Shadowing Practice: Sink or Float? Benny's Big Splash - Learn English Speaking with Video

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22 sentences
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1
Hello, Pippa! Hello, Benny!
2
Hello, Professor Hoot!
3
Let's play a game. Sink or float?
4
Sink or float? What's that?
5
Look. This is a leaf.
6
Does it sink or float?
7
It floats!
8
Yes! The leaf floats.
9
Now this stone. Here it goes!
10
Plop! It sinks!
11
Yes. The stone sinks.
12
Now, what about this apple?
13
Apples are heavy. It sinks!
14
Look, Benny! It floats!
15
Wow! The apple floats too!
16
And me? Do I sink or float?
17
I float! I can swim!
18
Penguins swim very well!
19
My turn! One, two, three!
20
Oh! I'm all wet!
21
Oops! Sorry, Professor Hoot!
22
Big bear, big splash!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Sink or Float? Benny's Big Splash”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: float, sink, apple. This video has 22 sentences and 100 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:07. The speaker talks slowly, about 89 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 7 of its 22 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
float verb/fləʊt/To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object).
sink verb/ˈsɪŋk/To descend or submerge (or to cause to do so) into a liquid or similar substance.
leaf noun/lif/The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants.
swim verb/swɪm/To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means.
splash verb/splæʃ/To hit or agitate liquid so that part of it separates from the principal liquid mass.
penguin noun/ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual…
oops/ups/Used to acknowledge a small mistake or accident.
plop verb/plɑp/To make the sound of an object dropping into a body of liquid.
apple noun/ˈæpəl/The fruit of the tree Malus domestica, chiefly with a green, red, or yellow skin, cultivated in temperate climates for cidermaking, cooking, and eating.
stone noun/stoʊ̯n/A hard earthen substance that can form rocks; especially, such substance when regarded as a building material.
heavy adjective/ˈhɛv.i/Having great weight.
bear verb/bɪɚ/To carry or convey, literally or figuratively.

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 float, sink, leaf.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →