Shadowing Practice: The Coopers’ Last Words Before a Black Hole | Young Sheldon - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
85 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
I can't understand why you wouldn't want to come back to the university.
2
Science is a young man's game.
3
But we could work on something together.
4
If you average out our ages, we're a lean mean 41 and a half.
5
Still too old to be bagging groceries.
6
I know it's unorthodox, but I'm enjoying it.
7
For real, this time of year?
8
There's not a cloud in the sky.
9
Information is still coming in, but a black hole has been detected in Waxahachie, Texas.
10
Oh my lord.
11
Sources report it was caused by the super collider.
12
The black hole is growing exponentially across Texas, destroying everything in its path.
13
This is an emergency situation.
14
Repeat, this is an emergency situa- John, what did we do?
15
There's nothing we can do.
16
He's right.
17
It's going to create a gravitational field that'll consume everything around it.
18
Should we evacuate?
19
We can't.
20
We could never outrun it.
21
Well, how much time do we have?
22
Minutes, at best. That is good.
23
It's okay, baby.
24
We need to pray right now.
25
You do that, I'm having a beer.
26
Oh, everybody hold hands.
27
Heavenly Father, watch out for us.
28
I don't want to spend my last moments on Earth praying.
29
Yeah, if we only got a few minutes left, I want to spend it talking to y'all.
30
You were all the light of my life, and I love you so much.
31
Daddy.
32
Oh, I got you.
33
I'm not letting go.
34
Never said it enough, but I love y'all.
35
Kids, you've made me a very proud father.
36
I'm not ready.
37
There's so many things I want to do.
38
Well, you better pick one right now.
39
Okay, um...
40
And I just want to say I'm sorry for the time I was bad.
41
And any time I was mean to Shulman.
42
It's okay.
43
It's just so funny when he's upset.
44
But I'm still sorry about it.
45
I'm sorry, too.
46
Deb, I've been awful, especially to you.
47
I know you haven't.
48
I have.
49
It was good.
50
Okay, we are done talking.
51
I love you all, but it is really time to pray.
52
Our call is to our defense.
53
We will be done.
54
Vaccine and smoke.
55
Now we'll be done. On Earth.
56
Is that really what would happen if there was a black hole?
57
One of the possibilities.
58
John.
59
Yeah?
60
You doing okay?
61
Well, getting fired was tough.
62
But I'm glad to be back here in town.
63
I'm glad you're back too.
64
But if you feel yourself slipping again, promise me you'll get some help.
65
I promise.
66
Oh good.
67
I worry about you.
68
You do? Of course. That means a lot.
69
Well, this is me.
70
Guess I'll be seeing you next time you go shopping.
71
I'll look forward to it.
72
Connie.
73
Yeah?
74
Tuesdays are double coupons.
75
Good to know.
76
We often regret the things we don't say.
77
There's a lot of things I wish I had said to my dad while he was around. That I appreciated him. That I loved him.
78
Which is why I'm grateful for the times I did tell him how I felt.
79
Tonight was fun.
80
Yeah?
81
Why is that?
82
Dr. Sturgis was here.
83
Everybody talked about science.
84
It was nice.
85
It was.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Same Channel
B126
"Being a dad doesn't mean your life is over." #YoungSheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B216
Sheldon’s Funeral Speech for His Dad | Young Sheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
Cooper Family Lessons | Young Sheldon Compilation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B11
A Mother-Daughter Bond Like Mary and Missy | Young Sheldon Compilation
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B13
"Did somebody really die?" #YoungSheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
A fully fresh chicken dinner. #YoungSheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B24
Georgie Meets Mandy’s Parents | Young Sheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Mary Cannot Enjoy Her New Hobby in Peace | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B22
Sheldon insults Meemaw's cookies. #YoungSheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
B14
One Minute from Every Episode: Season 2 | Young Sheldon Compilation
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Sheldon Refuses to Ever Get in a Car Again | Young Sheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B276
Sheldon Pesters the Grocery Clerks | Young Sheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
Meemaw Gets Shaken Down by an Officer | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B17
Veronica Comes to Live with the Coopers | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B16
Missy Is Smarter Than Sheldon | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B16
Sheldon Destroys the Refrigerator | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
The Coopers Get Real Patriotic | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B11
One Minute from Every Episode: Season 6 | Young Sheldon Compilation
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B15
The One Time Sheldon Didn’t Want His Mom Around | Young Sheldon
American AccentTeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B16
George taunts Georgie with orange juice to prove a point. #YoungSheldon
American AccentDaily ConversationWorking Adults
FOR YOU
Recommend Video
B21
1063 sentences
1 Hour of ‘The Big Bang Theory’ to Help You Decompress From People
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B23
55 sentences
Does Anyone Have A Plan? | Fifty-One | Breaking Bad
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
80 sentences
The Most Heartbreaking Messages Across 23 Years
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B17
137 sentences
The Scenes Where They Break Character | Friends
American AccentDaily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B22
75 sentences
Dr. Hofstadter meets Mrs. Cooper | The Big Bang Theory
American AccentDaily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B24
104 sentences
Howard's Very Last Speech | Plan And Execution | Better Call Saul
American AccentBusiness EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B11
82 sentences
THE MITCHELLS VS. THE MACHINES "Perfect Poseys" Clip
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B21
103 sentences
Jensen Ackles vs. Technology😂
Daily ConversationWorking Adults
B119
63 sentences
When She Tries To Make You Her "Safe Option" (Stoic Reality Check)
Business EnglishDaily ConversationUniversity Students
B12
53 sentences
Two Single Dads Realize They Messed Up | Two and a Half Men
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Coopers’ Last Words Before a Black Hole”. This video has 85 sentences and 534 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:15. The speaker talks at a steady 125 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| collider noun | /kəˈlaɪdɚ/ | Any of several forms of particle accelerator in which two opposing beams of particles collide. |
| exponentially adverb | /ɛkspə(ʊ)ˈnɛnʃəli/ | In an exponential manner. |
| gravitational adjective | /ˌɡɹævɪˈteɪʃənəl/ | Pertaining to, or caused by, gravity or gravitation. |
| outrun verb | /ˈaʊtɹʌn/ | To run faster than. |
| unorthodox adjective | /ʌnˈɔɹθədɑks/ | Unusual, unconventional, or idiosyncratic. |
| evacuate verb | /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/ | To leave or withdraw from; to quit; to retire from. |
| groceries noun | /ˈɡɹoʊ.s(ə.)ɹiz/ | Retail foodstuffs and other household supplies; the commodities sold by a grocer or in a grocery store. |
| heavenly adjective | /ˈhɛvənli/ | Of or pertaining to Heaven, the eternal celestial abode of God or the gods. |
| coupon noun | /ˈkuːˌpɑn/ | A section of a ticket, showing the holder to be entitled to some specified accommodation or service, as to a passage over a designated line of travel, a… |
| consume verb | /kənˈsum/ | To use up. |
| vaccine noun | /vækˈsin/ | A substance given to stimulate a body's production of antibodies and provide immunity against a disease without causing the disease itself in the treatment… |
| detect verb | /dɪˈtɛkt/ | To discover or find by careful search, examination, or probing. |
| lean verb | /ˈliːn/ | To incline, deviate, or bend, from a vertical position; to be in a position thus inclining or deviating. |
| slip verb | /ˈslɪp/ | To lose one’s traction on a slippery surface; to slide due to a lack of friction. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| look forward to verb | To anticipate, expect, or wait for, especially with a feeling of approval or pleasure; to be excited or eager to. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I know it's unorthodox, but I'm enjoying it.
- There's nothing we can do.
- You do that, I'm having a beer.
- Kids, you've made me a very proud father.
- There's so many things I want to do.
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | has been detected · was caused · will be done |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been detected · you've made · I've been |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | that'll consume · will be · we'll be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm enjoying · is still coming · is growing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 25 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, can't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exponentially /ɛkspə(ʊ)ˈnɛnʃəli/, gravitational /ˌɡɹævɪˈteɪʃənəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: exponentially /ɛkspə(ʊ)ˈnɛnʃəli/, gravitational /ˌɡɹævɪˈteɪʃənəl/, unorthodox /ʌnˈɔɹθədɑks/, evacuate /ɪˈvæk.ju.eɪt/
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 collider, exponentially, gravitational.
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.