Shadowing Practice: SEtalk: Why We Believe Things That Aren't True - Learn English Speaking with Video
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32 sentences
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1
Let me start with a little test.
2
True or false: a goldfish has a three-second memory.
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Most of you are nodding.
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Don't worry. I believed it for thirty years.
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It's completely false! Goldfish can remember things for months.
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So why did I believe it?
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Not because I checked.
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Because I heard it again and again.
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On TV, from friends, in adverts.
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Psychologists call this the illusory truth effect.
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The more often we hear something, the truer it feels.
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Even when we know, deep down, that it's wrong.
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Our brains confuse "familiar" with "true".
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Now imagine that effect on social media.
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Researchers at MIT studied millions of shares.
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False news spread much faster than true news!
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And it wasn't robots spreading it. It was people like us.
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Lies are simply more surprising, and more exciting to share.
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Well... I'll be honest with you.
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Last year, I shared an article about a miracle diet.
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My aunt tried it, and she felt ill for a week.
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I'm ashamed to say I never read past the headline.
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So what can we actually do?
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I use one simple habit: the ten-second pause.
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Before you share, ask yourself one question.
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"Do I believe this because it's true,
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or because I've heard it a lot?"
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Ten seconds won't fix the internet.
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But if millions of us take that pause,
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lies will travel a little more slowly.
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And the truth might finally catch up!
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “SEtalk: Why We Believe Things That Aren't True”. This video has 32 sentences and 240 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:43. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% 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
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| goldfish noun | /ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ/ | A type of small fish, Carassius auratus, typically orange-colored. |
| pause noun | /pɔːz/ | A temporary stop or rest; an intermission of action; interruption; suspension; cessation. |
| advert verb | /ædvˈɝt/ | To take notice, to pay attention (to). |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| illusory adjective | /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/ | Resulting from an illusion; deceptive, imaginary, unreal. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| nod verb | /nɑd/ | To incline the head up and down, as to indicate agreement. |
| psychologist noun | /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/ | An expert in the field of psychology. |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| headline noun | /ˈhɛd.laɪn/ | The heading or title of a magazine or newspaper article. |
| ashamed adjective | /əˈʃeɪmd/ | Feeling shame or guilt. |
| miracle noun | /ˈmɪɹ.ə.kəl/ | An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin. |
| aunt noun | /ɑːnt/ | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| catch up verb | To pick up suddenly. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: goldfish /ˈɡoʊldfɪʃ/, ashamed /əˈʃeɪmd/
- Long words — get the stress right: illusory /ɪˈluː.sə.ɹiː/, psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/
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 goldfish, pause, advert.
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.