Shadowing Practice: Pond Ecosystems #shorts #ngscience - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 13 sentences and 122 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:59. The speaker talks at a steady 125 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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

13 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• ecosystem /ˈikoʊˌsɪstəm/ (noun) — A system formed by an ecological community and its environment that functions as a unit.
• pond /pɑnd/ (noun) — An inland body of standing water, either natural or man-made, that is smaller than a lake.
• soil /sɔɪl/ (noun) — A mixture of mineral particles and organic material, used to support plant growth.
• connect /kəˈnɛkt/ (verb) — To join (to another object): to attach, or to be intended to attach or capable of attaching, to another object.
• explore /ɪkˈsploɹ/ (verb) — To examine or investigate something systematically.
• pollution /pəˈluʃən/ (noun) — Physical contamination, now especially the contamination of the environment by harmful substances, or by disruptive levels of noise, light etc.
• combine /kəmˈbaɪn/ (verb) — To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.
• interact /ɪn.təˈɹækt/ (verb) — To engage in communication and other shared activities (with someone).
• sunlight /ˈsʌnˌlaɪt/ (noun) — All the electromagnetic radiation given off by the Sun; especially, that in the visible spectrum and that bathes the Earth.
• insect /ˈɪn.sɛkt/ (noun) — An arthropod (in the Insecta class) characterized by six legs, up to four wings, and a chitinous exoskeleton.
• microbe /ˈmaɪkɹoʊb/ (noun) — Any microorganism; (loosely, nonscientifically) especially, a harmful bacterium.
• tiny /ˈtaɪni/ (adjective) — Very small.
• affect /əˈfɛkt/ (verb) — To influence or alter.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• work together (verb) — To be coworkers with someone; to share a workspace with someone.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like ecosystem, pond, soil.

Grammar in this video

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