Shadowing Practice: Reading Explorer Foundation, Unit-11 Ichthyosaurs - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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While dinosaurs walked the Earth,
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sea monsters called ichthyosaurs ruled the world's oceans.
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Icthyosaurs were ancient reptiles.
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They first appeared about 251 million years ago,
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during the Triassic period, about 20 million years before dinosaurs came about.
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True to their name, which means fish lizards in Greek, the earliest ichthyosaurs looked much like lizards with fins.
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Over a period of 100 million years, their bodies changed and they developed fish-like tails.
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They had long, narrow skulls and jaws with sharp teeth.
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These teeth were used to catch and eat animals like fish and squid.
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Their eyes were the largest ever recorded of any animal.
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In fact, one species, Temnodontosaurus, had eyes that were over 10 inches wide.
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Large eyes helped ichthyosaurs see through the dark waters of the deep ocean.
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Icthyosaurs were different sizes.
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Some were only around 60 centimeters long, but the longest were about 26 meters long.
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Icthyosaurs had paddle-like fins and a large tail,
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which helped them swim at speeds of around 35 kilometers per hour.
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Altogether, these qualities put ichthyosaurs at the top of the food chain.
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By the late Cretaceous period,
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about 25 million years before an asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs, ichthyosaurs became extinct.
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Some scientists believe it may have been a result of climate change.
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But the exact reason why these early sea monsters died out is still a mystery.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 21 sentences and 221 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 90 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| dinosaur noun | /ˈdaɪnəsoɹ/ | Those animals of the clade Dinosauria that existed during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and are now extinct. |
| tail noun | /ˈteɪ̯l/ | An object or part of an object resembling a tail in shape, such as the thongs on a cat-o'-nine-tails; a strand of material hanging from something. |
| fin noun | /fɪn/ | One of the appendages of a fish, used to propel itself and to manoeuvre/maneuver. |
| lizard noun | /ˈlɪzɚd/ | Any reptile of the order Squamata that is not a snake or mosasaur—typically characterised by a rounded torso, a short neck with an elevated head, a long tail… |
| sharp adjective | /ʃɑɹp/ | Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded. |
| mystery noun | /ˈmɪs.t(ə.)ɹi/ | Something secret or unexplainable; an unknown. |
| narrow adjective | /ˈnæɹəʊ/ | Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| meter noun | /ˈmitəɹ/ | A device that measures things. |
| skull noun | /ˈskʌl/ | The main bones of the head considered as a unit; including the cranium, facial bones, and mandible. |
| altogether adverb | /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/ | Completely, wholly, or without exception. |
| wipe verb | /waɪp/ | To move an object over, maintaining contact, with the intention of removing some substance from the surface. (Compare rub.) |
| jaw noun | /d͡ʒɔː/ | One of the bones, usually bearing teeth, which form the framework of the mouth. |
| extinct adjective | /ɪkˈstɪŋkt/ | Of feelings, a person's spirit, a state of affairs, etc.: put out, as if like a fire; quenched, suppressed. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| die out verb | To become extinct. |
| see through verb | To perceive visually through something transparent. |
| wipe out verb | To destroy (especially, a large number or complete set of people or things); to obliterate. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: altogether /ɔl.tuˈɡɛð.ɚ/, ichthyosaur /ˈɪkθiəsɔːɹ/
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 dinosaur, tail, fin.
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.