Shadowing Practice: President Roosevelt's Navy Day Speech (1941) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “President Roosevelt's Navy Day Speech”. This video has 18 sentences and 128 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:21. The speaker talks slowly, about 94 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| possession noun | /pəˈzɛʃn̩/ | A control or occupancy of something for which one does not necessarily have private property rights. |
| courage noun | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate. |
| sink verb | /ˈsɪŋk/ | To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance. |
| admire verb | /ədˈmaɪɹ/ | To regard with wonder and delight. |
| stir verb | /stɝ/ | To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it. |
| applause noun | /əˈplɔːz/ | The act of applauding; approbation and praise publicly expressed by the clapping of hands, stamping or tapping of the feet, acclamation, huzzas, or other… |
| endurance noun | /ɪnˈdʊɹəns/ | The measure of a person's stamina or persistence. |
| compel verb | /kəmˈpɛl/ | To overpower; to subdue. |
| fledged adjective | /flɛd͡ʒd/ | Feathered; furnished with feathers or wings; able to fly. |
| resistance noun | /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ | The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist. |
| shoot verb | /ʃut/ | To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile). |
| nobody noun | /ˈnoʊ.bə.di/ | A person dismissed as unimportant. |
| ship noun | /ˈʃɪp/ | A water-borne vessel generally larger than a boat. |
| secret noun | /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/ | A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden. |
| avoid verb | /əˈvɔɪd/ | To try not to meet or communicate with (a person); to shun. |
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 | have been sunk · has started |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | have been sunk · be stirred |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: possession /pəˈzɛʃn̩/, shoot /ʃut/, ship /ˈʃɪp/
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 possession, courage, sink.
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.