Shadowing Practice: Simple Past Tense Practice | English Speaking Practice | English Practice #learnenglish - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 124 sentences and 765 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:53. The speaker talks slowly, about 97 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• meal /ˈmiːl/ (noun) — Food that is prepared and eaten, usually at a specific time, and usually in a comparatively large quantity.
• wash /wɑʃ/ (verb) — To clean with water.
• cousin /ˈkʌz(ə)n/ (noun) — Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a…
• arrive /əˈɹaɪv/ (verb) — To reach; to get to a certain place.
• invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
• submit /səbˈmɪt/ (verb) — To yield or give way to another.
• workout /ˈwɝk.aʊ̯t/ (noun) — An exercise session; a period of physical exercise.
• relative /ˈɹɛl.ə.tɪv/ (noun) — Someone connected by blood, marriage, or adoption; someone in the same family.
• bedroom /ˈbɛdˌɹum/ (noun) — A room in a house, apartment, hotel, or other dwelling where a bed is kept for sleeping.
• delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/ (adjective) — Pleasing to the sense of taste; tasty.
• destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/ (noun) — The place set for the end of a journey or to which something is sent; place or point aimed at.
• shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
• recipe /ˈɹɛs.ɪ.pi/ (noun) — Any set of instructions for preparing a mixture of ingredients.
• dish /dɪʃ/ (noun) — A vessel such as a plate for holding or serving food, often flat with a depressed region in the middle.
• assignment /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ (noun) — The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go for (verb) — To try for, to attempt to reach.
• bring back /ˈbɹɪŋ bæk/ (verb) — To fetch something.
• get back (verb) — Return to where one came from.
• go after (verb) — To pursue in attempt to catch another.
• go with (verb) — To choose or accept (a suggestion).
• play with (verb) — To fiddle with; make small adjustments to, for example to something mechanical in order to improve its performance.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• talked about (adjective) — Discussed by many people.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: wash /wɑʃ/, delicious /dɪˈlɪ.ʃəs/, destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, shoe /ˈʃu/, dish /dɪʃ/
• Long words — get the stress right: destination /dɛstɪˈneɪʃən/, energetic /ˌɛn.əɹˈdʒɛt.ɪk/

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 meal, wash, cousin.