Shadowing Practice: Taylor Swift - Shake It Off (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
I say I'm too late, got nothing in my brain That's what people say,
2
mm-mm, that's what people say, mm-mm I go on too many dates,
3
but I can't make them stay At least that's what people say, mm-mm, that's what people say,
4
mm-mm But I keep cruising,
5
can't stop, won't stop moving It's like I got this music in my mind saying it's gonna be alright
6
Cause the player's gonna play, play, play, play, play And the hater's gonna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, baby I'm just gonna shake,
7
shake, shake, shake, shake Shake it off, shake it off Heartbreak is gonna break, break, break, break, break And the fake is gonna fake,
8
fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake And shake it off,
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and shake it off I'll never miss a beat I'm lightning on my feet And that's what they don't see
10
That's what they don't see
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I'm dancing on my own I'll make them moves up as I go And that's what they don't know Mm-mm,
12
that's what they don't know Mm-mm, but I keep cruising Can't stop,
13
won't stop grooving It's like I got this music in my mind Saying it's gonna be alright Cause the players wanna play,
14
play, play, play, play And the haters wanna hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, hate, baby I'm just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake Shake it all,
15
shake it all Heartbreak is gonna break, break, break, break, break And I think it's gonna fake, fake, fake, fake, fake, baby I'm just gonna shake,
16
shake, shake, shake, shake Shake it all, shake it all Shake it all, shake it all I, I, I, I, I Shake it all,
17
shake it all Shake it all, shake it all I shake your eye, I shake your eye Hey,
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hey, hey Just think, while you've been getting down and out About the liars and the dirty,
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dirty cheeks of the world You could've been getting down to this sick beat My ex-man brought his new girlfriend She's like,
20
oh my god, but I'm just gonna shake
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And to the fella over there with the hella good hair Won't you come on over, baby, we can shake, shake,
22
shake Cause the day is gonna break, break, break, break Hate, haes gonna hate,
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hate, hate, just gonna shake I shake it all, I shake it all How the break is gonna break,
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break, break, break And the break is gonna fake, break, break The door is gonna shake, shake, shake, shake Shake it off, shake it off
25
And shake it off, shake it off Shake it off,
26
shake it off Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Taylor Swift - Shake It Off”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: shake, break, hate, fake, baby. This video has 26 sentences and 453 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:31. The speaker talks at a steady 129 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| shake verb | /ˈʃeɪk/ | To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly. |
| cruise noun | /kɹuz/ | A sea or lake voyage, especially one taken for pleasure. |
| lightning noun | /ˈlaɪt.nɪŋ/ | A flash of light produced by short-duration, high-voltage discharge of electricity within a cloud, between clouds, or between a cloud and the earth. |
| liar noun | /ˈlaɪ.ɚ/ | Someone who tells a lie; especially, a person who frequently lies. |
| cheek noun | /t͡ʃiːk/ | The soft skin on each side of the face, below the eyes; the outer surface of the sides of the oral cavity. |
| groove noun | /ɡɹuv/ | A long, narrow channel or depression; e.g., such a slot cut into a hard material to provide a location for an engineering component, a tire groove, or a… |
| fella noun | /fɛ.lə/ | Used as a general intensifier; a pfella. |
| fake adjective | /feɪ̯k/ | Not real; false, fraudulent. |
| dirty adjective | /ˈdɝti/ | Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime. |
| girlfriend noun | /ˈɡɝlfɹɛnd/ | A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. |
| brain noun | /ˈbɹeɪ̯n/ | The control center of the central nervous system of an animal located in the skull, consisting of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem, which is responsible… |
| dance noun | /dæns/ | A sequence of rhythmic steps or movements usually performed to music, for pleasure or as a form of social interaction. |
| sick adjective | /ˈsɪk/ | In poor health; ill. |
| foot noun | /fʊt/ | A biological structure found in many animals that is used for locomotion and that is frequently a separate organ at the terminal part of the leg. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come on over verb | to visit someone's home or other location. | |
| get down verb | /ɡɛt ˈdaʊn/ | To bring or come down; to descend; to cause to bring or come down. |
| get down to verb | To start focusing on doing something serious | |
| move up verb | To promote, put onto a higher level. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Verb + -ing enjoy, keep, stop… + -ing — verbs that are followed by the -ing form | keep cruising · stop moving · stop grooving |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna be · gonna play · gonna break |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | won't stop · I'll never miss · I'll make |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 43 contractions and reduced forms, such as gonna, I'm, don't. 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 shake, cruise, lightning.
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.