Shadowing Practice: SEtalk: Why We Hate Being Wrong - Learn English Speaking with Video
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35 sentences
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1
Let's begin with a little puzzle.
2
I'm thinking of a rule, and 2, 4, 6 fits it.
3
What's the rule? I suspect you've already got a guess.
4
Hold on to it. We'll come back to it later.
5
In 1960, the psychologist Peter Wason gave volunteers this puzzle.
6
They could test any three numbers and hear yes or no.
7
So they tried 8, 10, 12, then 20, 22, 24. Yes, and yes!
8
Hardly anyone tried a sequence that could prove them wrong.
9
The real rule? Any three numbers that go up!
10
Only about one in five got it right first time.
11
In 1979, researchers at Stanford went a step further.
12
They gathered strong supporters and strong opponents of the death penalty.
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Everyone read the same two studies, one for and one against.
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You'd expect mixed evidence to soften their views, wouldn't you?
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Instead, each side found its own study far more convincing.
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And both groups left more certain than before!
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Psychologists call this confirmation bias.
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We don't test our ideas. We defend them.
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And here's the uncomfortable part.
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Being wrong feels exactly like being right — until you find out.
21
Why do we cling so tightly? Part of the answer is biology.
22
In 2016, scientists challenged people's political beliefs inside a brain scanner.
23
Areas linked to emotion and threat became noticeably more active.
24
To your brain, being challenged can feel like being attacked.
25
I learned this the hard way.
26
As a junior analyst, I forecast that our biggest client would grow.
27
For six weeks, I collected every number that agreed with me.
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A colleague warned me twice. I brushed her off.
29
The client halved its orders, and our whole team paid for it.
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I wasn't stupid. I was just very busy being right.
31
So before your next big decision, ask one question:
32
What would change my mind?
33
Then run the one test that could prove you wrong.
34
And buy coffee for the friend who always disagrees with you.
35
Thank you.
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Episode 1Why You Should Talk to Strangers
Episode 2Stop Saying "I'm So Busy"
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Episode 4The Surprising Power of Being Bored
Episode 5Procrastination Isn't About Laziness
Episode 6Your Accent Is Not a Mistake
Episode 7Why We Believe Things That Aren't True
Episode 8Why Humans Still Need Rituals
Episode 9The Myth of the Lone Genius
Episode 10The Trap of "I'll Be Happy When…"
Episode 11Sleep Is Not a Waste of Time
Episode 12The Surprising Strength of Weak Ties
Episode 13The Science of Saying Thank You
Episode 14Now playingWhy We Hate Being Wrong
Episode 15What Silence Says
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “SEtalk: Why We Hate Being Wrong”. This video has 35 sentences and 316 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:18. The speaker talks at a steady 137 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 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| psychologist noun | /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/ | An expert in the field of psychology. |
| puzzle noun | /ˈpʌzəl/ | The state of feeling confused or mystified because one cannot understand a complicated matter, a problem, etc.; bewilderment, confusion; (countable) often in… |
| noticeably adverb | In a noticeable way. | |
| soften verb | /ˈsɑfən/ | To make something soft or softer. |
| scanner noun | /ˈskænə/ | One who scans. |
| tightly adverb | /ˈtaɪtli/ | In a tight manner. |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| warn verb | /woɹn/ | To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. |
| analyst noun | /ˈænəlɪst/ | Someone who analyzes. |
| supporter noun | /səˈpɔɹ.tɚ/ | A person who supports, promotes, advocates or champions a cause, movement, or political party; an adherent. |
| confirmation noun | /ˌkɑn.fəɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/ | An official indicator that things will happen as planned. |
| forecast noun | /ˈfɔːkɑːst/ | An estimation of a future condition. |
| disagree verb | /dɪsəˈɡɹi/ | To fail to agree; to have a different opinion or belief. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Let's begin with a little puzzle.
- I suspect you've already got a guess.
- You'd expect mixed evidence to soften their views, wouldn't you?
- Why do we cling so tightly?
- What would change my mind?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: psychologist /ˌsaɪˈkɑl.ə.d͡ʒɪst/, confirmation /ˌkɑn.fəɹˈmeɪ.ʃən/
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 psychologist, puzzle, noticeably.
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.