Shadowing Practice: SEtalk: Procrastination Isn't About Laziness - Learn English Speaking with Video
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34 sentences
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Okay, I want to start with a confession.
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I wrote most of this talk last night.
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At two o'clock in the morning.
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And I had six weeks to prepare it!
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So you could say I'm an expert on procrastination.
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For years, I believed I was just lazy.
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But that never really made sense.
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When I was avoiding work, I wasn't resting.
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I was cleaning the fridge. Reorganising my bookshelf.
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I was doing everything except the thing!
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Then I came across some research that changed my mind.
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Psychologists who study procrastination say it isn't a time problem.
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It's an emotion problem.
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We don't avoid the task. We avoid a feeling.
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Boredom, anxiety, the fear of not being good enough.
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Think about the task you're avoiding right now.
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Yes, you know the one.
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What feeling does it give you?
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For me... it was always the same fear.
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What if I try my best, and it's still not good enough?
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So I stopped waiting for motivation.
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Instead, I made the first step ridiculously small.
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Not "write the report", but "open the document".
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Just two minutes. That's the deal.
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And nine times out of ten, I keep going.
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Here's one more surprising finding.
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Students who forgave themselves for procrastinating before one exam
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actually procrastinated less before the next one!
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Guilt doesn't fix procrastination. Kindness does.
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So tonight, when you feel like avoiding something,
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don't call yourself lazy.
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Ask yourself what you're afraid of,
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and then take one tiny step anyway!
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Thank you. And yes, I'll start my next talk earlier.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “SEtalk: Procrastination Isn't About Laziness”. This video has 34 sentences and 256 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:55. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| lazy adjective | /ˈleɪ̯zi(ː)/ | Unwilling to do work or make an effort; disinclined to exertion. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| examination noun | /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act of examining. |
| forgive verb | /fɚˈɡɪv/ | To pardon (someone); to waive any negative feeling towards or desire for punishment or retribution against. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| guilt noun | /ɡɪlt/ | Responsibility for wrongdoing. |
| confession noun | /kənˈfɛʃən/ | The open admittance of having done something (especially something bad). |
| psychologist noun | /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/ | An expert in the field of psychology. |
| ridiculously adverb | /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs.li/ | In a ridiculous manner. In a way that is funny, embarrassing or extremely implausible. |
| procrastination noun | /pɹəʊˌkɹæs.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act of postponing, delaying or putting off, especially habitually or intentionally. |
| procrastinate verb | /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/ | To delay taking action; to wait until later. |
| bookshelf noun | /ˈbʊkˌʃɛlf/ | A shelf or shelves for storing books for easy visual reference. |
| boredom noun | /ˈbɔɹ.dəm/ | The state of being bored. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- When I was avoiding work, I wasn't resting.
- We don't avoid the task.
- Think about the task you're avoiding right now.
- What feeling does it give you?
- What if I try my best, and it's still not good enough?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/, confession /kənˈfɛʃən/, procrastination /pɹəʊˌkɹæs.tɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/, ridiculously /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs.li/
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 lazy, anxiety, examination.
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.