Shadowing Practice: Princesses Don't Cry -- Who Made Me a Princess - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Princesses Don't Cry -- Who Made Me a Princess”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cry, princess, princesses, eyes, waste. This video has 21 sentences and 336 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:58. The speaker talks at a steady 114 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wipe verb | /waɪp/ | To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) |
| crack noun | /kɹæk/ | A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material. |
| weigh verb | /weɪ/ | To determine the weight of an object. |
| undo verb | /ʌnˈduː/ | To reverse the effects of an action. |
| teary adjective | /ˈtɪɚi/ | Of a person, having eyes filled with tears; inclined to cry. |
| poise noun | /pɔɪz/ | A state of balance, equilibrium or stability. |
| princess noun | /ˈpɹɪnsɛs/ | A female member of a royal family other than a queen, especially a daughter or granddaughter of a monarch. |
| monster noun | /ˈmɑnstɚ/ | A terrifying and dangerous creature, especially one of an imaginary or fictional kind. |
| soft adjective | /sɔft/ | Easily giving way under pressure. |
| crown noun | /kɹaʊ̯n/ | A royal, imperial or princely headdress; a diadem. |
| burn verb | /bɝn/ | To cause to be consumed by fire. |
| tall adjective | /tɔl/ | Having great vertical extent (usually reckoned from the bottom of the feet to the very top of the head) when standing. (For instance, somebody with a height of… |
| rough adjective | /ɹʌf/ | Not smooth; uneven. |
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 | won't come · won't waste · won't leave |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm lying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 63 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, doesn't, I'm. 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 wipe, crack, weigh.
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.