Shadowing Practice: Shepherds in the Fields near Bethlehem - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Bethlehem means house of bread in Hebrew.
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The town was known for its grain fields running down these slopes.
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After the harvest, shepherds were welcome to bring their animals into these fields to eat the remaining grain and stubble.
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In return, the sheep and goats fertilized the fields for the next planting season.
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In first century Judea, being a shepherd was considered a lowly profession.
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These were the social outcasts.
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That's what makes this next account in the Gospels so special.
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News of Jesus' birth came at night to this field, or one very near here.
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And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.
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An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
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But the angel said to them, Do not be afraid.
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I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.
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Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you.
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He is the Messiah, the Lord.
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This will be a sign to you.
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You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.
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Suddenly, a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven,
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and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.
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The birth announcement of Jesus was not made in Jerusalem to King Herod or to the temple high priest.
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It was made to regular, hard -working shepherds.
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Common men who were having the most amazing evening of their lives were the very first visitors, as was recorded in the Gospel of Luke.
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And so it was when the angels had gone away from them up into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing
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that has come to pass that the Lord has revealed to us
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and they came with haste and found mary and joseph and the babe lying in a manger
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We'll be right back.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Shepherds in the Fields near Bethlehem”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: shepherd, field, angel, Lord. This video has 25 sentences and 347 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:57. The speaker talks at a steady 117 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shepherd noun | /ˈʃɛpəɹd/ | A person who tends sheep, especially a grazing flock. |
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| glory noun | /ˈɡlɔːɹi/ | Great beauty and splendor. |
| grain noun | /ɡɹeɪn/ | The harvested seeds of various grass food crops, especially wheat, maize, rye, barley, and rice. |
| temple noun | /ˈtɛm.pl̩/ | A house of worship dedicated to a polytheistic faith. |
| reveal verb | /ɹɪˈviːl/ | To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden. |
| marry verb | /ˈmæɹi/ | To enter into the conjugal or connubial state; to take a husband or a wife. |
| priest noun | /ˈpɹiːst/ | A religious clergyman (clergywoman, clergyperson) who is trained to perform services or sacrifices at a church or temple. |
| announcement noun | /əˈnaʊns.mənt/ | An act of announcing, or giving notice. |
| praise verb | /pɹeɪz/ | To give praise to; to commend, glorify, or worship. |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| sheep noun | /ˈʃiːp/ | A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis. |
| shine verb | /ʃaɪn/ | To emit or reflect light so as to glow. |
| profession noun | /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/ | A promise or vow made on entering a religious order. |
| babe noun | /beɪb/ | A baby or infant; a very young human or animal. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| run down verb | To hit someone with a car or other vehicle and injure or kill them. |
| watch over verb | To guard and protect. |
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 known · was considered · were terrified |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been born · has come |
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | the highest · the most amazing |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will cause · will be · will find |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shepherd /ˈʃɛpəɹd/, sheep /ˈʃiːp/, shine /ʃaɪn/, profession /pɹəˈfɛʃ.ən/
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 shepherd, angel, glory.
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.