Shadowing Practice: September 21, 2026 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 58 sentences and 297 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:41. 69% 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
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| salty adjective | /ˈsɔlti/ | Tasting of salt. |
| mango noun | /ˈmæŋɡəʊ/ | Any of species Mangifera indica of tropical Asian fruit trees. |
| bitter adjective | /ˈbɪ.tɚ/ | Having an acrid taste (usually from a basic substance). |
| vinegar noun | /ˈvɪnəɡɚ/ | A sour liquid formed by the fermentation of alcohol used as a condiment or preservative; a dilute solution of acetic acid. |
| candy noun | /ˈkæn.di/ | Crystallized sugar formed by boiling down sugar syrup. |
| sour adjective | /ˈsaʊ.ə/ | Tasting of acidity. |
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables. |
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| seminar noun | /ˈsɛmɪnɑɹ/ | A class held for advanced studies in which students meet regularly to discuss original research, under the guidance of a professor. |
| homemade adjective | Made at home. | |
| pancake noun | /ˈpæn.keɪk/ | An thin batter cake similar to a crepe, typically unleavened. |
| melon noun | /ˈmɛlən/ | Genus Cucumis, the true melon (including various cultigens like honeydew and cantaloupes), the horned melon, and others. |
| savory adjective | /ˈseɪ.və.ɹi/ | Tasty, attractive to the palate. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 hungry, salty, mango.
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.












