Shadowing Practice: Put Thought in its Right Place - Learn English Speaking with Video

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40 sentences

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Krishnaji, what is the secret?

What do you know that the rest of us don't know?

I've never had conflict in my life.

No conflict? At all.

You must be almost unique among human beings, if that's so.

It's not because of circumstances.

It's not because I was protected.

It was not because of any outside influence that kept me safe.

But I think it was a realization that conflict destroys not only the mind, but the whole sensitivity of awareness.

So I've never had conflict.

It would seem quite natural to me.

It wasn't an effort not to be in conflict.

Well, for most of us, it is an effort.

So how can we conquer it?

I think it comes really when you have a direct perception of something that conflict does destroy human dignity,

human sense of depth and all the rest of it.

And if you have a deep insight into it, it stops immediately, for me.

Well, what about for us?

Oh yes, for everybody. For everybody?

Then how do we attain that?

It's almost like finding nirvana, finding the ultimate goal, isn't it?

No, the ultimate goal, if you can put it that way, is to find that which is completely sacred, totally uncontaminated by thought.

Is thought a contaminant then?

Yes.

See, that is a very strange concept for most people.

It's not a concept, it's an actuality.

Why do you reduce to a concept?

Well, because that is one's way, our way of thinking.

We learn to think that thought itself is the most important and strongest and most powerful means we have. Of course.

And is that not so?

But thought is very limited.

Go on, why?

Because it's born out of knowledge, born out of memory, experience, so knowledge is never complete about anything.

But what is more complete than that?

You say born out of experience, memory, knowledge.

Of course it is, but how can we go beyond those?

I think that comes really when you give thought its right place.

But thought, as it is limited, as it is conditioned by knowledge, which is never complete under any circumstance.

So thought, when one realises thought has its right place, Then, psychologically, you don't build an image about oneself, about anything.

You see facts as they are.

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9 sentences

Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Put Thought in its Right Place”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: conflict, knowledge, concept, born, complete. This video has 40 sentences and 387 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:24. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 14 of its 40 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
circumstance noun	/ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/	Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.
awareness noun	/əˈwɛɹ.nəs/	The state or level of consciousness where sense data can be confirmed by an observer.
realise verb		Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize.
sacred adjective	/ˈseɪkɹɪd/	Characterized by solemn religious ceremony or religious use, especially, in a positive sense; consecrated, made holy.
insight noun	/ˈɪnsaɪ̯t/	A sight or view of the interior of anything; a deep inspection or view; introspection; frequently used with into.
perception noun	/pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/	The organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory information.
dignity noun	/ˈdɪɡnɪti/	The state of being dignified or worthy of esteem: elevation of mind or character.
sensitivity noun	/ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/	The quality or state of being sensitive; sensitiveness.
conquer verb	/ˈkɑŋkɚ/	To defeat in combat; to subjugate.
realization noun	/ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/	An act of figuring out or becoming aware.
attain verb	/əˈteɪn/	To come to or reach (a place) by motion or progression.
actuality noun	/ˌækt͡ʃuˈælɪti/	The state of existing; existence.
contaminant noun	/kənˈtamɪnənt/	That which contaminates; an impurity; foreign matter.
nirvana noun	/nɪɹˈvɑ.nə/	Complete cessation of dukkha; a blissful state attained through realization of sunyata; enlightened experience.
psychologically adverb		In a psychological sense.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

What do you know that the rest of us don't know?
I've never had conflict in my life.
It's not because I was protected.
Then how do we attain that?
Why do you reduce to a concept?

Grammar in this video

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

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	was protected · Is thought · is conditioned
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	I've never had
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	that which is · knowledge, which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I've, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perception /pɚˈsɛpʃ(ə)n/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: sensitivity /ˌsɛn.səˈtɪv.ə.ti/, realization /ˌɹɪə.laɪˈzeɪ.ʃən/, actuality /ˌækt͡ʃuˈælɪti/, contaminant /kənˈtamɪnənt/

How to practise with this video

Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like circumstance, awareness, realise.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Put Thought in its Right Place - Learn English Speaking with Video

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