Shadowing Practice: Sydney's 20-year plan targets eastern density surge | 7NEWS - Learn English Speaking with Video
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23 sentences
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We can show you tonight the 20 -year plan for a fast -growing Sydney and some are not going to like it.
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Under the state government's blueprint, the city's east will be the focus of a major increase in density to house an extra 1 .3 million people.
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Sydney 2046, a city surging past 6 .6 million people and they'll all need somewhere to live.
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Government does not want to repeat the mistakes of the past
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which led to Sydney having the second least affordable housing on the planet.
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Today announcing the 20 -year Sydney plan.
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It will set out how our city should be, not for us just today, but also for our children and our grandchildren.
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We need more houses in the east, more jobs in the west, and open space for everybody.
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Almost a million more jobs will be created, many in the west in suburbs like Parramatta, Liverpool, Bradfield and Campbelltown.
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There'll be 1 .3 million new residents needing 800 ,000 homes.
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But the Sydney Basin is full, girt by sea, national parks and mountains.
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The only way is up, with Sydney's east to do the heavy lifting, transforming both sides of the harbour.
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Change can be confronting.
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Some parts of the east and the lower north shore have been quite vocal in their opinions on greater density.
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Some people in Mossman have said that they're too dense already.
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Councils like Walara say it's too much.
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Craming an additional 36 ,000 people, it's not realistic and it's not feasible either.
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The plan's got to be more comprehensive than this and it's got to include the infrastructure.
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Constructing all these homes will be a mammoth task and we're already behind.
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Developers are now calling on all levels of government to reduce fees
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and red tape and boost incentives to get more people into the trades and supply chains that Sydney will need.
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800 ,000 new homes over 20 years, that's 40 ,000 new homes each and every year.
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Currently we're delivering only 20 ,000 homes a year.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Sydney's 20-year plan targets eastern density surge”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Sydney, homes, east. This video has 23 sentences and 320 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:58. The speaker talks at a natural 163 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| density noun | /ˈdɛn.sə.ti/ | A measure of the mass of matter contained by a unit volume. |
| infrastructure noun | /ˈɪnfɹəˌstɹʌkt͡ʃə/ | An underlying base or foundation for a building, organization, or system. |
| tape noun | /teɪ̯p/ | Flexible material in a roll with a sticky surface on one or both sides; adhesive tape. |
| boost verb | /buːst/ | To lift or push from behind (one who is endeavoring to climb); to push up. |
| resident noun | /ˈɹɛzɪdənt/ | A person, animal or plant living at a certain location or in a certain area. |
| comprehensive adjective | /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/ | Broadly or completely covering; including a large proportion of something. |
| shore noun | /ʃɔɹ/ | Land adjoining a non-flowing body of water, such as an ocean, lake or pond. |
| announce verb | /əˈnaʊn(t)s/ | To give public notice of, especially for the first time; to make known. |
| affordable adjective | /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/ | Able to be afforded; inexpensive or reasonably priced. |
| developer noun | /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/ | A person or entity engaged in the creation or improvement of certain classes of products. |
| realistic adjective | /ˌɹɪəˈlɪs.tɪk/ | Expressed or represented as being accurate, practicable, or not idealistic. |
| vocal adjective | /ˈvoʊ̯.kəl/ | Of, pertaining to, or resembling the human voice or speech. |
| transform verb | /tɹænsˈfɔɹm/ | To change greatly the appearance or form of. |
| construct verb | /ˈkɑn.stɹʌkt/ | To build or form (something) by assembling parts. |
| dense adjective | /ˈdɛns/ | Having relatively high density. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| set out verb | /ˈsɛt‿aʊt/ | To explain something, or give exact details, usually in writing. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, there'll, they'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: infrastructure /ˈɪnfɹəˌstɹʌkt͡ʃə/, comprehensive /ˌkɑm.pɹəˈhɛn.sɪv/, affordable /əˈfɔɹ.də.bəl/, developer /dɪˈvɛləpɚ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like density, infrastructure, tape.
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.