Shadowing Practice: SML Movie: The Final Exam! - Learn English Speaking with Video
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1
All right class, tomorrow is the graduation final exam to graduate, so if you don't pass your exam, you fail, and you don't get your diploma, and you can't go to college!
2
What, graduate?
3
What grade are we in?
4
We're still learning our colors and our fruits.
5
Dude, that's just a poster to remind us.
6
Sometimes I forget.
7
You're a fruit, Cody.
8
Well, yes I am.
9
Now look, Cody, we're 17, you're 18.
10
Jeffy's 21.
11
We're all adults.
12
Wait a minute.
13
Is this a special needs class?
14
Have I always been in special needs classes?
15
All right, Klaus, I just want to warn you that this final exam is going to be really hard.
16
I'm talking really hard.
17
I'm talking really hard.
18
I'm talking really hard.
19
Yeah, I have a question.
20
Is it going to be really hard?
21
Thank you for asking, Cody.
22
Yes, it's going to be really hard.
23
Let me give you an example.
24
You need to know geometry, physics, trigonometry, quantum mechanics.
25
You need to be able to list all the presidents in order, but by the middle name.
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You need to be able to name all the planets.
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You need to know the planet's distance from Earth in inches.
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You also need to draw a periodic table with all the elements and the scientific name.
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And if you're off by one letter, you fail!
30
You also need to draw a map of the entire globe with all the countries and their capitals.
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And you also need to know each country's flag, okay?
32
So make sure you go home and study, and if not, you fail!
33
Well, that sounds easy.
34
What do you mean we have to know every country's flags?
35
How many countries are there?
36
Like seven?
37
195. There's 195 countries?
38
Yeah.
39
I thought we were the only country with a flag.
40
They all have flags.
41
What do they look like?
42
That's so many.
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Some of them have to look similar.
44
Well, probably a little bit.
45
And all the countries have food and money?
46
Well, some more than others, but yeah.
47
Dude, it's going to take like 12 years to learn all this stuff.
48
Well, yeah, that's about how long school is.
49
But they said it was going to be easy.
50
They want us to learn 12 years of school in one night.
51
Well, no, you're supposed to learn it in the 12 years we've been in school.
52
Well, that's so stupid.
53
And what is a periodic table?
54
Like, how many tables do I got to build?
55
What?
56
Like, because it's like, it's a periodic table.
57
So it's a table from each period.
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The Victorian period, the Roman period.
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No, no, no. It's not historical periods.
60
It's like elements.
61
He said a periodic table.
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So, you know how a teacher says, I'll check on you periodically.
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So every once in a while.
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So we have to build a table from each period.
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No, no, it's like the period.
66
We didn't even learn Woodshop.
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We're not building tables.
68
He said a periodic table.
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It's a periodic table of elements.
70
So I gotta build a table out of wood and out of steel.
71
No, no, it's like a list It's like a list of elements.
72
It's like a range.
73
He didn't say a list.
74
He said a table.
75
There's literally a picture of it right there in that door That's a bar graph.
76
It's not a bar graph.
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That's not what a bar graph looks like.
78
That's a chart It is kind of a chart, but it's called a table Where are the chairs, dude?
79
That's not a table.
80
That's a chart.
81
It's not a - listen I can't teach you chemistry right now.
82
This is a desk kind of table Okay, I'm glad you know what tables look like.
83
That's great Damn, that's not a f*ing table, that's a chart.
84
What the hell is he talking about?
85
He called that a chart of elements, not a table of elements.
86
A table of elements would be a table with elements spread out.
87
Listen, that's, that's, okay.
88
Take it up, take it up with science, okay?
89
I didn't make the f*ing thing.
90
Okay, so can you come over to my house and teach me what a table is?
91
I think you know what a table is.
92
I think that's the one thing you have covered.
93
But you're saying that is a table.
94
Okay, I will come over and try as best I can to teach you.
95
Please, because I want to graduate.
96
Yes.
97
I don't think you're going to, and I honestly don't think you deserve to.
98
Because you think that's a table?
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It's what it's called!
100
It's what it says!
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It doesn't look like it, though!
102
I don't care, that's what it's called!
103
You obviously gotta teach us, we're damn confused!
104
Okay, I will try!
105
Okay.
106
Let's go to my house.
107
Please!
108
Okay, alright.
109
Okay, guys, I printed out a list of every country in the world's flag.
110
I printed out the periodic table of elements and every president.
111
Okay, so let's just clarify what a table is, Cody.
112
Joseph, grab a table.
