Shadowing Practice: Sea Sponges #Short - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 14 sentences and 146 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:58. The speaker talks at a natural 151 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 79% 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:

• sponge /spʌnd͡ʒ/ (noun) — Any of various marine invertebrates of the phylum Porifera, that have a porous skeleton often of silica.
• mask /mæsk/ (noun) — A cover, or partial cover, for the face, used for disguise or protection.
• pump /pʌmp/ (noun) — A device for moving or compressing a liquid or gas.
• oxygen /ˈɑksɪd͡ʒən/ (noun) — The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental…
• beneath /bɪˈniːθ/ — Below.
• particle /ˈpɑɹtək(ə)l/ (noun) — A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something.
• brainless (adjective) — Having no brain.
• fascinate /ˈfæsɪneɪt/ (verb) — To evoke an intense interest or attraction in someone.
• recycler (noun) — A person who recycles, or a machine used to recycle.
• regenerate /ɹiːˈd͡ʒɛnəɹeɪt/ (verb) — To construct or create anew, especially in an improved manner.
• snorkel (noun) — A hollow tube, held in the mouth, or mounted on and opening into a diving mask, used by swimmers for breathing underwater.
• tiny /ˈtaɪni/ (adjective) — Very small.
• grab /ˈɡɹæb/ (verb) — To grip suddenly; to seize; to clutch.
• flow /ˈfloʊ̯/ (verb) — To move as a fluid from one position to another.
• hole /hoʊl/ (noun) — A hollow place or cavity; an excavation; a pit; a dent; a depression; a fissure.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• break off (verb) — To remove a piece from a whole by breaking or snapping.
• come in /ˌkʌm ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter.
• grow into (verb) — To grow in size, so as to be able to fit (something, especially an item of clothing).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, they're, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• Long words — get the stress right: regenerate /ɹiːˈd͡ʒɛnəɹeɪt/, incredible /ɪŋˈkɹɛdəbəl/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like sponge, mask, pump.

Grammar in this video

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