Shadowing Practice: September 17, 2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 59 sentences and 290 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:48. The speaker talks at a natural 162 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% 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

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

• steal /stiːl/ (verb) — To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.
• thin /ˈθɪn/ (adjective) — Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite.
• fraud /ˈfɹɔːd/ (noun) — The crime of stealing or otherwise illegally obtaining money by use of deception tactics.
• menu /ˈmɛn.juː/ (noun) — The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.
• freeze /ˈfɹiːz/ (verb) — Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
• investor /ɪnˈvɛs.tə(ɹ)/ (noun) — A person who invests money in order to make a profit.
• scam /ˈskæm/ (noun) — A fraudulent or dishonest deal. A swindle.
• waitress /ˈweɪ.tɹɪs/ (noun) — A female attendant who serves customers in a restaurant, café, or similar.
• shift /ˈʃɪft/ (noun) — A movement to do something, a beginning.
• loan /loʊn/ (noun) — An act or instance of lending, an act or instance of granting something for temporary use.
• everywhere /ˈɛv.ɹi.(h)wɛɹ/ (adverb) — In or to all locations under discussion.
• fake /feɪ̯k/ (adjective) — Not real; false, fraudulent.
• rent /ˈɹɛnt/ (noun) — A payment made by a tenant at intervals in order to lease a property.
• excuse /ɪksˈkjuz/ (verb) — To forgive; to pardon; to overlook.
• document /ˈdɑkjʊmənt/ (noun) — An original or official paper used as the basis, proof, or support of anything else, including any writing, book, or other instrument conveying information…

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come out /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ (verb) — To be discovered; to be revealed.
• do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
• find out (verb) — To discover, as by asking or investigating.
• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• run away (verb) — To flee by running.
• sit down (verb) — To assume a sitting position from a standing position.
• wait for (verb) — To wait until the specified event occurs.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 steal, thin, fraud.

Grammar in this video

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