Shadowing Practice: Paris Paloma - labour [Official Video] - Learn English Speaking with Video
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6 sentences
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1
Why are you hanging on So tight To the rope that I’m hanging from Off this island This was an escape plan Carefully timed it So let me go And dive into the waves below Who tends the orchards?
2
Who fixes up the gables Emotional torture From the head of your high table Who fetches the water From the rocky mountain spring And walk back down again To feel your words and their sharp sting And I’m getting fucking tired The capillaries in my eyes are bursting If our love died, would that be the worst thing?
3
For somebody I thought was my saviour You sure make me do a whole lot of labour The calloused skin on my hands is cracking If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?
4
And the silence haunts our bed chamber You make me do too much labour You make me do too much labour Apologies from my tongue Never yours Busy lapping from flowing cup And stabbing with your fork I know you’re a smart man And weaponise The false incompetence It’s dominance under guise If we had a daughter I’d watch and could not save her The emotional torture From the head of your high table She’d do what you taught her She’d meet the same cruel fate So now I’ve gotta run So I can undo this mistake At least I’ve gotta try The capillaries in my eyes are bursting If our love died, would that be the worst thing?
5
For somebody I thought was my saviour You sure make me do a whole lot of labour The calloused skin on my hands is cracking If our love ends, would that be a bad thing?
6
And the silence haunts our bed chamber You make me do too much labour All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid Nymph then virgin, nurse then a servant Just an appendage, live to attend him So that he never lifts a finger 24/7 baby machine So he can live out his picket fence dreams It’s not an act of love if you make her You make me do too much labour All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid Nymph then virgin, nurse then a servant Just an appendage, live to attend him So that he never lifts a finger 24/7 baby machine So he can live out his picket fence dreams It’s not an act of love if you make her You make me do too much labour All day, every day, therapist, mother, maid Nymph then virgin, nurse then a servant Just an appendage, live to attend him So that he never lifts a finger 24/7 baby machine So he can live out his picket fence dreams It’s not an act of love if you make her You make me do too much labour
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Paris Paloma - labour”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: labour, appendage, Nymph, picket, lifts. This video has 6 sentences and 468 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:48. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| appendage noun | /əˈpɛndɪd͡ʒ/ | An external body part that projects from the body. |
| picket noun | /ˈpɪkɪt/ | A stake driven into the ground. |
| maid noun | /meɪd/ | An adult or adolescent female servant or cleaner (short for maidservant). (In feudal times this could be anyone from a high-ranking assistant to a low-ranking… |
| therapist noun | /ˈθɛɹəpɪst/ | Someone who provides therapy, usually professionally. |
| servant noun | /ˈsɝvənt/ | One who is hired to perform regular household or other duties, and receives compensation. As opposed to a slave. |
| callous adjective | /ˈkæləs/ | Emotionally hardened; unfeeling and indifferent to the suffering/feelings of others. |
| capillary noun | /ˈkæpəˌlɛri/ | Any of the small blood vessels (from 5 to 10 micrometres/micrometers (μm) in diameter) that connect arteries to veins (They are the smallest blood vessels in… |
| saviour noun | UK and Canada spelling of savior. | |
| haunt verb | /hɔnt/ | To inhabit or to visit frequently (most often used in reference to ghosts). |
| torture noun | /ˈtoɹt͡ʃɚ/ | The infliction of severe pain or anguish, especially as an interrogation technique or punishment; (usually in the plural) a technique, method, or device which… |
| burst verb | /bɜːst/ | To break from internal pressure. |
| incompetence noun | /ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/ | An inability to perform; a lack of competence; ineptitude. |
| weaponize verb | /ˈwɛpənaɪz/ | To make into a weapon. |
| undo verb | /ʌnˈduː/ | To reverse the effects of an action. |
| orchard noun | /ˈɔɹ.t͡ʃɚd/ | A garden or an area of land for the cultivation of fruit or nut trees. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| live out verb | To not reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.) |
| fix up verb | To provide (someone) with something; to furnish. |
| walk back verb | To withdraw or backpedal on a statement or promise. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If our love died, would that · If our love ends, would that · If we had a daughter I'd watch |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as gotta, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: capillary /ˈkæpəˌlɛri/, incompetence /ɪnˈkɒm.pə.təns/
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 appendage, picket, maid.
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.