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I know what a table is.
114
Okay, so we print out a picture of a real table.
115
Yeah, authentic table.
116
2000s model.
117
Okay, that is a table.
118
This is the periodic table of elements.
119
Okay, let me just break it down.
120
Maybe from the side, it could look like a bed.
121
A little bit.
122
This is the bed frame.
123
That's the pillow.
124
That's the sheets.
125
It doesn't matter what it looks like.
126
It's a table of elements.
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It's not a table because where would the chairs go?
128
It's so uneven.
129
It's weird.
130
Yeah, horrible design.
131
It doesn't need chairs.
132
It's a table.
133
How are you going to eat that?
134
I think it's a pool.
135
Right.
136
This is the water.
137
No. You dive into it.
138
No, it's none of that.
139
You don't do any of that.
140
You read it and you look at the elements.
141
That's what it's for.
142
You know what?
143
You read a chart.
144
You don't read a table.
145
You read a chart.
146
It should be the periodic chart of elements.
147
Yeah, they could have called it that, but they didn't.
148
They called it a table.
149
Side by side, which one wins best table?
150
Oh, this one, definitely.
151
It doesn't matter which one looks more like a table.
152
This one is called a table of elements.
153
Okay, and what are all these letters?
154
They're the elements.
155
Okay, okay.
156
Hydrogen starts with an H.
157
I like that.
158
Yeah, they get harder.
159
Oh, and then why is gold called AU?
160
It's something to do with Latin.
161
I don't know.
162
Dude, they don't even know they're alphabet.
163
Well, they're the elements it's not the alphabet okay well i i let's let's skip
164
that because i know my president george washington easy Easy cash money.
165
Okay, good.
166
If you know your presidents, then I guess...
167
Yeah, I know all the presidents.
168
Come on, this is going to be a case, bro.
169
Who's that one?
170
Oh, that's George Washington.
171
Big George W.
172
Well, hold on, because George W.
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Bush is a different president.
174
Dude, I didn't say Bush.
175
Open your ear.
176
He said George W is George Washington.
177
It's just kind of a confusing way to remember.
178
Yeah, he cut down cherry trees.
179
He never lied.
180
Yeah, own slaves, all that stuff.
181
Had wooden teeth.
182
Okay, yeah.
183
So, what's his middle name?
184
Oh, Jerry.
185
That's Jerry, boy.
186
George Jerry Washington.
187
Yeah, it is.
188
Yeah, Jerry arrived at cherry.
189
He cut down a cherry tree.
190
George Jerry Washington no he didn't have a middle name he didn't have a middle name the trick question is
191
that he's a first president what does it mean there's a
192
middle name he just didn't have one he deserved one who's this uh uh that's oh that's
193
that ball name he has a name oh Albert Einstein oh
194
yeah miss the light bulb no see Albert Einstein wasn't a president and
195
that was also a couple hundred years later that's not he
196
has Albert Einstein's hair bro that's his bald ass no it's
197
not that's John Adams oh his middle name is Quincy no John Quincy Adams is a different president Bro, my dawg know what he's talking about.
198
That's Quincy.
199
His middle name has to be Quincy.
200
No, that's a different guy.
201
So then who's this?
202
He doesn't have a middle name.
203
He's just John Adams.
204
What?
205
No, no, no, that's wrong.
206
That's wrong.
207
How about this guy?
208
Oh!
209
That's the guy who plays Han Solo in Star Wars.
210
Harrison Ford?
211
Yes, Harrison Ford!
212
That's not Harrison Ford.
213
That's the dude that goes, alright, alright, alright.
214
Matthew McConaughey?
215
Yeah!
216
Neither of those people are presidents!
217
Then who is this?
218
This is Thomas Jefferson.
219
Oh, his middle name's Edison.
220
Thomas Edison Jefferson?
221
Yeah, he made the lightbulb.
222
No, Thomas Edison made the lightbulb and that's a different person.
223
Are they not the same people?
224
No, they're not the same people.
225
This guy was a president.
226
Thomas Edison wasn't a president.
227
So then he's got no lightbulbs in his pocket.
228
No, he doesn't have any lightbulbs.
229
Who's that?
230
That's Thomas Jefferson.
231
He's on the $100 bill.
232
No, he's on the $2 bill.
233
Then who's on the $100 bill?
234
Benjamin Franklin.
235
Then who's this?
236
That's Thomas Jefferson.
237
How many times do I have to say it?
238
What's his middle name then?
239
He doesn't have a middle name.
