Shadowing Practice: Small, Big, Tall: My Sunflower - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Episode 1My Red Kite: Up and Down
Episode 2Now playingSmall, Big, Tall: My Sunflower
Episode 3Under, Behind, In: Where's the Ball?
Episode 4Big Bubble, Small Bubble: Pop, Pop, Pop!
Episode 5Splash! Jump in the Puddle
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Small, Big, Tall: My Sunflower”. This video has 18 sentences and 98 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:01. The speaker talks slowly, about 96 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
10 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| seed noun | /siːd/ | Any propagative portion of a plant which may be sown, such as true seeds, seed-like fruits, tubers, or bulbs. |
| leaf noun | /lif/ | The usually green and flat organ that represents the most prominent feature of most vegetative plants. |
| sunflower noun | /ˈsʌn.flaʊ.əɹ/ | Any plant of the genus Helianthus, so called probably from the form and color of its floral head, having the form of a large disk surrounded by yellow ray… |
| tall adjective | /tɔl/ | Having great vertical extent (usually reckoned from the bottom of the feet to the very top of the head) when standing. (For instance, somebody with a height of… |
| yellow adjective | /ˈjɛloʊ/ | Of a yellow hue. |
| drink verb | /ˈdɹɪŋk/ | To consume (a liquid) through the mouth. |
| worry verb | /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ | To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. |
| grow verb | /ˈɡɹəʊ/ | To become larger, to increase in magnitude. |
| plant noun | /plɑːnt/ | An organism that is not an animal, especially an organism capable of photosynthesis, and typically a small or herbaceous organism of this kind, rather than a… |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Comparatives -er than / more … than — comparing two things | bigger than · taller than |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't. 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.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like seed, leaf, sunflower.
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.