Shadowing Practice: That One Friend Who Makes Everything Awkward - Key & Peele - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 71 sentences and 371 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:47. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 90% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• awkward /ˈɔk.wɚd/ (adjective) — Lacking dexterity in the use of the hands, or of instruments.
• minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/ (noun) — The state or condition of being smaller, inferior, or subordinate to something or someone else; lesserness.
• comic /ˈkɑmɪk/ (noun) — A comedian.
• scary /ˈskɛə.ɹi/ (adjective) — Causing fear or anxiety
• contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/ (noun) — Something given or offered that adds to a larger whole.
• stake /steɪk/ (noun) — A piece of wood or other material, usually long and slender, pointed at one end so as to be easily driven into the ground as a marker or a support or stay.
• adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The process of adapting something or becoming adapted to a situation; adjustment, modification.
• overrated /ˌəʊvəˈɹeɪtɪd/ (adjective) — Given an undue amount of credit for quality or merit in a field; not necessarily related to popularity.
• yikes /jaɪks/ — Expression of shock and alarm.
• preface /ˈpɹɛfəs/ (noun) — A beginning or introductory portion that comes before the main text of a document or book, typically serving to contextualize or explain the writing of the…
• argument /ˈɑɹɡjʊmənt/ (noun) — A fact or statement used to support a proposition; a reason.
• opinion /əˈpɪn.jən/ (noun) — A belief, judgment or perspective that a person has formed, either through objective or subjective reasoning, about a topic, issue, person or thing.
• anyway /ˈɛniweɪ/ (adverb) — Regardless; anyhow.
• actual /ˈækʃuəl/ (adjective) — relating to a person's acts or deeds; active, practical
• conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• hands down (adverb) — without much effort; easily

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 21 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/, actual /ˈækʃuəl/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
• Long words — get the stress right: minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/, contribution /ˌkɑntɹɪˈbjuʃən/, adaptation /ˌæd.æpˈteɪ.ʃən/, overrated /ˌəʊvəˈɹeɪtɪd/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/

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 awkward, minority, comic.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: