Shadowing Practice: Robert De Niro & Anne Hathaway - The Intern (2015) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 53 sentences and 388 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:26. The speaker talks at a steady 113 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• intern /ˈɪntɝn/ (noun) — A student or recent graduate who works in order to gain experience in their chosen field.
• commitment /kəˈmɪtmənt/ (noun) — The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review.
• worker /ˈwɝ.kɚ/ (noun) — One who works: a person who performs labor for a living; traditionally, especially, manual labor.
• congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/ — Expressing praise and approval, expressing approbation.
• potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/ (adverb) — In a manner showing much potential; with the possibility of happening in a given way.
• affair /əˈfɛɹ/ (noun) — Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
• fold /ˈfəʊld/ (verb) — To bend (any thin material, such as paper) over so that it comes in contact with itself.
• warehouse /ˈwɛə(ɹ)haʊs/ (noun) — A facility for storing large amounts of merchandise or products.
• cloth /klɒθ/ (noun) — A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
• bury /ˈbɛɹi/ (verb) — To outlive.
• sentimental /ˌsɛntiˈmɛntl̩/ (adjective) — Characterized by sentiment, sentimentality or excess emotion; appealing to the emotions (especially tender emotions) rather than reason, morality, aesthetic…
• excite /ɪkˈsaɪt/ (verb) — To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• bring over (verb) — To cause to change allegiance or point of view.
• come by (verb) — To obtain; to get, especially by chance or involuntarily.
• come on in (verb) — Synonym of come in (“to enter”).
• come over (verb) — To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse.
• count on /kaʊnʌn/ (verb) — To rely on, trust, or expect.
• end up (verb) — To bring to a conclusion.
• sleep on (verb) — To postpone (a decision) at least overnight, to avoid making a hasty choice.
• stand in (verb) — To substitute for; to replace

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, gonna, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/
• Long words — get the stress right: congratulations /kənˌɡɹæt͡ʃəˈleɪʃ(ə)nz/, potentially /pəˈtɛnʃ(ə)li/

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 intern, commitment, worker.

Grammar in this video

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