Shadowing Practice: Sia - Snowman (Sub. Español + Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 17 sentences and 214 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:25. The speaker talks slowly, about 89 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 86% 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

13 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• tear /tɛɹ/ (verb) — To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
• ear /ˈɪə̯/ (noun) — The organ of hearing, consisting of the pinna or auricle, auditory canal, eardrum, malleus, incus, stapes and cochlea.
• honey /ˈhʌni/ (noun) — A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
• freeze /ˈfɹiːz/ (verb) — Especially of a liquid, to become solid due to low temperature.
• snowman /ˈsnoʊ.mæn/ (noun) — A humanoid figure made with large snowballs stacked on each other. Human traits like a face and arms may be fashioned with sticks (arms), a carrot (nose), and…
• leg /ˈlɛɡ/ (noun) — A limb or appendage that an animal uses for support or locomotion on land.
• snow /snoʊ̯/ (noun) — The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation…
• zero /ˈzɪɹoʊ/ (noun) — The numeric symbol that represents the cardinal number zero.
• till /tɪl/ — Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time).
• forever /fəˈɹɛvɚ/ (adverb) — For all time, for all eternity; for a lifetime; for an infinite amount of time.
• fear /fɪə/ (verb) — To be afraid of (something or someone); to consider or expect (something or someone) with alarm.
• secret /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/ (noun) — A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden.
• carry /ˈkæɹ.i/ (verb) — To lift (something) and take it to another place; to transport (something) by lifting.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, we'll, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like tear, ear, honey.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: