Shadowing Practice: Sabrina Carpenter - because i liked a boy (Official Video) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Sabrina Carpenter - because i liked a boy”. This video has 15 sentences and 165 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:07. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| innocent adjective | /ˈɪnəsənt/ | Free from guilt, sin, or immorality. |
| complicated adjective | /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/ | Difficult or convoluted. |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| deeply adverb | /ˈdi(ː)pli/ | To a deep extent or degree; very greatly. |
| illusion noun | /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/ | A distortion of sensory perception where real stimuli lead to a false or misleading impression of reality. |
| mint noun | /mɪnt/ | Any plant in the genus Mentha in the family Lamiaceae, typically aromatic with square stems. |
| reckless adjective | /ˈɹɛkləs/ | Careless or heedless; headstrong or rash. |
| pea noun | /piː/ | Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others. |
| boombox noun | /ˈbum.bɑks/ | A powerful portable audio system for listening collectively to recorded or broadcast sound. |
| catastrophize verb | /kəˈtæstɹəfaɪz/ | To regard a bad situation as if it were disastrous or catastrophic. |
| cuddle verb | /ˈkʌd.l̩/ | To lie together snugly (with someone), in an intimate physical embrace; to snuggle. |
| derail verb | /ˌdiːˈɹeɪl/ | To cause to come off the tracks. |
| trampoline noun | /ˌtɹæmpəˈliːn/ | A gymnastic and recreational device consisting of a piece of taut, strong fabric or rubber stretched over a (usually steel) frame using many coiled springs as… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| break up verb | To break or separate into pieces. |
| fill up verb | To make (something) completely full. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, we'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, catastrophize /kəˈtæstɹəfaɪz/
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 innocent, complicated, thin.
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.