Shadowing Practice: Study motivation from Elle Woods | Legally Blonde - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Oh my god.
2
What are you doing?
3
Reading about the LSATs.
4
The LSATs are an exam.
5
Girls, I'm going to Harvard.
6
No, I'm going to Harvard Law School.
7
Why?
8
Okay, once Warner sees me as a serious law student, he'll totally want me back.
9
It's a completely brilliant plan.
10
But isn't it hard to get into law school?
11
Well, I have the highest GPA in Delta Nu.
12
A. Neither type of opera or neither type of rap is on sale.
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B. Neither type of jazz or neither type of opera is on sale.
14
C. Neither type of opera and neither type of horror.
15
Hey.
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Mm -mm.
17
Okay, okay.
18
Get set and go!
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143 She
20
does have a 4 .0 from CULA, and she got a 179 on her LSATs.
21
A fashion major?
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Well, sir, we've never had one before, and aren't we always looking for diversity?
23
Her list of extracurricular activities is impressive.
24
She was in a Ricky Martin video.
25
Clearly, she's interested in music.
26
She also designed a line of faux fur panties for her sorority's charity project.
27
Uh -huh.
28
She's a friend to the animals, as well as a philanthropist.
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Elle Woods, welcome to Harvard.
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The world will spring for me
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That sometimes they can't see I'm taking full control I'm making
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it on my own This time I love this one It's Chanel Better watch out for I'm gonna knock out
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And I won't stop till I'm on top now She's doing good I'm gonna give up It's Chanel Yeah, what's mine Better check that I'm about to uptake
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And I'm hot now So you better step back I'm taking over So watch me She's out You filed a claim.
35
What next?
36
Ms. Woods?
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Don't you need to have evidence?
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And what kind of evidentiary support does this case require?
39
Welcome back.
40
We're talking with Frank Wilkins, Mark Jacobson and Richard Roberts.
41
In the article, we're going to talk about all sorts of things, corrupt cops.
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I believe you've just won your case.
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Ms. Woods, you did well today.
44
I can't believe it, Warner.
45
We got it.
46
That only needs one for...
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Me!
48
Me!
49
Come in.
50
Are you done with that deposition yet?
51
Oh, yeah, here, take it.
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I've read it, like, 20 times.
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Elle, how did you know that Chutney was lying?
54
Because she's brilliant, of course.
55
The rules of hair care are simple and finite.
56
Any Cosmo girl would have known.
57
Elle!
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Elle, Elle, Elle.
59
What?
60
I just wanted to say that you were so brilliant in there.
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I've waited so long to hear you say that. but
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if I'm going to be a partner in a law firm
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by the time I'm 30 I need a boyfriend who's not such a complete bonehead thank you boys congratulations class of 2004
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we did it
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Study motivation from Elle Woods”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Elle, neither, type, Lsats, Harvard. This video has 64 sentences and 462 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:02. The speaker talks slowly, about 92 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 12 of its 64 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| opera noun | /ˈɒp.ə.ɹə/ | A theatrical work, combining drama, music, song and sometimes dance. |
| evidentiary adjective | /ˌɛvɪˈdɛnʃiˌɛɹi/ | Of or pertaining to evidence. |
| extracurricular adjective | /ˌɛkstɹəkəˈɹɪkjʊlə(ɹ)/ | Outside of the normal curriculum of an educational establishment. |
| philanthropist noun | A person who loves humankind in general. | |
| uptake noun | /ˈʌpteɪk/ | Understanding; comprehension. |
| deposition noun | /ˌdɛp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/ | The removal of someone from office. |
| faux adjective | /foʊ/ | Fake or artificial. |
| panties noun | Underpants for women and girls. | |
| finite adjective | /ˈfaɪ.naɪt/ | Having an end or limit; (of a quantity) constrained by bounds; (of a set) whose number of elements is a natural number. |
| corrupt adjective | /kəˈɹʌpt/ | Willing to act dishonestly for personal gain; accepting bribes. |
| examination noun | /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act of examining. |
| jazz noun | /d͡ʒæz/ | A musical art form rooted in West African cultural and musical expression and in the African American blues tradition, with diverse influences over time… |
| diversity noun | /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/ | The quality of being diverse or different; a difference or unlikeness. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). | |
| knock out verb | To strike or bump (someone or something) out. | |
| step back verb | /stɛp ˈbæk/ | To stop what one is doing and evaluate the current situation. |
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What are you doing?
- Don't you need to have evidence?
- I believe you've just won your case.
- Are you done with that deposition yet?
- I've waited so long to hear you say that.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've never had · you've just won · I've read |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | are you doing · aren't we always looking · I'm taking |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna knock · gonna give · we're going to talk |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | he'll totally · won't stop |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: evidentiary /ˌɛvɪˈdɛnʃiˌɛɹi/, deposition /ˌdɛp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: evidentiary /ˌɛvɪˈdɛnʃiˌɛɹi/, extracurricular /ˌɛkstɹəkəˈɹɪkjʊlə(ɹ)/, deposition /ˌdɛp.əˈzɪʃ.ən/, examination /ɪɡˌzæm.ɪˈneɪ.ʃən/, diversity /daɪˈvɜː(ɹ)sɪti/
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 opera, evidentiary, extracurricular.
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.