Shadowing Practice: [ TED Ed - Song ngữ ] Lợi ích của sự mơ mộng _ PHẦN 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video

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19 sentences
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On a
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daily basis, you spend between a third and half your waking hours daydreaming.
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That may sound like a huge waste of time, but scientists think it must have some purpose, or humans wouldn't have evolved to do so much of it.
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So to figure out what's going on here, let's take a closer look at the mind wanderer in chief, the bored teenager.
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Wouldn't it be cool to discover something, anything, like even this plant?
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Just to be one of those explorers who sails around drawing stuff for years on end and everyone thinks they're a genius?
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But does anyone even do that anymore?
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Is there anything left to discover?
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And would I be tough enough to deal with the dysentery or scurvy or piranhas or whatever?
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I barely have the endurance to make it through track practice. But I will.
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Any day now, I'll have the discipline to show up before sunrise and practice.
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I'll win all my races.
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Winning will become so easy I'll pick up other events just for fun.
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And once I'm in the Olympics, they'll have no choice but to crown me team captain, which I will graciously accept.
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And will I be nasty to the teammate who yelled at me?
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No. I'll just calmly say, hope you're in a better mood.
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Okay.
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Yours and other people's daydreams might sound or feel something like that.
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Let's see what was going on.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 19 sentences and 238 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:37. The speaker talks at a steady 147 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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:

WordPronunciationMeaning
discover verb/dɪˈskʌvə/To find or learn something for the first time.
mood noun/muːd/A mental or emotional state, composure.
genius noun/ˈd͡ʒin.jəs/Someone possessing extraordinary intelligence or skill; especially somebody who has demonstrated this by a creative or original work in science, music, art…
discipline noun/ˈdɪsəplɪn/A controlled behaviour; self-control.
nasty adjective/ˈnæs.ti/Dirty, filthy.
scientist noun/ˈsaɪəntəst/One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research…
teenager noun/ˈtiːnˌeɪ̯d͡ʒə/A person between thirteen and nineteen years old (inclusive).
sail noun/seɪl/A piece of fabric attached to a boat and arranged such that it causes the wind to drive the boat along. The sail may be attached to the boat via a combination…
bore verb/boɹ/To inspire boredom in somebody.
explorer noun/ɛkˈsplɔːɹə(ɹ)/One who explores something
yell verb/jɛl/To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement.
teammate noun/ˈtiːmˌmeɪt/One who is on the same team.
sunrise noun/ˈsʌnɹaɪz/The time of day when the sun appears above the eastern horizon.
evolve verb/ɪˈvɑlv/To move (something) in regular procession through a system.
endurance noun/ɪnˈdʊɹəns/The measure of a person's stamina or persistence.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordMeaning
figure out verbTo come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
pick up verbTo lift; to grasp and raise.
show up verbTo appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, wouldn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 discover, mood, genius.

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 →