Shadowing Practice: Say Less Than Necessary I Robert Greene - Learn English Speaking with Video
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15 sentences
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So there's a law of power and they're called always say less than necessary.
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Very kind of common sense law.
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And the idea is that if you're in a meeting with people, that man or woman who talks less generally has an aura of power.
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Particularly a boss.
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They seem enigmatic, mysterious.
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And when they do something, say something, everybody's hanging on their words.
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What does that mean?
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Whereas people who talk a lot give the impression that they're weak.
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They signal weakness.
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They can't control themselves.
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So they can't control themselves, how can they control anything in the business world, right?
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So we sense that in people, so be aware of that.
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You're probably talking too much in a lot of circumstances and maybe you can control that. And
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so this is kind of a way of defending yourself in
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an environment where people will tend to see you as weak if you can't have any self -control.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Say Less Than Necessary I Robert Greene”. This video has 15 sentences and 159 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:51. The speaker talks fast, about 185 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| defend verb | /dɪˈfɪnd/ | To ward off attacks against (something or someone). |
| whereas | /(h)wɛɹˈæz/ | In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although. |
| impression noun | /ɪmˈpɹɛʃn̩/ | The indentation or depression made by the pressure of one object on or into another. |
| weakness noun | /ˈwik.nɪs/ | The condition of being weak. |
| mysterious adjective | /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/ | Of unknown origin. |
| circumstance noun | /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ | Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event. |
| aura noun | /ˈɔːɹə/ | A subtle emanation or exhalation of any substance, such as an aroma or odour. |
| enigmatic adjective | /ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk/ | Pertaining to an enigma. |
| weak adjective | /wi(ː)k/ | Lacking in force (usually strength) or ability. |
| signal noun | /ˈsɪɡnəl/ | A sequence of states representing an encoded message in a communication channel. |
| tend verb | /ˈtɛnd/ | To look after (e.g. an ill person.) |
| particularly adverb | /pɚˈtɪkjəlɚli/ | Especially, extremely. |
| generally adverb | /ˈd͡ʒɛn.ɹə.li/ | Popularly or widely. |
| necessary adjective | /ˈnɛs.əˌsɛ.ɹi/ | Required, essential, whether logically inescapable or needed in order to achieve a desired result or avoid some penalty. |
| environment noun | /ɪnˈvaɪ.ɚn.mənt/ | The surroundings of, and influences on, a particular item of interest. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | woman who talks · people who talk |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, they're, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, enigmatic /ˌɛnɪɡˈmætɪk/, particularly /pɚˈtɪkjəlɚli/, necessary /ˈnɛs.əˌsɛ.ɹi/, environment /ɪnˈvaɪ.ɚn.mənt/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like defend, whereas, impression.
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.