Shadowing Practice: The Mission to the Sun - Part 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Previously on Solar Balls, the planets of the solar system leave their orbits to join the rogue planets.
2
Leaving only the Earth, Sun, and Luna in the solar system.
3
Meanwhile, a lonely astronaut is on his way home.
4
You seem cheerful today, Astro Dude.
5
Well, I'm just excited, computer.
6
Now that the other situation is wrapped up, I can join whatever adventures the planets are up to.
7
Not long ago you were afraid of the talking planets.
8
Yeah, I feel like I'm getting used to it.
9
Sure, they sometimes get involved in some drama, but it's usually not that bad.
10
H- H- H- H- H- H- H- H- H- H- H- H- Wha- H- What?
11
Where- Where is- Earth!
12
Where did everyone go?
13
They all left.
14
Left?
15
Left what?
16
The solar system.
17
They're rogue planets now.
18
You abandon me!
19
Become rogue planets!
20
Anything is better than this.
21
They.. actually left?
22
But.. but they can't!
23
They're supposed to orbit around me!
24
Son, there is no way things are supposed to work.
25
The universe is chaotic, entropy and all that.
26
Planets can become rogue planets and vice versa.
27
No!
28
No!
29
Planets orbit around stars!
30
Until they don't.
31
Come on, everyone knows no star system gets a happy ending.
32
Planets either drift into a star, away from a star, or get swallowed when their star becomes a red giant, or...
33
...in some cases, die after a supernova explosion.
34
But.. that's far in the future!
35
Whatever.
36
You know what Earth?
37
Everything I've ever done- Was for us.
38
Yeah, sure bud.
39
All good Earth?
40
Uh, sure.
41
Huh.
42
Kinda odd there's no one else around.
43
What did we miss?
44
Hey Earth!
45
What's up you big- Not now Astro Dude.
46
Dude!
47
What on Earth?
48
Forgive him Astro Dude.
49
A lot has happened.
50
A lot, huh?
51
Mind giving me the short version?
52
Sure!
53
Ahem.
54
So after we all had our realistic orbits thingy, the planets left their orbits, but the Sun just kinda didn't care and made us all orbit in the Goldilocks South.
55
After that didn't work, he made the planets orbit us, and when that didn't work, he sent all of us into the outer solar system where we planned a revolution.
56
But when that revolution almost failed, the rogue planets arrived from outer space, and together we overpowered the Sun.
57
Basically, everyone's gone.
58
Uhhhh...
59
I'm gonna call my boss.
60
What do you mean the planets are gone, astro dude?
61
Exactly what it sounds like, sir!
62
The solar system's just the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon now.
63
Huh.
64
I guess astronomy classes will be easier now.
65
What do we do, sir?
66
I have a call to make.
67
Sit tight.
68
Mr. Rotsar?
69
Yes, it's me.
70
Listen, there's...
71
Yes?
72
Of course you already knew.
73
I'm here for you, you know?
74
I know.
75
Should I have left, Luna?
76
Come on.
77
You made the mature right to say everyone's gone, Luna.
78
Earth?
79
Venus?
80
Mercury?
81
Mars?
82
I'm here for you, you know?
83
I'm here for you, you know?
84
I know.
85
Should I have left, Luna?
86
Come on.
87
Mars?
88
And here I am, in a prison of my own making.
89
The Earthlings need you, Earth.
90
I know!
91
It doesn't make being left behind any easier.
92
Maybe they'll come back!
93
Oh, that's the worst part, Luna.
94
I hope they never do.
95
Two, one, and...
96
Hey guys, it's Mercury, the fastest planet, and to live up to my name, I'll try to do this ad super fast.
97
Mercury, there's no need to- And begin!
98
Everyone in the Solar Balls team is just so excited
99
and happy to do these crazy and somewhat educational space videos for a living, and it's all thanks to you.
100
But animation takes time and is very expensive, so if you want to give us a hand, there's plenty of ways.
101
On one hand, we have our Patreon, where you can get early episodes, learn tons of secrets about the future of the show, and have your name in the credits!
102
And on the other hand, we have our store, which sells these awesome cards called Solar Cards!
103
Mercury, please don't show favoritism.
104
We have more products in the store.
105
Ugh, fine.
106
We have a store, and it has tons of products like plushies and shirts and stuff, yadda yadda yadda.
107
Anyways, back to Solar Cards!
108
Dear Lord...
109
You can play with your friends and family, or just do like me, and collect them all!
110
There's hundreds of them!
111
Hundreds!
112
Hundreds!
113
Mercury, we're on time!
114
Wait, come on!
115
I wanna show them my card collection!
116
Just two more minu- Sir?
117
Yep!
118
This whole thing means trouble.
119
I knew it!
120
Without all the planets, the balance of the solar system- Not that!
121
Trouble for you!
122
Wait, what?
123
I mean, not having Jupiter may create some instability in the asteroid belt and all, but that would only really affect us gravely after several decades or even centuries.
124
Worst case, we nuke them.
125
But.. there's always been a balance.
126
Listen, the orbits of all planets affect each other, but it's nothing compared to the influence the Sun and the Moon have.
127
We'll be fine for a while.
128
Oh!
129
So.. this isn't, like, the apocalypse?
130
Nah.
131
Honestly, it may be for the better with all the crazy nonsense that usually goes on in space.
