Shadowing Practice: Pixar Inside Out - A Family Dinner Scene - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 106 sentences and 504 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:16. The speaker talks at a natural 154 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• hockey /ˈhɑ.ki/ (noun) — Any of a family of sports in which hockey sticks are used to move a ball or puck into a goal.
• disaster /dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ (noun) — An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent…
• pretend /pɹəˈtɛnd/ (verb) — To speak or behave so as to give a false or simulated appearance.
• gentleman /ˈd͡ʒɛn.təl.mən/ (noun) — Any well-bred, well-mannered, or charming man.
• probe /pɹoʊb/ (noun) — Any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc.
• rush /ɹʌʃ/ (verb) — To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
• anger /ˈæŋɡə/ (noun) — A strong and unpleasant feeling of displeasure, hostility, or antagonism, usually combined with an urge to yell, curse, damage or destroy things, or harm…
• trash /tɹæʃ/ (noun) — Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.
• smooth /smuːð/ (adjective) — Having a texture that lacks friction. Not rough.
• toilet /ˈtɔɪ.lət/ (noun) — A room, enclosed area or single-purpose building containing a fixture or fixtures used for urination and defecation; a bathroom or water closet.
• garbage /ˈɡɑɹ.bɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — Food waste material of any kind.
• helicopter /ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/ (noun) — An aircraft that is borne along by one or more sets of long rotating blades which allow it to hover, move in any direction including reverse, or land; and…
• subtle /ˈsʌtəl/ (adjective) — Of an action or movement: very delicate or slight, and thus barely noticeable; not obvious; inconspicuous, unintrusive.
• reed /ɹiːd/ (noun) — Any of various types of tall stiff perennial grass-like plants growing together in groups near water.
• disrespectful /dɪs.ɹɪˈspɛkt.fəl/ (adjective) — Lacking respect.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
• find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
• get back (verb) — Return to where one came from.
• give up (verb) — To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone).
• go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• pass over (verb) — To bypass or disregard in favour of someone or something else.
• pick up on (verb) — To notice, observe, learn, or understand, especially something otherwise overlooked.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 16 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: rush /ɹʌʃ/, trash /tɹæʃ/, eggshell /ˈɛɡʃɛl/
• Long words — get the stress right: helicopter /ˈheliːˌkɔptə(ɹ)/, disrespectful /dɪs.ɹɪˈspɛkt.fəl/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hockey, disaster, pretend.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: