Shadowing Practice: The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This (Lyrics) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Chainsmokers & Coldplay - Something Just Like This”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: somebody, books, fairytale, superhuman, superhero. This video has 25 sentences and 306 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:23. The speaker talks slowly, about 70 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 6 of its 25 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| superhero noun | /ˈs(j)upɚhɪɹoʊ/ | Any fictional crime-fighting character, often with supernatural powers or equipment, in popular children's and fantasy literature; a fictional hero who does… |
| legend noun | /ˈlɛd͡ʒ.ənd/ | The life story of a saint (such stories are often embellished, but any kind is called a legend). |
| myth noun | /mɪθ/ | A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are… |
| bliss noun | /blɪs/ | Perfect happiness. |
| arise verb | /əˈɹaɪz/ | To come up from a lower to a higher position. |
| fist noun | /fɪst/ | A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward. |
| eclipse noun | /ɪˈklɪps/ | An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter. |
| superhuman adjective | Beyond what is possible for a human being. | |
| somebody | /ˈsʌmˌbədi/ | Some unspecified person. |
| gift noun | /ɡɪft/ | Something given to another voluntarily, without charge. |
| stupid adjective | /ˈstjuːpɪd/ | Lacking in intelligence. |
| fit verb | /fɪt/ | To be suitable for. |
| clearly adverb | /ˈklɪɚli/ | In a clear manner. |
| moon noun | /mun/ | Any natural satellite of a planet. |
| suit noun | /sut/ | A set of clothes to be worn together, now especially a man's matching jacket and trousers (also business suit or lounge suit), or a similar outfit for a woman. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | I've been reading |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm not looking · I'm looking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as wanna, I'm, I've. 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 superhero, legend, myth.
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.