240
Why does everyone have no middle name?
241
I don't know, okay?
242
He just doesn't.
243
What about this guy?
244
Oh, that's Malfoy's dad in Harry Potter.
245
Lucius Malfoy.
246
Yeah, that's him.
247
Okay, that guy's not real.
248
He's not a president, and that's not who this is.
249
Who is this?
250
This is James Madison.
251
Oh, his middle name is Addison.
252
Oh, nice choice.
253
James Addison Madison?
254
Yeah, he looks like a girl.
255
It's not his name.
256
He doesn't have a middle name.
257
He doesn't have a middle name either?
258
They gotta have middle names, dude.
259
I guess they hadn't been invented yet.
260
What about this guy?
261
That's Matthew McConaughey.
262
Why do you think Matthew McConaughey's a president?
263
Dude, that's Leo Decaf.
264
What are you talking about? but he looks nothing like Leo DiCaprio.
265
What's his name?
266
That was him and Django.
267
That's James Monroe.
268
Oh, his middle name's Marilyn.
269
Oh my God, no. Marilyn Monroe's an actress from way later.
270
So that's not his dad?
271
No, they're not related.
272
Okay, so what's his middle name?
273
He doesn't have them.
274
The first five presidents don't have middle names?
275
No, no, the sixth president was the first one with the middle name, and that was John Quincy Adams.
276
Wait, John Quincy Adams was like the second president?
277
No, John Adams was the second president.
278
John Quincy Adams is the sixth president.
279
They both have the same name?
280
They have a similar name, But John Quincy Adams has a middle name talk about nepotism.
281
What is this?
282
What is this?
283
What do you mean their president?
284
So the first five president on a middle name the sixth one does
285
and he was also the second president He wasn't the second president.
286
They're different people with similar names.
287
They just allow that to yeah But I thought maybe that you only supposed to have two terms.
288
It was rigged.
289
What was rigged?
290
The voting.
291
He's the same guy It's not the same guy.
292
It was just later.
293
He just gave himself a middle name.
294
You know cut his mustache all that extra shit No, you guys clearly don't know presidents.
295
Okay.
296
Well, listen guys.
297
I There's no way I'm gonna.
298
How many more presents are there?
299
Oh, there's like 40 something voices And they all might or may not have middle names some of them do.
300
I'm not gonna remember that dude Okay, you know, I have to learn all these flags and countries names.
301
Yeah, and and I have to learn this swimming pool It's not a swimming pool.
302
It's a chart.
303
Okay.
304
I there's no way I'm gonna learn this I give up dude.
305
I give up they all would fail Okay So I have a way a foolproof way to cheat and pass the test.
306
Do now I'm not gonna tell you it's only one of them What?
307
What do you mean?
308
I have to go get him, and I don't want to tell anyone about...
309
Get him?
310
Get who?
311
There's only one that can help, and I'm going to use it for myself.
312
It's every man for himself.
313
I'm sorry.
314
Dude, I need to cheat, though.
315
Well, use ChatGPT or something, because the way I'm going to cheat, I'm not going to get caught.
316
And so, guys, you'll see me at school tomorrow.
317
I know how I'm going to cheat.
318
What the hell is he talking?
319
I don't even know how to use ChatGPT.
320
All right, class.
321
Today is the graduation final exam to graduate today, and I have the test right here.
322
Also, no phones, because I don't want you cheating.
323
So you're going to put your phones on the desk, and I'm going to come around and pass out the exam.
324
Dude, I was going to use chat GPTG.
325
I'm going to cheat now.
326
Just say you don't have a phone.
327
Ooh, smart.
328
Junior, why are you wearing a chef's hat?
329
Huh, no reason.
330
No, there's probably a reason.
331
Let's just say I have a tiny little brain that's going to give me all the answers during the test.
332
What does that mean?
333
Obviously, you haven't seen movies, Cody.
334
Just shut up.
335
Listen, I'm going to go turn in my phone, and I'm going to pass this test.
336
okay here's my phone here's your test here's my phone don't
337
open it there's a lot of naughty videos about horses on there all right jeffy here's your test
338
here you go all right here your test you're going to come get your test
339
hold on there you are here your test gee thanks okay
340
i'm about to ace this test joseph where's your phone i
341
don't have a phone oh come on now everyone has a
342
phone stop trying to racially profile me i don't have a phone i'm bored all right joseph here's your test but
343
if i catch you with a phone you fail you won't
344
catch me with a phone all right little chef pick up the pencil
345
yep over there right there god damn it what are you doing trying to pick up my pencil
346
you dropped it okay control the fingers i'm trying the fingers
347
pull the other hair i am i'm pulling this hair right here okay
348
that controls that
349
so let me try this okay you gotta bend my back
350
who are you talking to i'm talking to myself trying to
351
remember the answers cody you gotta bend me down bit bend
352
me down i am i am is it working yes you're
353
supposed to you know what i'm just Just ask Penelope for a pencil.
