Shadowing Practice: The Mentalist - The best filicidal confession...EVER! - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 40 sentences and 275 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:10. The speaker talks at a steady 126 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 82% 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 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• defend /dɪˈfɪnd/ (verb) — To ward off attacks against (something or someone).
• bone /boʊn/ (noun) — A composite material consisting largely of calcium phosphate and collagen and making up the skeleton of most vertebrates.
• reveal /ɹɪˈviːl/ (verb) — To uncover; to show and display that which was hidden.
• confirm /kənˈfɝm/ (verb) — To strengthen; to make firm or resolute.
• spell /spɛl/ (noun) — Words or a formula supposed to have magical powers.
• tissue /ˈtɪʃ.(j)u/ (noun) — Thin, woven, gauzelike fabric.
• goodbye /ɡʊdˈbaɪ/ — Farewell; a formula used to another person or persons when the speaker, writer, or person addressed is departing.
• denial /dɪˈnaɪ.əl/ (noun) — An assertion of untruth.
• dense /ˈdɛns/ (adjective) — Having relatively high density.
• confront /kənˈfɹʌnt/ (verb) — To stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with.
• hallway /ˈhɔlˌweɪ/ (noun) — A corridor in a building that connects rooms.
• circumstance /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ (noun) — Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event.
• smack /smæk/ (verb) — To slap or hit someone.
• clumsy /ˈklʌmzi/ (adjective) — Awkward, lacking coordination, not graceful, not dextrous.
• fingerprint /ˈfɪŋɡɚˌpɹɪnt/ (noun) — The natural pattern of ridges on the tips of human fingers, unique to each individual.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
• put up with (verb) — To endure, tolerate, suffer through, or allow, especially something annoying.
• shut up /ʃʌt ʌp/ — Stop talking (usually in the form of making annoying, irrelevant, or false comments, during a period of peace and quiet, or when one is not allowed to talk)…
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• throw away (verb) — To discard (trash, garbage, or the like), to toss out, to put in the trash.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, wouldn't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

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 defend, bone, reveal.