Shadowing Practice: Philomena Cunk vs Prof. Jim Al Khalili CBE (2025 Edition) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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165 sentences
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1
Have you heard of DNA?
2
Yes.
3
Do we all have DNA?
4
Or do some of us have D or A, but not both?
5
No, it's not D and A, it's three letters: D, N.
6
Can you tell by looking at me whether I have DNA?
7
Well, I know you have DNA because you're a living organism and all life has DNA.
8
Galileo's full name was Galileo Figaro Magnifico, wasn't it?
9
I'm not sure that's right.
10
I don't know.
11
That's what it says in "Dominican Rhapsody." Are you thinking of "Bohemian Rhapsody"?
12
What was his name then?
13
Well, as far as I'm aware, his name was Galileo Galilei.
14
Galileo Galilei?
15
Yes.
16
That's like me being called Philomena Philomene.
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Actually, I quite like that.
18
My mate Paul tried to create a new life form by inserting his DNA into a grapefruit, but halfway through the experiment, the greengrosser started hitting him.
19
Why is science so controversial?
20
Sorry, that question didn't follow from your story of the DNA...
21
No, it changed, yeah.
22
How do we know we're not in a simulation?
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We don't know.
24
There are lots of smart people who think it is possible that we live in a simulation.
25
If this is a simulation, Why is the computer making me ask you this?
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- Thank you.
27
Well, it...
28
From my perspective, you are...
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asking a question so I could imagine that you are being controlled by a computer, that you may well feel that you have free will and you're asking those questions yourself.
30
Why do I have to actually come and film this?
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Couldn't a computer just show it on the telly in the simulation?
32
Or is that where I am?
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You know, do I exist at all?
34
Why is this happening?
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Why isn't it just me eating a chocolate eclair in a loop?
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like in a GIF.
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I'd swap for that.
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- I think it's a good question.
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Actually, are people in looping GIFs caught in a simulation?
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Is that what's happened to them?
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Where do wasps fit into the simulation?
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I'm not quite sure how...
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Sorry, it's a lot to unpick, isn't there?
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Shall we move on to more hardcore scientific stuff?
45
Okay, so ghosts.
46
When a human body dies, which hole does the ghost come out of, north or south?
47
Thank you.
48
I don't regard ghosts as...
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a hard scientific subject, I'm afraid.
50
Why do people say the universe came out of a big bag?
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I think you mean Big Bang.
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A big bag that went bang?
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No, no. Just a big bang.
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No bag.
55
Has anyone ever claimed responsibility for the big Bye.
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It just happened.
57
So we're no nearer finding a culprit.
58
Who invented civilisation?
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Civilisation wasn't something that was invented or something that started We talk about civilisation once humans started to die agriculture,
60
once they started building cities and creating laws,
61
that was something that happened gradually in different parts of the world rather than just being invented suddenly.
62
Yeah, so...
63
It wasn't just one man who wanted to remain anonymous.
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No. because that would be something we shouldn't go along with if it was.
65
Do you mean we shouldn't go along?
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If it was...
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It's one man who wants to remain anonymous.
68
There's something a bit shifty about that, isn't there?
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Let me tell you something, don't dismiss it.
70
In 2021, my Aunt Carol got engaged to a man called Bob Collins.
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But one day, He just vanished.
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and cleared out a bank account.
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And when she looked up the name Bob Collins, She discovered he'd died in 1958.
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He'd been a ghost all along.
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The Wright brothers did the first proper flight over 100 years ago.
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How come we're still not any closer to working out how airplanes actually work? But we are.
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We know how they work today.
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But in reality, how do they work?
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Well, it's.. we have mathematical equations that describe the way the air flows over the wings of the aircraft.
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Can you explain how they work without resorting to science?
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Thank you.
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It's difficult not to explain the science behind it, but...
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because of the shape of its The force upwards is bigger than the force downwards, so that pushes the plane up into the air.
84
Could it not just have been someone impersonating Bob Collins?
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No, no, there were photos of Bob Collins in 1958 and he looked totally different.
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which proves he disguised himself so she wouldn't know he was a ghost.
87
You can't explain it, can you?
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It's terrifying.
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Isn't the easy answer that he doesn't look like him because it's a different person altogether?
90
No, it's...
91
It's a ghost.
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That's your theory.
93
Do you want to hear my theory?
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- Okay.
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- I think they run on belief.
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It's just because we believe planes can fly that they do.
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So the media has to keep up the pretense, "Oh, they're just going to start dropping out of the sky." Same with Wi -Fi.
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There's no way that's real.
99
We just have to go along with this pantomime or everything grinds to a halt.
100
Will a computer ever be clever enough to play chess?
101
computers are already clever enough to play chess.