354
Penelope, can I have another pencil?
355
Are you serious?
356
Please?
357
Ugh, fine.
358
Grab the pencil from her.
359
Here you go.
360
Junior, take the pencil.
361
I'm trying.
362
Junior, what the fuck?
363
Take the pencil.
364
Junior, Jesus Christ!
365
Thank you.
366
Jeez, she was a bitch.
367
Now I need you to write, but what are you doing?
368
I'm writing.
369
On the paper, dumbass.
370
I can't see the paper.
371
Maybe if you were to cut me eye holes.
372
You could see how to cook in a fucking movie.
373
Did I just hear a voice come out of your head?
374
That's my voice talking.
375
That wasn't your voice.
376
I was doing an impression of a different voice that knows the answers.
377
Why are you doing that during a test?
378
If you must know, Cody, I got the rat from Ratatouille, and I put him in my hat, and he's going to help me take the test.
379
How the hell did you get the rat from Ratatouille?
380
I called him.
381
He works at a restaurant.
382
What?
383
He just went in your hat?
384
Yes, and he's going to control my arm and write the answer to the test.
385
This is stupid.
386
No, it's working.
387
All right.
388
So, how many U .S presidents have middle names?
389
I don't know.
390
I'm from France.
391
How do you not know?
392
He doesn't know presidents, Junior.
393
He's a French rat okay well I know the first five don't
394
and the sixth one does okay what's the periodic table of elements you have to have
395
that in France I'm a rat man I guess I know
396
gold is AU I know that's AU I don't know what
397
do you know I know how to make ratatouille I didn't
398
say how to fucking make ratatouille I don't know I can't
399
see the test junior all he knows how to do is
400
cook that's all he does oh my god we come on
401
we still have two brains okay um what's quantum physics i
402
don't know what do you know rat i know how to
403
make ratatouille oh my god this was a stupid idea this
404
is a stupid idea didn't you see the movie he only
405
knows food i thought he was a smart right you know stupid uh i'm just having a headache
406
because the test is so hard You're gonna get us caught, stupid rat Now pick up the pencil I'm trying, okay I think I got it this time No, you don't You're not even close No, I have it down Oh,
407
you bitch
408
Joseph, Joseph, grab the hat Kill him Don't kill him
409
It's not his fault He deserved it He didn't know any
410
answers I wanted him off my head He was pulling the shit out of my hair What did you expect?
411
That's what he does Okay Hey, Remy, Remy Remy Yeah Okay, fuck, that's it Is it a little lot?
412
Yeah, okay, okay.
413
Here's what I need you to do.
414
Go control the teacher's hair.
415
So you want me to like go up there and pull his hair?
416
Yeah, yeah.
417
So we're going to turn in our test
418
and then I want you to control the teacher's hair
419
and I want you to grade the test and give us all A's.
420
It doesn't like hypnotize the teacher.
421
He's still going to know you failed.
422
Yeah, that's true.
423
It doesn't hypnotize.
424
Okay, then go claw his eyes out.
425
Jesus, Junior.
426
Well, then he won't be able to see the test and then he'll think that we passed.
427
Dude, he has to do something.
428
I don't want to feel.
429
Man, I don't really want to claw his eyes out.
430
Okay, then go shit near him.
431
So he breathes in your poop and then he gets hantavirus.
432
Man, that hurts my feelings.
433
That's very speciesist.
434
Okay, how about you bite me and you bite Joseph and then you bite us and then we say, teacher, we got bit by a rat and he has to excuse us till tomorrow.
435
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, do that.
436
I mean, you still have to take the test tomorrow, though.
437
Oh, I got an idea, I got an idea.
438
You got an idea?
439
Oh, well, what's he up to?
440
What's he up to?
441
Hey, so those kids over there, they're trying to cheat on your test.
442
That kid with the orange hair put me in his hat
443
and wanted me to give him all the answers and control them.
444
And then that kid in the green, he has a phone.
445
He lied to you when he said he didn't have one.
446
And then the girl, she told him to put it in his desk so you wouldn't know.
447
Oh, f*ing bullshit.
