Shadowing Practice: Nicki Minaj - Starships (Explicit) (Official Video) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Nicki Minaj - Starships (Explicit)”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: higher, hands, mother, Starships, sky. This video has 57 sentences and 376 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:51. The speaker talks slowly, about 98 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| payday noun | /ˈpeɪdeɪ/ | The day of the week or month, or the specific day, on which an employee's wages or salary is paid. |
| twinkle verb | /ˈtwɪŋ.kəl/ | To shine with a flickering light; to glimmer. |
| clink verb | /klɪŋk/ | To make a clinking sound; to make a sound of metal on metal or glass on glass; to strike materials such as metal or glass against one another. |
| hoop noun | /hʊp/ | A circular band of metal used to bind a barrel. |
| jump verb | /d͡ʒʌmp/ | To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne. |
| wave verb | /weɪv/ | To move back and forth repeatedly and somewhat loosely. |
| blow verb | /bloʊ/ | To produce an air current. |
| rent noun | /ˈɹɛnt/ | A payment made by a tenant at intervals in order to lease a property. |
| floor noun | /flɔː/ | The interior bottom or surface of a house or building; the supporting surface of a room. |
| touch verb | /tʌt͡ʃ/ | To make physical contact with; to bring the hand, finger or other part of the body into contact with. |
| dance noun | /dæns/ | A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction. |
| spend verb | /spɪnd/ | To pay out (money). |
| beach noun | /ˈbiːt͡ʃ/ | The shore of a body of water, especially when sandy or pebbly. |
| drink verb | /ˈdɹɪŋk/ | To consume (a liquid) through the mouth. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hands up | /hæn(d)ˈzʌp/ | Put your hands up (if you wish to participate). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Let's go to the beach.
- Let's go get a wave.
- Let's go get it down.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were meant |
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | higher than |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, can't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 inspire, payday, twinkle.
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.