102
Really?
103
This is chess we're talking about?
104
Yes, years ago computers overtook human beings at chess.
105
Do they know what all the pieces do, like even the little horse ones?
106
Yes.
107
But the horse ones move in random directions, don't they?
108
There's no pattern to it.
109
No, there is.
110
They just move...
111
two in one direction and one in the other so that...
112
Oh right, did the computers work that out for us?
113
The church thought the sun went round the earth, but Galileo thought the earth went round the sun.
114
Whose side are we on here?
115
We're most definitely on Galileo's side.
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as I think the church is today.
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Is it possible they were both right and the sun and earth go round each other?
118
That would keep everyone happy.
119
Can we just agree on that?
120
People worry a lot about AI.
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What about you?
122
You mean, am I worried about...?
123
No, I mean, should they worry about you?
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I hope not.
125
I hope not.
126
I mean, people are worried about artificial intelligence because they think maybe one day it will replace us human beings.
127
I'm a human being, why should they be worried about me?
128
No, no, no, the letter U.
129
They're all vowels, aren't they?
130
A -I -U.
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What does the U in AI stand for?
132
there isn't a you in AI.
133
So it's a secret then, the computer's hidden it.
134
So how far was the first flight?
135
Well, on that day when the Wright brothers carried out several flights, they were typically of the order of just a few hundred feet.
136
I only could have walked that.
137
Well, they could but...
138
That wasn't the point.
139
When was the first flight that was long enough to need a toilet?
140
No. Once commercial flights developed, Those flights became longer distance, and the passengers would have then needed some comforts,
141
like having a toilet on board.
142
That must have been a real moment, the first time someone realised a plane needed a toilet.
143
That's more impressive than the Wright brothers.
144
I've never thought of that as a particularly dramatic or exciting development.
145
I'm afraid.
146
Why don't bicycles have toilets?
147
You know, it would save you having to get off.
148
I might write that down and copyright it.
149
What's the point of atoms?
150
You know, do we really need them or could we just do without?
151
We do really need them because we are made of atoms.
152
Everything in the world is made of atoms.
153
So, without them, we wouldn't be here.
154
Our eyes made of atoms.
155
Yes.
156
My feet made of atoms.
157
Yes?
158
I mean, I could save you the bother by everything you say.
159
Absolutely everything.
160
All stuff is made of atoms.
161
Are thoughts made of atoms?
162
Well, no, well, no. Well, there you go then.
163
Okay.
164
Okay.
165
Okay.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 165 sentences and 1332 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:41. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| atom noun | /ˈætəm/ | The smallest possible amount of matter which still retains its identity as a chemical element, now known to consist of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. |
| ghost noun | /ɡoʊst/ | A disembodied soul; a soul or spirit of a deceased person; a spirit appearing after death. |
| simulation noun | /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃn̩/ | Something that simulates a system or environment in order to predict actual behaviour. |
| toilet verb | /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ | To assist another (a child, etc.) in using a toilet. |
| chess noun | /t͡ʃɛs/ | A board game for two players, each beginning with sixteen chess pieces moving according to fixed rules across a chessboard with the objective to checkmate the… |
| bang noun | /ˈbæŋ/ | A sudden percussive noise. |
| invent verb | /ɪnˈvɛnt/ | To design a new process or mechanism. |
| loop noun | /luːp/ | A length of thread, line or rope that is doubled over to make an opening. |
| clever adjective | /ˈklɛv.ɚ/ | Nimble with hands or body; dexterous; skillful; adept. |
| anonymous adjective | /əˈnɒn.ə.məs/ | Lacking a name; not named, for example an animal not assigned to any species . |
| impressive adjective | /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ | Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress. |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| comfort noun | /ˈkʌm.fət/ | Contentment, ease. |
| dramatic adjective | /dɹəˈmætɪk/ | Of or relating to the drama. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| go round verb | To physically swirl or rotate. | |
| go along with verb | To acquiesce to or comply with a proposal, despite lacking a desire or value for it. | |
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| clear out verb | To completely empty. | |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. | |
| go along verb | To participate, cooperate, or conform. | |
| keep up verb | To maintain; to preserve; to prevent from deteriorating or falling. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
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 | being called · being controlled · was invented |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have you heard · have been · I've never thought |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who think · man who wanted · man who wants |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: simulation /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃn̩/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/, equation /ɪˈkweɪ.ʒən/, civilisation /ˌsɪv.ɪ.lɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anonymous /əˈnɒn.ə.məs/, experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, agriculture /ˈæɡ.ɹɪˌkʌl.t͡ʃɚ/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, controversial /ˌkɑn.tɹəˈvɝ.ʃəl/
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 atom, ghost, simulation.
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.