132
So why does this mean trouble?
133
Because with no planets to explore in the vicinity, you're.. kinda pointless.
134
Wait, what?
135
Your mission's over.
136
Order's from above.
137
You can come back home, Astro-Dude.
138
ASTRODUDE!
139
ASTRODUDE!
140
I...
141
ASTRODUDE!
142
Thanks for almost scaring me to death!
143
Sorry.
144
Uh, got a sec?
145
I'm.. in the middle of a call.
146
Put it on hold!
147
This is important!
148
Uh.. sorry sir, I gotta go to the moon and back.
149
Wait, what are you...?
150
What's up, Luna?
151
You need to go to the sun.
152
Pfft!
153
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!
154
Oh man, why am I even surprised?
155
Astro Dude, we need to fix this!
156
The Earth doesn't want to talk to the Sun.
157
Everyone's gone and left.
158
The only way to fix this is to make the Sun come to reason!
159
But why can't the Earth go to the Sun and...
160
Uh, forget I suggested that.
161
Wait, you could- If I go, the Earth will notice immediately and stop me.
162
It needs to be you!
163
And the sooner the better!
164
Listen, I need to go home.
165
Why?
166
I thought you loved space!
167
I do, but- You're our friend, Astro Dude!
168
I...
169
I don't want this to be how it all ends.
170
Computer?
171
Yes, Astro Dude?
172
I'm gonna need some sunscreen.
173
Also consider checking out our Solar Balls store to get exclusive plushies and solar cards!
174
Byeeeee!
📺 Same Channel
✨ Recommend Video
B11
104 sentences
B1 Story — Space Adventure | 7-Minute English
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B21
142 sentences
The Planets In Our Solar System
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
72 sentences
The Map Room: Dawn (Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B11
731 sentences
Learn English | Reading for Vocabulary | Level B | Lesson 08 | Brian Stuart (미국교과서)
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
121 sentences
THE MIDDLE - PILOT
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B14
27 sentences
Learn/Practice English with MOVIES (Lesson #14) Title: 2001 A Space Odyssey
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B12
227 sentences
04 OMEGA FILE 522 Galapagos, Ecuador
Travel EnglishDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B22
136 sentences
The Sonic Universe Explained In Under 10 Minutes
TeensDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B13
12 sentences
How to Live on Earth | Official Trailer
Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B1112
11 sentences
NE1: U1
High School StudentsUniversity Students
B14
123 sentences
My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988) | Scene: Real food
Daily ConversationHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Mission to the Sun - Part 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: planet, solar, Earth, dude, sun. This video has 174 sentences and 1114 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:55. The speaker talks at a steady 125 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. 37 of its 174 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 |
|---|---|---|
| astrology noun | /əˈstɹɒlədʒi/ | Divination about human affairs or natural phenomena from the relative positions of celestial bodies. |
| orbit noun | /ˈɔɹ.bɪt/ | An elliptical movement of an object about a celestial object or Lagrange point, especially a periodic elliptical revolution. |
| rogue noun | /ˈɹoʊɡ/ | A scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person. |
| yadda noun | One of a set of items which do not need to be specified; often used in conjunction with the catch phrase yadda yadda yadda. | |
| plushy adjective | /ˈplʌʃi/ | Like plush; soft and shaggy. |
| mar verb | /mɑɹ/ | To spoil; to ruin; to scathe; to damage. |
| ton noun | /tʌn/ | The short ton of 2000 pounds (about 907 kg), 20 hundredweights of 100 pounds avoirdupois each. |
| entropy noun | /ˈɛntɹəpi/ | A measure of the disorder directly proportional to the natural logarithm of the number of microstates yielding an equivalent thermodynamic macrostate. |
| favouritism noun | The unfair favouring of one person or group at the expense of another. | |
| gravelly adjective | /ˈɡɹævəli/ | Full of, covered with, or similar to gravel or pebbles. |
| overpower verb | /oʊ.vɚˈpaʊ̯.ɚ/ | To subdue someone by superior force. |
| sunscreen noun | A topical substance formulated to protect the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation by absorbing, reflecting or scattering ultraviolet rays. | |
| supernova noun | /ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈnəʊ.və/ | A powerful and bright explosion of a massive star, which afterwards becomes a neutron star or a black hole, or is destroyed. |
| thingy noun | /ˈθɪŋi/ | A thing (used to refer to something vaguely or when one cannot recall or does not wish to mention its name). |
| 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… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| leave behind verb | To abandon. |
| wrap up verb | To cover or enclose (something) by folding and securing a covering entirely around it. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- They're supposed to orbit around me!
- What did we miss?
- Mind giving me the short version?
- I'm gonna call my boss.
- What do we do, sir?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've ever done · has happened · have left |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is wrapped · being left |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | Should I have |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | may create · may be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 35 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: plushy /ˈplʌʃi/, animation /ˌæn.ɪˈmeɪ.ʃən/, explosion /ɛkˈsploʊ.ʒən/
- Long words — get the stress right: astrology /əˈstɹɒlədʒi/, overpower /oʊ.vɚˈpaʊ̯.ɚ/, supernova /ˌsuː.pə(ɹ)ˈnəʊ.və/, astronomy /əˈstɹɑ.nə.mi/, instability /ɪnstəˈbɪlɪti/
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 astrology, orbit, rogue.
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.