Shadowing Practice: Stop Thinking and Just DO | Best motivational speech by Benedict Cumberbatch - Learn English Speaking with Video

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39 sentences

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Dear Eva, April 14th.

It's been almost a month since you wrote to me and you have possibly forgotten your state of mind.

I doubt it though.

It seems the same as always.

And being you hate every minute of it.

Don't!

Learn to say fuck you to the world every once in a while.

You have every right to just stop thinking Worrying Looking over your shoulder wondering doubting fearing hurting

Hoping for some easy way out Struggling grasping confusing itching scratching mumbling bumbling grumbling humbling stumbling numbling rambling gambling gambling tumbling Scumbling,

scrambling, hitching, hatching, bitching, moaning, groaning, honing, boning, horse shitting,

hair splitting, nitpicking, piss trickling, nose sticking, ass gouging, eyeball poking,

finger pointing, alleyway sneaking, long waiting, small stepping, evil eyeing, back scratching,

searching, perching, besmirching, grinding, grinding, grinding away at yourself stop it and just do!

From your description, from what I know of your previous work and your ability, the work you were doing sounds very good.

Drawing, clean, clear, but crazy like machines, larger and bolder real nonsense

that sounds fine wonderful real nonsense do more more nonsensical more

crazy more machines more breasts penises cunts whatever make them abound with nonsense try and tickle something inside you your weird humor.

You belong in the most secret part of you.

Don't worry about cool.

Make your own uncool.

Make your own.

Make your own world.

If you fear, make it work for you.

Draw and paint your fear and anxiety

and stop worrying about big deep things such as to decide on a purpose and way of life,

a consistent approach to even some impossible end

or even an unimagined end you must practice being stupid dumb unthinking empty then you will be able to do

and much confidence in you

and even though you are tormenting yourself the work you do

is very good try to do something bad try to do

some bad work the worst thing you could think of

and see what happens but mainly relax

and let everything go to hell you are not responsible for the world you're only responsible for your work

so just do it don't think

that your work has to conform to any preconceived idea form

or flavor it can be anything you want it to be

but if life would be easier for you

if you stopped working then stop don't punish yourself however I think

that This is so deeply ingraining you that it would be better for you to do.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Stop Thinking and Just DO”. This video has 39 sentences and 420 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:23. The speaker talks at a steady 124 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

The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
grind verb	/ˈɡɹaɪnd/	To reduce to smaller pieces by crushing with lateral motion.
gambling noun	/ˈɡæm.bl̩.ɪŋ/	An activity characterized by a balance between winning and losing that is governed by skill and/or chance, usually with money wagered on the outcome.
scratch verb	/skɹæt͡ʃ/	To rub a surface with a sharp object, especially by a living creature to remove itching with nails, claws, etc.
abound verb	/əˈbaʊnd/	To be full to overflowing; to bristle.
alleyway noun	/ˈæ.li.weɪ/	A narrow street formed by the proximity of adjacent buildings.
besmirch verb	/bɪˈsmɝːt͡ʃ/	To make dirty.
bumble verb	/ˈbʌmbəl/	To act or move in an awkward or confused manner (often clumsily, incompetently, or carelessly).
eyeball noun	/ˈaɪ.bɔl/	The ball of the eye.
grumble verb	/ˈɡɹʌmbl̩/	To make a low, growling or rumbling noise, like a hungry stomach or certain animals.
ingrain verb	/ɪŋˈɡɹeɪn/	To dye with a fast or lasting colour.
mumble verb	/ˈmʌmbəl/	To speak unintelligibly or inaudibly; to fail to articulate.
nitpicking noun		The painstaking process of removing nits (lice eggs) from someone's hair.
nonsensical adjective		Without sense; absurd.
preconceived adjective	/ˌpɹiːkənˈsiːvd/	Conceived beforehand: formed ahead of time.
ramble verb	/ˈɹæmbəl/	To move about aimlessly, or on a winding course.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Meaning
look over verb	To check quickly; to make a brief or cursory visual inspection of.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 grind, gambling, scratch.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Stop Thinking and Just DO | Best motivational speech by Benedict Cumberbatch - Learn English Speaking with Video

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