Shadowing Practice: story 26 Molly Cant fall asleep - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “story 26 Molly Cant fall asleep”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sheep, Molly, count, asleep, hundred. This video has 23 sentences and 150 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:05. The speaker talks slowly, about 72 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sheep noun | /ˈʃiːp/ | A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis. |
| asleep adjective | /əˈsliːp/ | In a state of sleep; also, broadly, resting. |
| trick noun | /ˈtɹɪk/ | Something designed to fool, dupe, outsmart, mislead or swindle. |
| flock noun | /flɑk/ | A large number of animals associated together in a group; commonly used of sheep, but (dated) also used for goats or other livestock animals, or sometimes any… |
| jump verb | /d͡ʒʌmp/ | To propel oneself rapidly upward, downward and/or in any horizontal direction such that momentum causes the body to become airborne. |
| teach verb | /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ | To pass on knowledge to. |
| count verb | /kaʊnt/ | To recite numbers in sequence. |
| hundred noun | /ˈhʌn.dɹəd/ | A hundred-dollar bill, or any other note denominated 100 (e.g. a hundred euros). |
| imagine verb | /ɪˈmæd͡ʒ.ɪn/ | To form a mental image of something; to envision or create something in one's mind. |
| sit verb | /sɪt/ | To move oneself into such a position. |
| begin verb | /bɪˈɡɪn/ | To start, to initiate or take the first step into something. |
| lie verb | /laɪ̯/ | To rest in a horizontal position on a surface. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| lie down verb | To assume a horizontal position. |
| sit up verb | To assume a sitting position from a position lying down. |
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 sheep, asleep, trick.
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.