448
Oh, f*ing rat.
449
Of course a rat's gonna rat.
450
That's not fair.
451
That wasn't part of me cheating.
452
That was part of him cheating.
453
I wasn't part of this.
454
I actually studied.
455
It was Cody's idea to put the rat in my hand.
456
No, it wasn't.
457
No, it wasn't.
458
I would accomplish this.
459
That is it.
460
Junior, Joseph, Cody, Penelope, you all failed.
461
Oh, and Jeffy, show me your test.
462
You fail too!
463
You all fail!
464
Dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb!
465
Hell no!
466
No, no, no, no, no!
467
That's bullshit, teacher!
468
I tried to teach them!
469
I actually studied!
470
I was gonna do the test!
471
This!
472
No way!
473
No way I'm gonna fail because of them!
474
Calm down, Cody!
475
No, no!
476
Tell me to calm down!
477
I'm not failing because you idiots!
478
Well, if all of us fail.
479
Yeah, we all go down with the ship, Cody!
480
Well, you are!
481
You sanctified!
482
F*ing ship!
483
I don't want to go down with a ship!
484
I was going to be on a better ship!
485
Since you all fail, you have to show up to summer school if you want to graduate!
486
Summer school?
487
No!
488
No, no, no!
489
I'm tired of this!
490
I'm tired of this bullshit!
491
I'm tired of having to go to summer school because you guys are stupid!
492
Cody, the one person you need to seriously be mad at is that rat.
493
Thank you.
494
Yeah, yeah, yeah, right
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “SML Movie: The Final Exam!”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: table, middle, test, elements. This video has 494 sentences and 3530 words to shadow. The speech runs for 16:00. The speaker talks fast, about 221 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 87 of its 494 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| periodic adjective | /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪk/ | Relative to a period or periods. |
| cheat verb | /ˈt͡ʃiːt/ | To violate rules in order to gain, or attempt to gain, advantage from a situation. |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
| ratatouille noun | /ɹæt.əˈtuː.i/ | A traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish consisting primarily of tomatoes, zucchini and eggplant. |
| examination noun | /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act of examining. |
| graph noun | /ɡɹæf/ | A data chart (graphical representation of data) intended to illustrate the relationship between a set (or sets) of numbers (quantities, measurements or… |
| bend verb | /bɛnd/ | To cause (something) to change its shape into a curve, by physical force, chemical action, or any other means. |
| cherry noun | /ˈt͡ʃɛɹi/ | A small fruit, usually red, black or yellow, with a smooth hard seed and a short hard stem. |
| bite verb | /baɪt/ | To cut into something by clamping the teeth. |
| hypnotize verb | /ˈhɪpnətaɪ̯z/ | To induce a state of hypnosis in. |
| lightbulb noun | /ˈlaɪtˌbʌlb/ | An uninvited third person joining a couple's date who prevents or hinders romantic interactions. |
| claw noun | /klɔ/ | A curved, pointed, horny projection on each digit of the foot of a mammal, reptile, or bird. |
| alphabet noun | /ˈæl.fəˌbɛt/ | The set of letters used when writing in a language. |
| rig noun | /ɹɪɡ/ | The rigging of a sailing ship or other such craft. |
| quantum noun | /ˈkwɑntəm/ | The total amount of something; quantity. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. | |
| calm down verb | To become less excited, intense, or angry. | |
| cut down verb | To cut downward. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| go down with verb | To catch or contract (an illness). | |
| print out verb | To print (a computer document). | |
| come around verb | /kʌ.məˈɹaʊnd/ | To change one's mind, especially to begin to agree or appreciate what one was reluctant to accept at first. |
| come over verb | To affect in a sudden, unprecedented or surprising manner; to overwhelm a person's ordinarily contrary impulse. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What grade are we in?
- Have I always been in special needs classes?
- What do you mean we have to know every country's flags?
- Because you think that's a table?
- Junior, why are you wearing a chef's hat?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | Have I always been · we've been · have covered |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · been invented · was rigged |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was doing · was pulling |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | We're still learning · I'm talking · you're saying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 147 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authentic /ɔˈθɛn.tɪk/, breathe /bɹiːð/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/, moustache /ˈmʌstæʃ/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, chef /ʃɛf/
- Long words — get the stress right: periodic /ˌpɪɹiˈɑdɪk/, ratatouille /ɹæt.əˈtuː.i/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/, hantavirus /ˈhæn.təˌvaɪ.ɹəs/
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 periodic, cheat, pencil.
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.