Shadowing Practice: The Monkey Business Illusion - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “The Monkey Business Illusion”. This video has 3 sentences and 111 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:41. The speaker talks slowly, about 66 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound.
Key vocabulary in this video
11 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| gorilla noun | /ɡəˈɹɪl.ə/ | An ape of the genus Gorilla; endemic to the forests of Central Africa and typified by superlative physical size and strength in relation to other primates. |
| illusion noun | /ɪˈl(j)uːʒ(ə)n/ | A distortion of sensory perception where real stimuli lead to a false or misleading impression of reality. |
| experiment noun | /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/ | A test under controlled conditions made to either demonstrate a known truth, examine the validity of a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of… |
| unexpected adjective | /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/ | Not expected, anticipated or foreseen. |
| curtain noun | /ˈkɜɹt(ə)n/ | A piece of cloth covering a window, bed, etc. to offer privacy and keep out light. |
| rewind verb | /ɹiːˈwaɪnd/ | To wind (something) again. |
| wear verb | /wɛ(ə)ɹ/ | To carry or have equipped on or about one's body, as an item of clothing, equipment, decoration, perfume, etc. |
| color noun | /ˈkʌl.ə/ | The spectral composition of visible light. |
| notice verb | /ˈnoʊ.tɪs/ | To become aware of; to observe. |
| spot noun | /spɑt/ | A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. |
| correct adjective | /kəˈɹɛkt/ | Free from error; true; accurate. |
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 | haven't seen |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who haven |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is changing · you're looking |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: experiment /ɪkˈspɛɹ.ə.mənt/, unexpected /ʌnɪkˈspɛktɪd/
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 gorilla, illusion, experiment.
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.