Shadowing Practice: Start This Habit to Change Your Body Forever | Senada Greca - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 306 sentences and 3400 words to shadow. The speech runs for 20:27. The speaker talks at a natural 166 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 84% 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| incorporate verb | /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/ | To include (something) as a part. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| muscle noun | /ˈmʌs.əl/ | A contractile form of tissue which animals use to effect movement. |
| density noun | /ˈdɛn.sə.ti/ | A measure of the mass of matter contained by a unit volume. |
| longevity noun | /lɒnˈd͡ʒɛv.ɪ.ti/ | The quality of being long-lasting, especially of life. |
| habit noun | /ˈhæb.ɪt/ | An action performed on a regular basis. |
| highlight verb | /ˈhaɪˌlaɪt/ | To make prominent; emphasize. |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| reward noun | /ɹɪˈwɔɹd/ | Something of value given in return for an act. |
| calorie noun | /ˈkæləɹi/ | A non-SI unit of energy, equivalent to 4.184 kilojoules, that can raise the temperature of a kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. This is the unit normally… |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
| strictly adverb | /ˈstɹɪktli/ | In a strict manner. |
| pharmaceutical adjective | /ˌfɑː.məˈs(j)uː.tɪ.kl̩/ | Of or relating to pharmacy or pharmacists. |
| hormone noun | /ˈhoɹmoʊn/ | Any substance produced by one tissue and conveyed by the bloodstream to another to effect physiological activity. |
| symptom noun | /ˈsɪm(p)təm/ | A perceived change in some function, sensation or appearance of a person that indicates a disease or disorder, such as fever, headache or rash; strictly, a… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
| back off verb | To move backwards away from something. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. | |
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. | |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| move around verb | To relocate to new homes repeatedly; to not live in any one place for long. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 92 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: aesthetics /ɛsˈθɛt.ɪks/, marathon /ˈmæɹəθən/, tooth /tuθ/, strengthen /ˈstɹɛŋ(k)θən/, psychotherapy /ˌsaɪkoʊˈθɛɹəpi/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: nutrition /njuːˈtɹɪʃ.ən/, meditation /mɛdɪˈteɪʃn̩/, crucial /ˈkɹuː.ʃəl/, shoe /ˈʃu/, brush /bɹʌʃ/
- Long words — get the stress right: incorporate /ɪŋˈkɔɹ.pɚ.eɪt/, longevity /lɒnˈd͡ʒɛv.ɪ.ti/, pharmaceutical /ˌfɑː.məˈs(j)uː.tɪ.kl̩/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/, anxiety /æŋˈzaɪ.əti/
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 incorporate, bone, muscle.
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 I'm not working out, I'll go |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has become · you've trained · there's been |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is proven · is reached · be addicted |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | game, which are · workout, which is |
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.
































