Shadowing Practice: OPRAH WINFREY on Pain, Discipline and Recovery | Shadowing Practice (lesson #42) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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As many people know, I have two new knees.
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As many people know, I have two new knees.
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As many people know, I have two new knees.
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And after the knee surgery, I made a vow to myself and to God.
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And after the knee surgery, I made a vow to myself and to God.
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And after the knee surgery, I made a vow to myself and to God,
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that if you let me get up off of this bed,
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because I couldn't even lift, I couldn't lift my heel That if you let me get up off of this bed because I couldn't even lift,
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I couldn't lift my heel.
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That if you let me get up off of this bed because I couldn't even lift, I couldn't lift my heel.
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This is one of the most painful surgeries ever.
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This is one of the most painful surgeries ever.
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it's one of the most painful surgeries ever but I highly recommend it if you need it because
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but I highly recommend it if you need it because
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but I highly recommend it if you need it because
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I would be walking like I was crippled now if I hadn't done it.
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I would be walking like I was crippled now if I hadn't done it.
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I would be walking like I was crippled now if I hadn't done it.
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because I had done the shots, the cortisone shots for two years because I had done the shots,
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the cortisone shots for two years because I had done the shots,
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the cortisone shots for two years and they were no longer working.
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and they were no longer working and they were no longer working
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so when I finally decided that I'm going to get the new surgery
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so when I finally decided that I'm going to get the new surgery
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so when I finally decided that I'm going to get the new surgery And then recovering from knee surgery,
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I said, And then recovering from knee surgery,
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I said, And then recovering from knee surgery,
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I said, God, if you let me walk again, I will promise to use my body differently.
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God, if you let me walk again, I will promise to use my body differently.
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God, if you let me walk again, I will promise to use my body differently.
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So I started out in rehab doing a tenth of a mile and then So,
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I started out in rehab doing a tenth of a mile,
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and then, So, I started out in rehab doing a tenth of a mile,
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and then, a quarter of a mile, and then, oh, the day I could do a half mile,
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a quarter of a mile, and then, oh, the day I could do a half mile,
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a quarter of a mile, and then, oh, the day I could do a half mile.
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and I remember looking about out my window
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and I remember looking about out my window
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and I remember looking about out my window in Hawaii up at the mountain outside of my house I was like
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In Hawaii, up at the mountain outside of my house, and I was like, In Hawaii,
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up at the mountain outside of my house, and I was like, What if I could just get to that gate?
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What if I could just get to that ridge?
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What if I could just get to that gate?
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What if I could just get to that ridge?
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What if I could just get to that gate?
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What if I could just get to that ridge?
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And so when I couldn't do it, when I was immobilized because of the surgery,
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and so when I couldn't do it, when I was immobilized because of the surgery,
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And so, when I couldn't do it, when I was immobilized because of the surgery,
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I was just like, longing to be able to walk.
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I was just like, longing to be able to walk.
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I was just like, longing to be able to walk.
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Longing to be able to hike to there, and then to there, and then to there.
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Longing to be able to hike to there, and then to there, and then to there.
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Longing to be able to hike to there, and then to there, and then to there.
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And so that's what I did.
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And so that's what I did.
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And so that's what I did.
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I rehabilitated myself to the point where I have now...
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I rehabilitated myself to the point where I have now...
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I rehabilitated myself to the point where I have now...
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Now, I would say I'm an official hiker.
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I would say I'm an official hiker.
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I would say I'm an official hiker.
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As many people know, I have two new knees.
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And after the knee surgery, I made a vow to myself and to God that if you let me get up off of this bed,
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because I couldn't even lift, I couldn't lift my heels it's one of the most painful surgeries ever
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but I highly recommend it if you need it
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because I would be walking like I was crippled now
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if I hadn't done it
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because I had done the shots the cortisone shots for two years
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and they were no longer working so when I finally decided
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that I'm gonna get the new surgery
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and then recovering from knee surgery I said God
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if you let me walk again i will promise to use my body differently
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so i started out in rehab doing a tenth of a mile
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and then a quarter of a mile
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and then oh the day i could do a half mile
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and i remember looking about out my window in hawaii up
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at the mountain outside of my house i was like what
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if i could just get to that gate what
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if i could just get to that ridge and so
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when i couldn't do it when i was immobilized
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because of the the surgery i was just like longing to
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be able to walk longing to be able to hike to there
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and then to there and then to there and
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so that's what i did i rehabilitated myself to the point
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where i have now i would say i'm an official hiker
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “OPRAH WINFREY on Pain, Discipline and Recovery”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: surgery, knee, mile, longing, lift. This video has 88 sentences and 1057 words to shadow. The speech runs for 9:38. The speaker talks at a steady 110 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| knee noun | /ni/ | In humans, the joint or the region of the joint in the middle part of the leg between the thigh and the shank. |
| gate noun | /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ | A doorlike structure outside a house. |
| painful adjective | /ˈpeɪn.fl̩/ | Causing pain or distress, either physical or mental. |
| recover verb | /ɹɪˈkʌvɚ/ | To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal). |
| differently adverb | /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/ | In a different way. |
| ridge noun | /ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The back of any animal; especially the upper or projecting part of the back of a quadruped. |
| hike noun | /haɪk/ | A long walk, usually for pleasure or exercise. |
| tenth adjective | /tɛnθ/ | The ordinal numeral form of ten; next in order after that which is ninth. |
| heel noun | /hil/ | The rear part of the foot, where it joins the leg. |
| rehab noun | /ˈɹiːhæb/ | Rehabilitation, especially to treat the use of recreational drugs. |
| cortisone noun | /ˈkɔɹ.tɪˌsoʊn/ | A corticosteroid hormone, closely related to corticosterone, produced by the adrenal cortex. One of the glucocorticoids, it is also made synthetically for use… |
| hiker noun | /ˈhaɪ̯kɚ/ | One who hikes, especially frequently. |
| immobilize verb | To render motionless; to stop moving or stop from moving. | |
| rehabilitate verb | /ɹiː(h)əˈbɪlɪteɪt/ | To restore (someone) to their former state, reputation, possessions, status etc. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I couldn't lift my heel.
- What if I could just get to that ridge?
- What if I could just get to that gate?
- I would say I'm an official hiker.
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 | was crippled · was immobilized |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the most painful |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | I'm going to get · gonna get |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will promise |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, I'm, hadn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, rehabilitate /ɹiː(h)əˈbɪlɪteɪt/
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 knee, gate, painful.
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.