Shadowing Practice: "She Is Our Caesar" | The Crown (Olivia Colman, Charles Dance) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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46 sentences
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The End Gentlemen,
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In the past decade alone, there have, by my reckoning, been 73 coups in 46 different countries around the world.
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And the success of some of these might encourage us.
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In Ghana, two years ago, President Nkrumah was ousted with just 500 men.
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And in 1961, in South Korea, Major General Park Chung-hee seized power with 3,500 men.
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And in 1964, in Gabon,
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just 150 men were able to arrest President Umba and thus gain control over the levers of state power.
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And of course, it was with just one legion that Caesar crossed the Rubicon.
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And perhaps we would not seek to follow his fate.
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A sic semper tyrannis gentleman.
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Now what all successful insurgencies have in common are five key elements.
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Control of the media, control of the economy, and the capture of administrative targets for which you need the fourth element,
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the loyalty of the military.
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Now, in Ghana and Gabon, this can be achieved with a handful of battalions.
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But here, in the United Kingdom, we would need to secure parliament,
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Whitehall, the Ministry of Defence, and the Cabinet Office.
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The Prime Minister would be arrested, of course, along with other politicians still loyal still loyal.
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We would have to shut down the airports, air traffic control.
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Same with the train stations.
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Curfews will be put in place, martial law declared.
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And I haven't even mentioned the police.
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It would take tens of thousands of unquestioningly loyal servicemen.
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And even in my heyday, I could never command that.
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Which brings me to the fifth element, legitimacy.
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Now, our government draws its strength from long-established institutions that support it.
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The courts, body of common law, the Constitution.
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If any action against the state to succeed, you'd have to overthrow these as well.
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But in a highly evolved democracy such as ours, their authority is sacrosanct.
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Which is why, gentlemen, a coup d'etat in the United Kingdom doesn't stand a chance.
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Unless...
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Unless...
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Unless we had the support of the one person not yet mentioned.
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Do you see the temperament?
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Here we like to let our...
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The Crown has at its disposal unique constitutional powers, which could still make something like this possible.
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In 1834, William IV used them to dismiss his government in the face of opposition from the House.
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And in 1920, the Emergency Powers Act was passed,
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which gave the sovereign power in certain circumstances to declare a state of emergency by proclamation,
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meaning our Queen could dissolve Parliament and appoint a new government and a prime minister as well.
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She's also commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
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They swear allegiance to her and not to parliament, so could count on their support to see it through.
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She is our Caesar.
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And you think she might entertain this idea?
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The circumstances are certainly compelling.
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I've made a list here of exactly how compelling.
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And as her second cousin, I am in an ideal position to ask.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “"She Is Our Caesar"”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: loyal, element, parliament, unless. This video has 46 sentences and 488 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:48. The speaker talks slowly, about 102 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 82% 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 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| compel verb | /kəmˈpɛl/ | To overpower; to subdue. |
| circumstance noun | /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ | Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event. |
| coup noun | /ku/ | A quick, brilliant, and highly successful act. |
| declare verb | /dɪˈklɛɚ/ | To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically. |
| curfew noun | /ˈkɝ.fju/ | Any regulation requiring people to be off the streets and in their homes by a certain time. |
| dissolve verb | /dɪˈzɑlv/ | To terminate a union of multiple members actively, as by disbanding. |
| heyday noun | /ˈheɪdeɪ/ | A period of success, popularity, or power; prime. |
| insurgency noun | /ɪnˈsɝd͡ʒənsi/ | rebellion; revolt; the state of being insurgent |
| proclamation noun | /ˌpɹɑkləˈmeɪʃən/ | A statement which is proclaimed; formal a public announcement. |
| sacrosanct adjective | /ˈsæk.ɹoʊˌsæŋkt/ | Beyond alteration, criticism, or interference, especially due to religious sanction; inviolable. |
| serviceman noun | A man who serves in the armed forces. | |
| temperament noun | /ˈtɛm.pɚ.ə.mənt/ | A person's usual manner of thinking, behaving or reacting. |
| unquestioningly adverb | Without asking questions or having doubts. With complete obedience and without making any opposition. | |
| overthrow verb | /ˌoʊvɚˈθɹoʊ/ | To bring about the downfall of (a government, etc.), especially by force; to usurp. |
| legitimacy noun | /ləˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/ | The quality or state of being legitimate or valid; validity. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| shut down verb | To close, terminate, or end; to stop operating, either permanently or temporarily. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was ousted · can be achieved · would be arrested |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | haven't even mentioned · I've made |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as doesn't, haven't, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: proclamation /ˌpɹɑkləˈmeɪʃən/, martial /ˈmɑɹʃəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: insurgency /ɪnˈsɝd͡ʒənsi/, proclamation /ˌpɹɑkləˈmeɪʃən/, temperament /ˈtɛm.pɚ.ə.mənt/, legitimacy /ləˈd͡ʒɪtɪməsi/
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 compel, circumstance, coup.
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.