Shadowing Practice: The Magic School Bus - Gets Lost in Space - Ep. 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 503 sentences and 3038 words to shadow. The speech runs for 25:52. The speaker talks at a steady 117 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 81% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| asteroid noun | /ˈæst(ə)ɹɔɪd/ | A naturally occurring solid object, which is smaller than a planet and a dwarf planet, larger than a meteoroid and not a comet, that orbits a star and often… |
| cloud noun | /ˈklaʊ̯d/ | A visible mass of water droplets suspended in the air. |
| unusual adjective | /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/ | Not usual, out of the ordinary. |
| hint noun | /hɪnt/ | A clue. |
| astronaut noun | /ˈæstɹəˌnɔt/ | A member of the crew of a spaceship or other spacecraft that travels beyond Earth's atmosphere, or someone trained to serve that purpose. |
| 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… |
| dust noun | /dʌst/ | Fine, dry particles of matter found in the air and covering the surface of objects, typically consisting of soil lifted up by the wind, pollen, hair, fiber… |
| gravity noun | /ˈɡɹævɪti/ | Of an activity such as a ceremony, a person's conduct, etc.: the quality of being deeply serious and solemn, especially in a dignified manner; seriousness… |
| pile noun | /paɪl/ | A mass of things heaped together; a heap. |
| orbit noun | /ˈɔɹ.bɪt/ | An elliptical movement of an object about a celestial object or Lagrange point, especially a periodic elliptical revolution. |
| bone noun | /boʊn/ | A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates. |
| acid noun | /ˈæsɪd/ | A sour substance. |
| breathe verb | /bɹiːð/ | To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases. |
| climb verb | /ˈklaɪ̯m/ | To traverse a slope or contour, either upwards (ascending) or downwards (descending). |
| scientist noun | /ˈsaɪəntəst/ | One whose activities make use of the scientific method to answer questions regarding the measurable universe. A scientist may be involved in original research… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come along verb | To accompany. | |
| come on in verb | Synonym of come in (“to enter”). | |
| come up verb | To emerge or become known, especially unexpectedly. | |
| pull up verb | /ˌpʊl ˈʌp/ | To lift upwards or vertically. |
| call ahead verb | Synonym of phone ahead. | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| come up to verb | To approach. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | If it weren't for you, I'd still |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | we've traveled · We've made · we've been |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | air, which makes · planet, which is · dust, which has |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are called · is colored |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 110 contractions and reduced forms, such as we're, I'm, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: breathe /bɹiːð/, sixth /sɪksθ/, eighth /eɪtθ/, ninth /naɪnθ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, fiction /ˈfɪkʃən/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, interruption /ˌɪntəˈɹʌpʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, ridiculous /ɹɪˈdɪk.jə.ləs/, artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/, temporarily /ˌtɛmpəˈɹɛɹəli/
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 asteroid, cloud, unusual.
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.











