Shadowing Practice: Something Is Hunting My Dogs... - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Something Is Hunting My Dogs..”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Jerry, Tom, Pickles, fake. This video has 824 sentences and 3806 words to shadow. The speech runs for 28:41. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 182 of its 824 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| timeline noun | /ˈtaɪmˌlaɪn/ | A graphical representation of a chronological sequence of events (past or future). |
| heck | /hɛk/ | Hell. |
| pup noun | /pʌp/ | A young dog, wolf, fox, seal, bat or shark, or the young of certain other animals. |
| ritual noun | /ˈɹɪt͡ʃ.u.əl/ | A rite; a repeated set of actions, especially in religious contexts. |
| gosh | /ɡɑːʃ/ | A mild expression of surprise or enthusiasm. |
| suffer verb | /ˈsʌfɚ/ | To undergo hardship. |
| buddy | /ˈbʌdi/ | A person far removed from the conversation. |
| basement noun | /ˈbeɪsmənt/ | A floor of a building below ground level. |
| reset verb | /ɹiːˈsɛt/ | To set back to the initial state. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| weakness noun | /ˈwik.nɪs/ | The condition of being weak. |
| transform verb | /tɹænsˈfɔɹm/ | To change greatly the appearance or form of. |
| eternity noun | /əˈtɜɹnəti/ | Existence without end, infinite time. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| listen up verb | To listen closely; to pay attention. | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| shut up | /ʃʌt ʌp/ | Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)… |
| stay back verb | /steɪˈbæk/ | To remain (at work, school, organisation, country, etc.) after normal hours |
| turn around verb | To physically rotate (usually around a vertical axis) for a half turn (180 degrees), a whole turn (360 degrees), or an indefinite amount. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You don't even know why I'm happy, do you?
- I'm gonna find you okay?
- Let's do this again, shall we?
- I'll be right back, alright?
- Is he making what I think he's making?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | you've been killing · I've been keeping |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | it's been · We've been · I've never made |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is turned |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep acting · keep coming · stop trying |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 150 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, gotta. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: gosh /ɡɑːʃ/, illusion /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/, foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, shave /ˈʃeɪ̯v/, redemption /ɹɪˈdɛmpʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: eternity /əˈtɜɹnəti/, differently /ˈdɪf.ə.ɹənt.li/, importantly /ɪmˈpɔɹ.tənt.li/, ingredient /ɪnˈɡɹiːdi.ənt/, impersonate /ɪmˈpɜːsəneɪt/
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 timeline, heck, pup.
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.












