Shadowing Practice: Six Months with an Electric Car: My Honest Review - Learn English Speaking with Video
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27 sentences
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1
Six months ago, I sold my old petrol car.
2
And I bought my very first electric car.
3
Everyone keeps asking me the same question: was it worth it?
4
So here's my honest review, the good and the bad.
5
Let's start with the best part: charging at home!
6
I plug it in at night, just like my phone.
7
By the morning, the battery's full again.
8
And because electricity's cheaper overnight, it costs almost nothing!
9
Honestly, I haven't been to a petrol station since March.
10
But then came my first long trip, to visit my sister.
11
It was three hundred miles up the motorway.
12
Halfway there, the battery dropped much faster than I expected.
13
Oh no, I thought. What if I don't make it?
14
I pulled into a service station, and both chargers were broken!
15
Ugh, I had to wait forty minutes at the next one.
16
So yes, range anxiety is real, especially in winter.
17
Okay, on a happier note, the driving is brilliant.
18
It's so quiet, it feels like floating.
19
Actually, it's almost too quiet.
20
Last week, I picked my gran up from the shops.
21
She got in, waited a bit, and asked, "Is it broken?"
22
Ha! We'd already been driving for a whole minute!
23
So, would I ever go back to petrol?
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Well... the car itself was expensive to buy.
25
And long journeys need a bit more planning.
26
But day to day, it's cheaper, quieter, and so much more relaxing.
27
So no, I wouldn't go back. Not a chance.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Six Months with an Electric Car: My Honest Review”. This video has 27 sentences and 249 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:40. The speaker talks at a natural 150 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| petrol noun | /ˈpɛt.ɹəl/ | A fluid consisting of a mixture of refined petroleum hydrocarbons, primarily consisting of octane, commonly used as a motor fuel. |
| anxiety noun | /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/ | An unpleasant state of mental uneasiness, nervousness, apprehension and obsession or concern about some uncertain event. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| forty adjective | /ˈfoɹti/ | Resembling or characteristic of a fort. |
| overnight adverb | /əʊvə(ɹ)ˈnaɪt/ | During or throughout the night, especially during the evening or night just past. |
| plug noun | /plʌɡ/ | A pronged connecting device which fits into a mating socket, especially an electrical one. |
| halfway adverb | /ˌhæfˈweɪ/ | Half of the way between two points. |
| float verb | /fləʊt/ | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). |
| charger noun | /ˈt͡ʃɑɹd͡ʒɚ/ | A device that charges or recharges. |
| gran noun | /ɡɹæn/ | A grandmother. |
| motorway noun | /ˈməʊtəweɪ/ | A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic (in Europe motor vehicles… |
| quiet adjective | /ˈkwaɪ̯.ət/ | With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise. |
| journey noun | /ˈd͡ʒɝni/ | A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage. |
| brilliant adjective | /ˈbɹɪl.jənt/ | Shining brightly. |
| battery noun | /ˈbæt.əɹi/ | A device used to power electric devices, consisting of one or more electrically connected electrochemical cells or (archaically) electrostatic cells. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, haven't, we'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 petrol, anxiety, relax.
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.