Shadowing Practice: Power Up 5 Unit 1 Lesson 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 55 sentences and 399 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:44. The speaker talks slowly, about 107 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 85% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| cloth noun | /klɒθ/ | A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes… |
| diary noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/ | A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer. |
| jumper noun | /ˈd͡ʒʌmpɚ/ | A woollen sweater or pullover. |
| bedroom noun | /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ | A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping. |
| desert noun | /ˈdɛz.ɚt/ | A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland. |
| sleeve noun | /sliv/ | The part of a garment that covers the arm. |
| rainy adjective | /ˈɹeɪni/ | Pouring with rain; wet; showery |
| trousers noun | /ˈtɹaʊzɚz/ | An article of clothing that covers the part of the body between the waist and the ankles or knees, and is divided into a separate part for each leg. |
| scarf noun | /skɑːf/ | A long, often knitted, garment worn around the neck. |
| raincoat noun | /ˈɹeɪnkoʊt/ | A waterproof coat to be worn in the rain; (loosely) any coat or jacket with this purpose. |
| blouse noun | /ˈblaʊ̯s/ | A shirt for women or girls, particularly a shirt with buttons and often a collar; a dress shirt tailored for women. |
| shirt noun | /ʃɜɹt/ | An article of clothing that is worn on the upper part of the body, often with sleeves that cover some or all of the arms. |
| hat noun | /hæ̞ʔ/ | A covering for the head, often in the approximate form of a cone, dome or cylinder closed at its top end, and sometimes having a brim and other decoration. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give away verb | To make a gift of (something). |
| throw away verb | To discard (trash, garbage, or the like), to toss out, to put in the trash. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've agreed |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | we're going to wear · I'm going to put · I'm going to start |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | we'll see · they'll go · will go |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm getting · I'm using |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 23 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 cloth, diary, jumper.
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.













