Shadowing Practice: Steve Jobs on Consulting - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Steve Jobs on Consulting”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: picture, owning, fraction, recommendations, worked. This video has 28 sentences and 276 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:11. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| recommendation noun | /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/ | An act of recommending. |
| fraction noun | /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/ | A part of a whole, especially a comparatively small part. |
| dimensional adjective | /daɪˈmɛn.ʃə.nəl/ | Of or pertaining to dimensions. |
| banana noun | /bəˈnænə/ | An elongated curved tropical fruit of a banana plant, which grows in bunches and has a creamy flesh and a smooth skin. |
| consult verb | /ˈkɑnsʌlt/ | To seek the opinion or advice of another; to take counsel; to deliberate together; to confer; to advise. |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| extend verb | /ɛkˈstɛnd/ | To increase in extent. |
| tissue noun | /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/ | Thin, woven, gauzelike fabric. |
| implementation noun | /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/ | The process of moving an idea from concept to reality. In business, engineering and other fields, implementation refers to the building process rather than the… |
| expense noun | /ɪkˈspɛns/ | A spending or consuming, often a disbursement of funds. |
| variable adjective | [ˈvæɹ.i.ə.bl̩] | Able to vary or be varied. |
| steak noun | /steɪk/ | Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling. |
| vegetarian noun | /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/ | A person who does not eat animal flesh, or, in some cases, use any animal products. |
| peach noun | /ˈpiːt͡ʃ/ | Any tree of species Prunus persica, native to China and now widely cultivated throughout temperate regions, having pink flowers and edible fruit. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Where are the rest of you from?
- You can say, look, I've worked in bananas.
- You're also a variable expense.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as I've, don't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, fraction /ˈfɹæk.ʃən/, dimensional /daɪˈmɛn.ʃə.nəl/, tissue /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/, implementation /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/, dimensional /daɪˈmɛn.ʃə.nəl/, implementation /ˌɪmplɪmənˈteɪʃən/, vegetarian /vɛ.d͡ʒɪˈtɛ.ɹi.ən/, inherently /ɪnˈhɛɹəntli/
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 recommendation, fraction, dimensional.
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.