Shadowing Practice: Sub Urban - Cradles (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 20 sentences and 232 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:28. The speaker talks slowly, about 67 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 75% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• breathe /bɹiːð/ (verb) — To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• scream /skɹiːm/ (verb) — To cry out with a shrill voice; to utter a sudden, sharp outcry, or shrill, loud cry, as in fright or extreme pain; to screech, to shriek.
• cradle /ˈkɹeɪdəl/ (noun) — A bed or cot for a baby, oscillating on rockers or swinging on pivots.
• pocket /ˈpɑ.kɪt/ (noun) — A bag stitched to an item of clothing, used for carrying small items.
• gate /ˈɡeɪ̯t/ (noun) — A doorlike structure outside a house.
• lately /ˈleɪt.li/ (adverb) — Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since.
• belong /bɪˈlɒŋ/ (verb) — To have its proper place.
• consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of eating, drinking or using.
• oxygen /ˈɑksɪd͡ʒən/ (noun) — The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental…
• tension /ˈtɛnʃən/ (noun) — The condition of being held in a state between two or more forces, which are acting in opposition to each other.
• sheep /ˈʃiːp/ (noun) — A woolly ruminant of the genus Ovis.
• lens /lɛnz/ (noun) — An object, usually made of glass, that focuses or defocuses the light that passes through it.
• poorly /ˈpʊɹ.li/ (adverb) — In a poor manner or condition; without plenty, or sufficiency, or suitable provision for comfort.
• whip /ˈwɪp/ (noun) — A lash; a pliant, flexible instrument, such as a rod (commonly of cane or rattan) or a plaited or braided rope or thong (commonly of leather) used to create a…
• skinny /ˈskɪni/ (adjective) — Thin, generally in a negative sense (as opposed to slim, which is thin in a positive sense).

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• burn out (verb) — To destroy by fire.
• cross out (verb) — To strike out (something); to draw a line through (something).

Pronunciation to watch

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

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: consumption /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən/, tension /ˈtɛnʃən/, sheep /ˈʃiːp/, redemption /ɹɪˈdɛmpʃən/, hush /hʌʃ/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like breathe, scream, cradle.