Shadowing Practice: Storyfun for Starters Unit 6 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 24 sentences and 185 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:45. The speaker talks slowly, about 67 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
14 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- gate /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ (noun) — A doorlike structure outside a house.
- duck /dʌk/ (noun) — Any of certain aquatic birds of the family Anatidae, having a flat bill and webbed feet, distinguished from swans and geese by generally being smaller and…
- sheep /ˈʃiːp/ (noun) — A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis.
- cow /kaʊ/ (noun) — An adult female of the species Bos taurus, especially one that has calved.
- potato /pəˈteɪ.təʊ/ (noun) — The edible starchy tuber of the plant species Solanum tuberosum.
- goat /ɡoʊt/ (noun) — Any ruminant of the genus Capra.
- bean /ˈbi(ː)n/ (noun) — Any plant of several genera of the taxonomic family Fabaceae that produces large edible seeds or edible seedpods.
- onion /ˈʌn.jən/ (noun) — A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
- pea /piː/ (noun) — Any of certain plants of the family Fabaceae: Pisum sativum and others.
- farmer /ˈfɑɹ.mɚ/ (noun) — A person who works the land and/or who keeps livestock; anyone engaged in agriculture on a farm.
- cloth /klɒθ/ (noun) — A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
- skirt /skɚt/ (noun) — A separate article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower torso and part of the legs.
- sweater /ˈswɛtɚ/ (noun) — A knitted jacket or jersey, usually of thick wool, worn by athletes before or after exercise.
- pear /pɛɹ/ (noun) — An edible fruit produced by the pear tree, similar to an apple but typically elongated towards the stem.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
- go in (verb) — To become obscured by clouds.
- go on /ˈɡoʊˌɒn/ (verb) — To continue in extent.
- jump in /d͡ʒʌmp ˈɪn/ (verb) — To enter something quickly, usually a mode of transport.
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, I'm. 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 gate, duck, sheep.
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.