Shadowing Practice: The impossible ring sizing - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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1
Sometimes I really want to say no to a job.
2
This was one of those times.
3
The customer asked me straight up if I wanted to do it, and honestly, I told him no. So I quoted him $2,000 hoping he'd walk, but he didn't even flinch.
4
It's his wedding band.
5
Decades old, but hasn't been on his hand in over 10 years.
6
It needed to go up two full sizes.
7
Anyone can do that.
8
The problem was he wanted it seamless.
9
He didn't even think it was possible until one of my videos showed up in his feed.
10
That's when he decided I'm the guy for the job.
11
Normally I'm happy to carve a design from solid metal, But the braids on this ring are so open and full of voids that carving would never match.
12
So I cut the ring, stretched it open, and soldered in a solid block of white gold.
13
Then I spent an hour carving out a flat section before I even touched any wires.
14
Some jewelers spend their entire careers doing wire work, but I ain't one of them.
15
This was uncharted territory for me.
16
I spun up the twists in a power drill.
17
It went pretty smooth, but the braids took much thicker wire.
18
I held them in place with a vise, bent them with pliers, and hammered down each one to get them as tight as possible.
19
Then I sent it through the rolling mill, curved it in my ring bender, and spent a while figuring out where to cut it so it lines up evenly.
20
Oh, and these are all my failed attempts.
21
Real gold, by the way.
22
I placed them in and laser welded the three sections from the top.
23
The laser does a great job, but I still need solder to fill in the hard-to-reach crevices.
24
So I coated everything with whiteout.
25
It acts as a heat shield thanks to the titanium dioxide.
26
Now the solder has nowhere else to go but down into the gaps.
27
All that was left was cleaning up the welds, trimming the side rails, and polishing the ring inside and out.
28
The ultrasonic gets rid of the demon energy.
29
Standard procedure.
30
Even though I never wanted this job, I got to learn something new, and I'm pretty thrilled that the seams are about as invisible as they can get.
31
The ring's sitting right at 11 and 3 quarters now, and it better fit perfectly, because I do not want to do this again.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The impossible ring sizing”. This video has 31 sentences and 417 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:34. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| solder noun | /ˈsɒl.də(ɹ)/ | Any of various easily melted alloys, commonly of tin and lead, that are used to mend, coat, or join metal objects, usually small. |
| braid noun | /bɹeɪd/ | A weave of three or more strands of fibers, ribbons, cords or hair often for decoration. |
| weld verb | /wɛld/ | To join two materials (especially two metals) together by applying heat, pressure and filler, either separately or in any combination. |
| carving noun | /ˈkɑɹvɪŋ/ | A carved object. |
| laser noun | /ˈleɪzɚ/ | A device that produces a monochromatic, coherent beam of light. |
| bender noun | /ˈbɛndɚ/ | One who, or that which, bends. |
| crevice noun | /ˈkɹɛvɪs/ | A narrow crack or fissure, as in a rock or wall. |
| flinch verb | /ˈflɪnt͡ʃ/ | To make a sudden, involuntary movement in response to a (usually negative) stimulus; to cringe; to blench. |
| jeweler noun | /ˈd͡ʒuːələ(ɹ)/ | A person whose job is making, repairing or selling jewelry. |
| pliers noun | /ˈplaɪ.ə(ɹ)z/ | A pincer-like gripping tool that multiplies the strength of the user's hand, often used for bending things. |
| seamless adjective | Having no seams. | |
| ultrasonic adjective | /ʌltɹəˈsɒnɪk/ | Beyond (higher in frequency than) the range of sound perceptible to the human ear; with a frequency of 20 kilohertz or higher. |
| uncharted adjective | Not surveyed or mapped. | |
| whiteout noun | /ˈwaɪtˌaʊt/ | A heavy snowstorm; a blizzard. |
| titanium noun | /taɪˈteɪni.əm/ | A chemical element (symbol Ti), atomic number 22; it is a strong, corrosion-resistant transition metal, used to make light alloys for aircraft etc. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| clean up verb | To make an area or a thing clean; to pick up a mess; to tidy. | |
| figure out verb | To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce. | |
| go up verb | To move upwards. | |
| line up verb | /laɪnˈʌp/ | To align; to put in alignment; to put in correct adjustment for smooth running. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, ain't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: ultrasonic /ʌltɹəˈsɒnɪk/, titanium /taɪˈteɪni.əm/, invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/
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 solder, braid, weld.
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.