | /wɪŋ/ | An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly. |
| appropriate adjective | /əˈpɹoʊ.pɹi.ɪt/ | Suitable or fit; proper; felicitous. |
| mouth noun | /maʊθ/ | The front opening of a creature through which food is ingested. |
| proper adjective | /ˈpɹɑpɚ/ | Suited or acceptable to the purpose or circumstances; fit, suitable. |
| remove verb | /ɹɪˈmuːv/ | To delete. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should not be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're enjoying |
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 finger, lick, casual.
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.