Shadowing Practice: Rebekah Pushes Elena Too Far | The Vampire Diaries - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 71 sentences and 401 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:41. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• breathe /bɹiːð/ (verb) — To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• hungry /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ (adjective) — Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
• hunter /ˈhʌntɚ/ (noun) — One who hunts game for sport or for food; a huntsman or huntswoman.
• delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ (adjective) — Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
• ruin /ˈɹuː.ɪn/ (noun) — The remains of a destroyed or dilapidated construction, such as a house or castle.
• invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
• revenge /ɹəˈvɛnd͡ʒ/ (noun) — Any form of personal, retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some alleged or perceived harm or injustice.
• nerve /nɝv/ (noun) — A bundle of neurons with their connective tissue sheaths, blood vessels and lymphatics.
• rage /ɹeɪd͡ʒ/ (noun) — Violent uncontrolled anger.
• ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/ (adjective) — Feeling shame or guilt.
• hallway /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ (noun) — A corridor in a building that connects rooms.
• accusation /ˌæk.jʊˈzeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/ (noun) — The act of accusing.
• dodgeball /ˈdɒd͡ʒˌbɔl/ (noun) — A team sport whose main objective is to dodge or catch balls thrown by the opposition.
• dodgy /ˈdɒd͡ʒ.i/ (adjective) — Evasive and shifty.
• inconvenient /ˌɪn.kənˈviːni.ənt/ (adjective) — not convenient

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• blow up (verb) — To explode or be destroyed by explosion.
• come into (verb) — To obtain (usually money or property), especially through inheritance.
• come over (verb) — To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/, accusation /ˌæk.jʊˈzeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/
• Long words — get the stress right: accusation /ˌæk.jʊˈzeɪ.ʃ(ə)n/, inconvenient /ˌɪn.kənˈviːni.ənt/

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 breathe, hungry, hunter.