Shadowing Practice: Prodigal Son: Why Not a Man of Letters? - 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 “Prodigal Son: Why Not a Man of Letters?”. This video has 41 sentences and 187 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:31. The speaker talks at a steady 124 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 10 of its 41 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| poet noun | /ˈpoʊ.ət/ | A person who writes poems. |
| journalist noun | /ˈd͡ʒɝnəlɪst/ | The keeper of a personal journal, who writes in it regularly. |
| carl noun | /kɑɹl̩/ | A rude, rustic man; a churl. |
| disgusting adjective | /dɪsˈɡʌstɪŋ/ | Causing disgust; repulsive; distasteful. |
| graduation noun | /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/ | The action or process of graduating and receiving a diploma for completing a course of study (such as from an educational institution). |
| behave verb | /bɪˈheɪv/ | To conduct (oneself) well, or in a given way; to conform. |
| impress verb | /ɪmˈpɹɛs/ | To affect (someone) strongly and often favourably. |
| rectitude noun | /ˈɹɛk.tə.tuːd/ | Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent. |
| thinker noun | /ˈθɪŋ.kɚ/ | One who spends time thinking, contemplating or meditating. |
| graduate verb | /ˈɡɹæd͡ʒueɪt/ | To be recognized by a school or university as having completed the requirements of a degree studied at the institution. |
| writer noun | /ˈɹaɪ.təɹ/ | A person who writes, or produces literary work; an author can refer to themselves as "the writer". |
| joke noun | /ˈd͡ʒoʊ̯k/ | An amusing story. |
| mistake noun | /mɪˈsteɪk/ | An error. |
| accurate adjective | /ˈæk.ɹɪt/ | Telling the truth or giving a true result; exact; not defective or faulty. |
| anybody | /ˈɛn.i.bə.di/ | Any one out of an indefinite number of persons; anyone; any person. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Looks at me like I'm disgusting.
- I didn't think she liked me.
- What are you gonna do after you graduate?
- What do you think's gonna happen to me?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as gonna, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/, anybody /ˈɛn.i.bə.di/
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 poet, journalist, carl.
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.