Shadowing Practice: Speak English Using Easy Words || Graded Reader || Improve Your English Fluency ✅️ - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Speak English Using Easy Words |”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: English, word, sentence, speak, practice. This video has 781 sentences and 6308 words to shadow. The speech runs for 52:39. The speaker talks at a steady 120 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| grammar noun | /ˈɡɹæm.ə(ɹ)/ | A system of rules and principles for the structure of a language, or of languages in general. |
| dialogue noun | /ˈdaɪəˌlɑɡ/ | A conversation or other form of discourse between two or more individuals. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| naturally adverb | /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ | In a natural manner. |
| mindset noun | /ˈmaɪn(d)ˌsɛt/ | A way of thinking; an attitude or opinion, especially a habitual one. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| mirror noun | /ˈmiɹɚ/ | A smooth surface, usually made of glass with reflective material painted on the underside, that reflects light so as to give an image of what is in front of it. |
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables. |
| distress noun | /dɪˈstɹɛs/ | Physical or emotional discomfort, suffering, or alarm, particularly of a more acute nature. |
| combine verb | /kəmˈbaɪn/ | To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite. |
| carefully adverb | /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ | With care; attentively, circumspectly. |
| courage noun | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| move forward verb | To cause to make progress. | |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| go out verb | To leave, especially a building. | |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Are you ready to learn this secret?
- You see how powerful this is?
- Where do you go every day?
- For example, you can say, how much?
- They might say, I'm fine, how are you?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If you say nothing, you will never · if you speak with mistakes, you will improve · If you do this often, you will no |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have already talked · You've done · You've learned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is called · is set |
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | start speaking · started talking · practice connecting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 60 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: perfection /pɚˈfɛk.ʃən/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, celebration /ˌsɛl.ɪˈbɹeɪ.ʃən/, brush /bɹʌʃ/, shopkeeper /ˈʃɑpkiːpɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, complicated /ˈkɑm.plɪˌkeɪ.tɪd/, motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, communicate /kəˈmjuːnɪkeɪt/
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 habit, grammar, dialogue.
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.











