Shadowing Practice: SEtalk: Why Kindness Is Contagious - Learn English Speaking with Video
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35 sentences
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1
Has a stranger ever done something kind for you?
2
Maybe they held a door, or they paid for your coffee.
3
How did you feel when it happened?
4
Today, I want to show you that kindness spreads.
5
It moves from person to person, just like a cold!
6
Three years ago, I was having a terrible week.
7
I lost my job on Monday, and it rained all week.
8
On Friday, I missed my bus, and I just wanted to cry.
9
But the driver saw me running, and he stopped!
10
He opened the doors and told me to take my time.
11
It was a tiny thing, but I smiled all the way home.
12
Then something interesting happened.
13
At the supermarket, I saw an old man who dropped his apples.
14
Normally, I'm in a hurry, so I walk past.
15
That day, I stopped and helped him because I remembered the driver.
16
So, is this just a nice story?
17
Actually, scientists have studied it, and the results are surprising.
18
In one study, people played a game with real money.
19
When someone shared their money with the group,
20
the other players shared more in the next games too.
21
Even better, it kept going with completely new people!
22
In Canada, researchers gave people envelopes that had money inside.
23
Some had to spend it on themselves,
24
and others had to spend it on someone else.
25
That evening, the researchers asked everyone how happy they felt.
26
The people who spent money on others felt happier!
27
And it didn't matter if they had five dollars or twenty.
28
Now I try to do one small kind thing every day.
29
Sometimes I pay for the coffee of the person behind me.
30
I never know where it goes next, but I like to imagine it.
31
If you want to change the world, start small.
32
Hold the door, say thank you, or help someone carry a bag.
33
Kindness is contagious.
34
So, let's make it spread!
35
Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “SEtalk: Why Kindness Is Contagious”. This video has 35 sentences and 323 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:00. The speaker talks at a natural 161 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| kindness noun | /ˈkaɪnd.nəs/ | The state of being kind. |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
| hurry verb | /ˈhʌ.ɹi/ | To do things quickly. |
| envelope noun | /ˈɛnvə(ˌ)loʊp/ | A paper or cardboard wrapper used to enclose small, flat items, especially letters, for mailing. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| contagious adjective | /kənˈteɪ.d͡ʒəs/ | Easily transmitted to others. |
| twenty noun | /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i] | The numbers twenty (20) to twenty-nine (29). |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| strange adjective | /stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/ | Not normal; odd, unusual, surprising, out of the ordinary, often with a negative connotation. |
| tiny adjective | /ˈtaɪni/ | Very small. |
| dollar noun | /ˈdɑ.lɚ/ | Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere… |
| normally adverb | /ˈnɔː.mə.li/ | Under normal conditions or circumstances; usually; most of the time |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Has a stranger ever done something kind for you?
- How did you feel when it happened?
- Normally, I'm in a hurry, so I walk past.
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 | man who dropped · people who spent |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | had to spend |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, twenty /ˈtwɛnti/ [-ɛɾ̃i]
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 kindness, researcher, scientist.
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.