Shadowing Practice: Tanya’s opinion on humans - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Rationalism and pragmatism are not the only things that drive human actions.

At our cores, we are all still foolish creatures.

You're suggesting that humans are merely beasts?

That we're still slaves to our baser instincts without care for logic?

I hate to be the one who has to tell you this, Lieutenant Colonel, but what you just said is exactly right.

Preposterous.

What evidence do you have?

Knowledge of history.

Though I guess I really mean my own history.

I have seen hatred for some.

It burned in the eyes of a man, promising retribution no matter what the cost.

I have seen the moment when a talented soldier lost all reason and gave himself overtaking.

I have witnessed countless accidents.

They were driven by fury.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 14 sentences and 127 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:49. The speaker talks at a natural 155 words per minute, close to everyday conversation.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
soldier noun	/ˈsoʊld͡ʒɚ/	A member of a ground-based army, of any rank, but especially an enlisted member.
merely adverb	/ˈmɪəli/	Without any other reason etc.; only, just, and nothing more.
slave noun	/sleɪv/	A person who is held in servitude as the property of another person, and whose labor (and often also whose body and life) is subject to the owner's volition…
talented adjective	/ˈtæləntɪd/	Endowed with one or more talents.
beast noun	/biːst/	Any four-footed land mammal.
hatred noun	/ˈheɪtɹɪd/	A strong aversion; an intense dislike.
countless adjective	/ˈkaʊntləs/	Synonym of uncountable.
fury noun	/ˈfjʊɹ.i/	Extreme anger.
foolish adjective	/ˈfuː.lɪʃ/	Lacking good sense or judgement as a general trait; unwise; stupid.
instinct noun	/ˈɪn.stɪŋkt/	A natural or inherent impulse or behaviour.
overtake verb	/əʊ̯vəːˈteɪ̯k/	To pass a slower moving object or entity (on the side closest to oncoming traffic).
pragmatism noun	/ˈpɹæɡmətɪzəm/	The pursuit of practicality over aesthetic qualities; a concentration on facts rather than emotions or ideals.
preposterous adjective	/pɹəˈpɑstəɹəs/	Absurd, or contrary to common sense.
rationalism noun	/ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəlɪzəm/	The theory that reason is a source of knowledge independent of and superior to sense perception.
retribution noun	/ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/	Punishment inflicted in the spirit of moral outrage or personal vengeance.

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	have seen · have witnessed
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	were driven
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	one who has

Pronunciation to watch

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: foolish /ˈfuː.lɪʃ/, rationalism /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəlɪzəm/, retribution /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: pragmatism /ˈpɹæɡmətɪzəm/, preposterous /pɹəˈpɑstəɹəs/, rationalism /ˈɹæʃ(ə)nəlɪzəm/, retribution /ˌɹɛt.ɹɪˈbju.ʃən/

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 soldier, merely, slave.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Tanya’s opinion on humans - Learn English Speaking with Video

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