Shadowing Practice: TEMA 5 - KELUARGA (FAMILY) - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “TEMA 5 - KELUARGA”. This video has 43 sentences and 264 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:59. The speaker talks slowly, about 66 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 32% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| yang noun | /ˈjæŋ/ | A principle in Chinese and related East Asian philosophies associated with bright, hot, masculine, etc. elements of the natural world. |
| niece noun | /nis/ | A daughter of one’s sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either the daughter of one's brother ("fraternal niece"), or of one's sister ("sororal niece"). |
| cousin noun | /ˈkʌz(ə)n/ | Chiefly with a qualifying word: Any relation (especially a distant one) who is not a direct ancestor or descendant but part of a person's extended family; a… |
| twin noun | /twɪn/ | Either of two people (or, less commonly, animals) who shared the same uterus at the same time; one who was born at the same birth as a sibling. |
| grandmother noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/ | A mother of someone's parent. |
| nephew noun | /ˈnɛf.ju/ | A son of one's sibling, brother-in-law, or sister-in-law; either a son of one's brother (fraternal nephew) or a son of one's sister (sororal nephew). |
| uncle noun | /ˈʌŋ.kl̩/ | The brother or brother-in-law of one’s parent. |
| grandfather noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/ | A father of someone's parent. |
| aunt noun | /ɑːnt/ | The sister or sister-in-law of one’s parent. |
| symbol noun | /ˈsɪmbəl/ | A character or glyph representing an idea, concept or object. |
| internationally adverb | In an international manner. | |
| vocabulary noun | /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/ | A usually alphabetized and explained collection of words e.g. of a particular field, or prepared for a specific purpose, often for learning. |
| pronounce verb | /pɹəˈnaʊns/ | To declare formally, officially or ceremoniously. |
| grandparent noun | /ˈɡɹæn(d)pɛəɹənt/ | The parent of someone's parent. |
| jugum noun | /ˈd͡ʒuː.ɡəm/ | A connecting ridge or projection, especially on a bone. |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “th” sounds: grandmother /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌmʌðɚ/, grandfather /ˈɡɹæn(d)ˌfɑðɚ/
- Long words — get the stress right: vocabulary /vəˈkæb.jə.lə.ɹi/, orangutan /əˈɹæŋ.əˌtæn/
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 yang, niece, cousin.
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.
















