Shadowing Practice: Planning a Surprise Birthday Party - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Ryan, have you remembered that Mum's birthday is next Saturday?
2
Of course I have! Well... I remembered it yesterday.
3
She's turning sixty. We have to do something special.
4
What about a surprise party? She'd love that.
5
Great idea! But where could we have it?
6
If we have it here, she might get suspicious.
7
True. What about Aunt Carol's house? She has a big garden.
8
Perfect. I'll call her this evening and ask.
9
And who should we invite?
10
Family, her old friends from work, and the neighbours.
11
There's one problem. How do we get her there without telling her?
12
Hmm. Dad could take her out for lunch first.
13
Then he brings her to Aunt Carol's afterwards.
14
Exactly. He can say he needs to drop something off.
15
What about food? I don't want to spend all week cooking.
16
Let's order pizzas and I'll bake a chocolate cake.
17
You? You've never baked a cake in your life!
18
Then this is a good time to learn, isn't it?
19
Okay, I'll buy decorations and a nice present.
20
She's been talking about a new camera for months.
21
That's a lot of money, but if we share, it's fine.
22
Deal. Let's split everything fifty-fifty.
23
Remember, don't say a word to her about this.
24
Me? I'm great at keeping secrets!
25
Ryan, you told her about her last present in five minutes.
26
Okay, okay. This time, my lips are sealed.
📺 Same Channel
A21,181
Taking the Bus to the City Centre
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1805
Fruit at the Market
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
B21,090
My First Month Living Abroad
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
A2429
A Rainy Night at the Corner Shop
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2552
Finding Things at the Supermarket
British AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A2162
What's Your Phone Number? Meeting a New Classmate
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A244
What's in Your School Bag?
American AccentBritish AccentKidsTeensDaily Conversation
A2224
Buying a Phone Charger
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B2372
Weekly Team Meeting: Project Status Update
American AccentBusiness EnglishWorking Adults
B1154
Buying Train Tickets at the Station: Single or Return?
American AccentBritish AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
A1254
Breakfast Time
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
B148
Calling In Sick: I Can't Come to Work Today
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
C1263
IELTS Speaking Part 2: A Place That Changed My Perspective
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
A164
At the Aquarium: One, Two, Many
American AccentKidsDaily Conversation
A2116
How Much Is This Bag?
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1138
First Day at a New Job
British AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1107
Talking to a Neighbour About the Noise
British AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B1208
IELTS Speaking Part 1: Hometown, Studies and Free Time
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B281
IELTS Listening Part 3: A Survey on Student Sleep
American AccentBritish AccentIELTS PrepUniversity Students
A239
Where Are My Keys? A Busy Morning
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
✨ Recommend Video
B11
30 sentences
Planning a Surprise Birthday Party for a Friend
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B176
32 sentences
Husband and Wife: Planning a Weekend Getaway
American AccentTravel EnglishDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
34 sentences
Part 1 78
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
51 sentences
Daily conversations B1-B1 3
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
203 sentences
01 Happy Birthday | Tuning in the USA | Speaking American Accent
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
28 sentences
Everyone go say Happy Birthday to @blake.malizia !🧁
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B12
98 sentences
Her soldier surprised her on her birthday ❤️✨ Spread the Joy
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
A28
125 sentences
Birthday Gift Shopping | Slow English Listening Practice | AnyTalk A2
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B15
40 sentences
🎧 English Listening Practice | Surprise Birthday Party (A2–B1) 🎈🎁🎂 Easy English
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
56 sentences
Empower B1 Unit 04 A2
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
130 sentences
English Conversation with friend : A picnic (Passive Voice)
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B125
26 sentences
Intermediate Pronunciation - Day 18 - Happy birthday
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 26 sentences and 232 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:26. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 83% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| fifty noun | /ˈfɪfti/ | A banknote or coin with a denomination of 50. |
| bake verb | /beɪk/ | To cook (something) in an oven (for someone). |
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables. |
| afterwards adverb | /ˈæf.tɚ.wɚdz/ | At a later or succeeding time; after that; |
| invite verb | /ɪnˈvaɪt/ | To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something. |
| seal noun | /siːl/ | A stamp used to impress a design on a soft substance such as wax. |
| lip noun | /lɪp/ | Either of the two fleshy protrusions around the opening of the mouth. |
| suspicious adjective | /səˈspɪʃ.əs/ | Arousing suspicion. |
| sixty noun | /ˈsɪksti/ | A commercial lasting 60 seconds. |
| decoration noun | /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of adorning, embellishing, or honoring; ornamentation. |
| neighbour noun | /ˈneɪbɚ/ | A person living on adjacent or nearby land; a person situated adjacently or nearby; anything (of the same type of thing as the subject) in an adjacent or… |
| cake noun | /keɪk/ | A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar, and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing. |
| lunch noun | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ | A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. |
| cook verb | /kʊk/ | To prepare food for eating, typically by heating it, combining it with other ingredients, seasoning it, preparing it for serving, etc. |
| split verb | /splɪt/ | To divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll call · I'll bake · I'll buy |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to do · needs to drop |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: suspicious /səˈspɪʃ.əs/, decoration /ˌdɛkəˈɹeɪʃən/
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 fifty, bake, pizza.
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.