Shadowing Practice: Roosevelt - A Day Which Will Live In Infamy - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate, of the House of Representatives,
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Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy,
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the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
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The United States was at peace with that nation, and at solicitation of Japan,
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still in conversation with its government and its emperor,
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looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
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Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu,
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the Japanese ambassador to the United States
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and his colleagues delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message.
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And while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations,
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it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
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It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious
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that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago.
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During the intervening time, the Japanese government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements
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and expressions of hope for continued peace.
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The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces.
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I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition,
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American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between
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San Francisco American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
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Yesterday, the Japanese government also launched an attack against Malaya.
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Last night, Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
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Last night, Japanese forces attacked Guam.
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Last night, Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
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Last night, the Japanese attacked Whig Island.
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And this morning, the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
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Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area.
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The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves.
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The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications
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for the very life and safety of our nation.
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As commander-in-chief of the army and navy, I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense.
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But always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
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No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion,
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the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Roosevelt - A Day Which Will Live In Infamy”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Japanese, attacked, forces, island, Japan. This video has 33 sentences and 404 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:54. The speaker talks slowly, about 83 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| deliberately adverb | /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət.li/ | Intentionally, or after deliberation; not accidentally. |
| torpedo noun | /ˌtoɹˈpi.doʊ/ | An electric ray of the genus Torpedo. |
| deceive verb | /dɪˈsiːv/ | To trick or mislead. |
| infamy noun | /ˈɪnfəmi/ | The state of being infamous. |
| onslaught noun | /ˈɒn.slɔːt/ | A fierce attack. |
| premeditated adjective | Planned, considered, or estimated in advance; deliberate. | |
| solicitation noun | /səˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃən/ | the action or instance of soliciting; petition; proposal |
| implication noun | /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/ | The act of implicating. |
| commence verb | /kəˈmɛns/ | To begin, start. |
| intervene verb | /ˌɪntəˈviːn/ | To become involved in a situation, so as to alter or prevent an action. |
| squadron noun | /ˈskwɒd.ɹən/ | A body of infantrymen made up of several platoons, averaging from eighty to one hundred and fifty men, and led by a captain or a major. |
| undertake verb | /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/ | To take upon oneself; to start, to embark on. |
| negotiation noun | /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The process of achieving agreement through discussion. |
| righteous adjective | /ˈɹaɪt͡ʃəs/ | Free from sin or guilt. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has caused · have been lost · have been reported |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | will be recorded · have been lost · have been reported |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: solicitation /səˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: deliberately /dɪˈlɪb.(ə.)ɹət.li/, solicitation /səˌlɪsɪˈteɪʃən/, implication /ˌɪmpləˈkeɪʃən/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, diplomatic /ˌdɪpləˈmætɪk/
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 deliberately, torpedo, deceive.
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.