Shadowing Practice: Planets in Our Solar System - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
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Hey there!
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Today we are blasting off into outer space to take a look at the planets in our solar system.
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There's eight planets in all.
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From the closest to the Sun, there's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars,
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Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.
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The four planets closest to the Sun are the inner rocky planets.
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Mercury is the closest planet from the Sun and it's also the smallest.
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It has a diameter of 4879 kilometers which is only slightly larger
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Mercury is about 58 million kilometers from the Sun, and one year on Mercury is just 88 Earth days.
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Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is also the hottest planet in our solar system.
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It has a diameter of 12 ,104 kilometers.
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It is about 108 million kilometers from the Sun.
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A year on Venus is equal to 225 days on Earth.
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I'm guessing you've seen this planet before.
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Yep, it's Earth.
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Our amazing planet is the only known planet to contain life.
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Earth is just slightly bigger than Venus, with a diameter of 12 ,742 kilometres.
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It's just shy of 150 million kilometres from the Sun.
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And the length of a year is… Nice one.
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365 days.
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and it's sometimes called the Red Planet due to the red soil and rocks on its surface.
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Mars has a diameter of 6 ,779 kilometres and is 228 million kilometres away from the Sun.
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A year on Mars is almost two Earth years.
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The four planets furthest from the Sun are the outer planets.
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giants and they are made up mostly of gases and well giants.
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Jupiter is by far the biggest planet.
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Its diameter is a whopping 142 ,000 kilometers and being 778 million kilometers from the Sun,
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Saturn, most famous for its impressive ring system, has a diameter of 116 ,000 kilometres,
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and is almost 1 .5 billion kilometres from the Sun.
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Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system.
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It's an ice giant.
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It's got a diameter of 50 ,000 km and is almost 3 billion km from the Sun.
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How long do you think it takes Uranus to complete a revolution of the Sun?
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If you said a long time, you're right.
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because 84 years is a long time.
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We've now ventured 4 .5 billion kilometres from the Sun, to the furthest planet, Neptune.
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Another gas giant, Neptune, is about the same size as Uranus, with a diameter of 49 ,000 kilometres.
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To complete a revolution of the distant Sun takes Neptune 164 Earth years you Well,
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that was quite an adventure.
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Time to head.
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Harm.
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you you Amen.
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you What are you waiting for?
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Why practice speaking with this video?

Engaging with the video titled "Planets in Our Solar System" offers an exciting opportunity to practice your English speaking skills in context. As you listen to the speaker describe the planets, you'll find yourself immersed in a fascinating topic that stimulates your imagination and curiosity. By practicing along with the video, you can enhance your vocabulary related to astronomy, geography, and sizes, boosting your overall knowledge while improving your English pronunciation.

The conversational tone of the speaker encourages a relaxed learning atmosphere, making it enjoyable to replicate their speech. This method of shadow speech, or shadowspeak, helps you not only to memorize phrases but also to mimic natural intonation and rhythm, which is crucial for effective English speaking practice.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

In this video, several key grammatical structures are effectively utilized:

  • Comparative and superlative forms: Phrases like "the closest," "the hottest," and "by far the biggest" are essential for making comparisons between the planets. This structure can be used in various contexts to describe differences in size, temperature, and distance.
  • Descriptive language: Using terms like "rocky planets," "gas giants," and "ice giant" enriches the descriptions and helps clarify the categorization of the planets.
  • Time references: Expressions like "a year on Mercury is just 88 Earth days" emphasize the concept of time. Practicing such structures allows learners to discuss time-related topics effectively.

These expressions enhance your fluency and help you communicate complex information clearly, which is vital in both everyday conversation and academic contexts.

Common Pronunciation Traps

While practicing your shadow speech with this video, pay special attention to some tricky words and pronunciation patterns:

  • Mercury - Note the stress on the first syllable: MER-cu-ry. Students often mispronounce it by placing emphasis on the second syllable.
  • Uranus - This planet's name can lead to varying pronunciations; the correct version is yu-RAY-nuhs. Be mindful of how you articulate this to avoid misunderstandings.
  • Diameter - Pronounced as die-AM-e-ter, learners tend to simplify this to di-a-me-ter, which can lead to confusion.

By focusing on these pronunciation nuances, you can significantly improve English pronunciation and communicate more clearly when discussing scientific topics or everyday conversations.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowyou've seen · We've now ventured
Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a groupthe closest · the hottest · the biggest
Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around noware blasting · I'm guessing

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →