Shadowing Practice: Real Easy English 18 - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 25 sentences and 137 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:04. The speaker talks at a steady 128 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 74% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• relax /ɹɪˈlæks/ (verb) — To make something loose.
• hometown /ˈhoʊmˌtaʊn/ (noun) — An individual’s place of birth, childhood home, or place of main residence.
• shine /ʃaɪn/ (verb) — To emit or reflect light so as to glow.
• motorbike /ˈmoʊtɚˌbaɪk/ (verb) — To ride a motorbike; to travel by motorbike.
• souvenir /ˈsu.vəˌnɪɹ/ (noun) — An item of sentimental value, that is given or kept to remember an event or location.
• sparkle /ˈspɑɹ.kəl/ (noun) — A little spark; a scintillation.
• holiday /ˈhɑləˌdeɪ/ (noun) — A day on which a religious event or secular celebration is traditionally observed.
• prefer [pɹɪˈfɝ] (verb) — To be in the habit of choosing something rather than something else; to favor; to like better.
• travel /ˈtɹævəl/ (verb) — To be on a journey, often for pleasure or business and with luggage; to go from one place to another.
• trip /tɹɪp/ (noun) — A journey; an excursion or jaunt.
• nature /ˈneɪ̯.t͡ʃəɹ/ (noun) — The way things are, the totality of all things in the physical universe and their order, especially the physical world in contrast to spiritual realms and…
• conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shine /ʃaɪn/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like relax, hometown, shine.