Shadowing Practice: Short-Term vs. Long-Term Business - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Short-Term vs. Long-Term Business”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: term, leaders, generation. This video has 13 sentences and 175 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:01. The speaker talks at a natural 172 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 94% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
10 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| restore verb | /ɹɪˈstoɹ/ | To reestablish, or bring back into existence. |
| obsess verb | /əbˈsɛs/ | To be preoccupied with a single topic or emotion. |
| vision noun | /ˈvɪʒ.ən/ | The sense or ability of sight. |
| leader noun | /ˈliː.də(ɹ)/ | Any person who leads or directs. |
| generation noun | /ˌd͡ʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/ | The act of creating something or bringing something into being; production, creation. |
| focus noun | /ˈfoʊ̯.kəs/ | A point at which reflected or refracted rays of light converge. |
| opportunity noun | /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/ | A chance for advancement, progress or profit. |
| hurt verb | /hɝt/ | To cause (a person or animal) physical pain and/or injury. |
| fuel noun | /ˈfjuːəl/ | Substance consumed to provide energy through combustion, or through chemical or nuclear reaction. |
| shape noun | /ˈʃeɪ̯p/ | The status or condition of something |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've seen · has become |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as we've, don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: vision /ˈvɪʒ.ən/, generation /ˌd͡ʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/, shape /ˈʃeɪ̯p/
- Long words — get the stress right: generation /ˌd͡ʒɛnəˈɹeɪʃən/, opportunity /ˌɒp.əˈtjuː.nɪ.tɪ/
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 restore, obsess, vision.
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.