Shadowing Practice: petal - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 22 sentences and 284 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:49. The speaker talks slowly, about 101 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| paradise noun | /ˈpæɹədaɪs/ | The place where sanctified souls are believed to live after death. |
| relation noun | /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ | The manner in which two things may be associated. |
| convenient adjective | /kənˈviː.niənt/ | Serving to reduce a difficulty, or accessible with minimum difficulty; expedient. |
| rotation noun | /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/ | The act of turning around a centre or an axis. |
| pavement noun | /ˈpeɪvm(ə)nt/ | A paved surface; a hard covering on the ground. |
| catastrophe noun | /kəˈtæstɹəfi/ | Any large and disastrous event of great significance. |
| tear verb | /tɛɹ/ | To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate. |
| grave noun | /ɡɹeɪv/ | An excavation in the earth as a place of burial. |
| poison noun | /ˈpɔɪ.zən/ | A substance that is harmful or lethal to a living organism when ingested. |
| curse noun | /kɝs/ | A supernatural detriment or hindrance; a bane. |
| blessing noun | /ˈblɛs.ɪŋ/ | Some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward. |
| illusion noun | /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/ | A distortion of sensory perception where real stimuli lead to a false or misleading impression of reality. |
| drown verb | /dɹaʊn/ | To die from suffocation while immersed in water or other fluid. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: relation /ɹɪˈleɪʃ(ə)n/, rotation /ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/, illusion /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/
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 paradise, relation, convenient.
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.