Shadowing Practice: Phrasal verb prepositions: DOWN part 06: DOWN & UP mean ALONG - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Hi everyone and welcome back.
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Today we're going to take another look at the prepositions up
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and down and what they can mean when used with phrasal verbs.
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So in a previous video, we saw that down looks like this and up looks like this.
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And strangely enough, we can extend both of these to get the idea of along.
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Now the reason for this has to do with the different ways we can perceive objects
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when they move along a horizontal surface.
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So to visualize this, let's imagine that we're standing on a flat surface, like a road, looking at an object.
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If the object starts moving along the road but away from us, it appears as if it's moving in in an upward direction.
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Therefore, we can associate the idea of along with the preposition up.
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At the same time, however, the object appears to decrease in size as it moves farther away.
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So we can also associate along with the preposition down, since the object's size appears to decrease. So, oddly enough,
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an object moving away from us along a horizontal surface can be associated with either the preposition up or down.
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Now, when the object moves along the road but towards us, the same thing happens in reverse.
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As it gets closer, its size appears to increase.
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So we can associate this with the preposition up.
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Yet, it also appears to be moving in a downward direction, so we can associate this with the preposition down.
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So, as you can see, movement along a horizontal surface in either direction could be perceived as either up or down.
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Unfortunately, there's no hard and fast rule about which preposition, up
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or down is the best one to use in a given situation as it depends on a variety of factors
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and is somewhat subjective.
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So let's take a look at some examples of phrasal verbs with up or down in which they mean along.
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How do you think we could describe this?
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Here, a car drives along a street.
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So we can say, the car drives up the street.
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Drives means drive, and up means along.
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So the sentence just means, the car drives along the street.
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Now we can also use down here instead of up to mean along.
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That is, we could also say, the car drives down the street.
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Either preposition would be fine.
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Alright, let's try another one.
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How do you think we could describe this using a phrasal verb with up or down?
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Here the bartender slides a drink along the bar.
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So we can say, the bartender slides the drink down the bar.
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Slides means slide, and down means along.
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So the sentence just means, the bartender slides the drink along the bar.
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Now, we could use the preposition up here as well.
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That is, we could say, the bartender slides the drink, ups the bar, although to my ears down would be a bit more natural in this situation.
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Okay, let's try one more.
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How do you think we could describe this.
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Here a man looks along the barrel of a gun.
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So we can say the man looks down the barrel of the gun.
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Looks means look and and down means along.
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So the sentence just means, the man looks along the barrel of the gun.
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Now, in this case, we probably wouldn't use the preposition up.
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That is, we wouldn't say the man looks up the barrel of the gun.
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This is because the phrasal verb look up has a separate meaning and might be a bit confusing to the listener.
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So, I hope this helped you understand the prepositions up
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and down a little bit better and why they both can mean along.
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And we'll see you next time.
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Cheers.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 51 sentences and 632 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:49. The speaker talks slowly, about 109 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 86% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| slide noun | /ˈslaɪ̯d/ | An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again. |
| associate noun | /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/ | A person united with another or others in an act, enterprise, or business; a partner or employee. |
| barrel noun | /ˈbæɹəl/ | A round (cylindrical) vessel, such as a cask, of greater length than breadth, and bulging in the middle, made of staves bound with hoops, and having flat ends… |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| bartender noun | /ˈbɑɹˌtɛndɚ/ | One who tends a bar or pub; a person preparing and serving drinks at a bar. |
| horizontal adjective | /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/ | Perpendicular to the vertical; parallel to the plane of the horizon; level, flat. |
| decrease verb | /dɪˈkɹiːs/ | Of a quantity, to become smaller. |
| perceive verb | /pɚˈsiv/ | To become aware of, through the physical senses, to see; to understand. |
| ear noun | /ˈɪə̯/ | The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea. |
| reverse noun | /ɹɪˈvɝs/ | The opposite of something. |
| extend verb | /ɛkˈstɛnd/ | To increase in extent. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| cheers | /t͡ʃɪəz/ | A common toast used when drinking in company. |
| subjective adjective | /səbˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/ | Formed, as in opinions, based upon a person's feelings or intuition, rather than upon observation or purely logical reasoning; coming more from within the… |
| downward adverb | /ˈdaʊnwɚd/ | Toward a lower level, whether in physical space, in a hierarchy, or in amount or value. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| move along verb | To continue without being distracted; to keep going. | |
| look up verb | /ˌlʊk ˈʌp/ | To have better prospects. |
| drink down verb | To drink all of (something). | |
| drive down verb | To cause or force a price, quantity, rate, etc. to decrease. | |
| drive up verb | To cause or force a price, quantity, rate, etc. to increase. | |
| look down verb | To lower one's eyes; to direct one's look downwards. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, wouldn't, we'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/, visualize /ˈvɪʒuəˌlaɪz/
- Long words — get the stress right: associate /əˈsoʊʃi.ət/, horizontal /ˌhoɹəˈzɑn.təl/, preposition /ˌpɹɛpəˈzɪʃən/
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 slide, associate, barrel.
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.