Shadowing Practice: Thế nào mới là đủ giỏi? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Thế nào mới là đủ giỏi?”. This video has 247 sentences and 3460 words to shadow. The speech runs for 18:13. The speaker talks fast, about 190 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| topic noun | /ˈtɑpɪk/ | A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest. |
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| confused adjective | /kənˈfjuːzd/ | unable to think clearly or understand |
| belief noun | /bɪˈliːf/ | Mental acceptance of a claim as true. |
| shock noun | /ʃɔk/ | A sudden, heavy impact. |
| succeed verb | /səkˈsiːd/ | To follow something in sequence or time. |
| practical adjective | /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.kəl/ | Relating to, or based on, practice or action rather than theory or hypothesis. |
| confirm verb | /kənˈfɝm/ | To strengthen; to make firm or resolute. |
| belong verb | /bɪˈlɒŋ/ | To have its proper place. |
| suitable adjective | [ˈsjuː.tə.bɫ̩] | Having sufficient or the required properties for a certain purpose or task; appropriate to a certain occasion. |
| component noun | /kəmˈpoʊ.nənt/ | A smaller, self-contained part of a larger entity. Often refers to a manufactured object that is part of a larger device. |
| worthy adjective | /ˈwɝ.ði/ | Having worth, merit, or value. |
| twist verb | /twɪst/ | To turn the ends of something, usually thread, rope etc., in opposite directions, often using force. |
| emotion noun | /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/ | A person's internal state of being and involuntary physiological response to an object or a situation, based on or tied to physical state and sensory data. |
| icon noun | /ˈaɪ.kɑn/ | An image, symbol, picture, portrait, or other representation, usually as an object of religious devotion. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| go through verb | To travel from one end of something to the other. | |
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. | |
| look back verb | To think of (past events) in retrospect (in hindsight). | |
| go back verb | To return to a place or state after having been there at a previous time. | |
| go back to verb | To stem from; to originate in. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm really excited, I was excited to see it.
- Then I'd be like, oh, why are you doing so?
- I'm not able to do anything else.
- Why do I say this?
- The question is, what do you think about yourself?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect continuous have/has been + -ing — an action that started earlier and is still going on | have been missing · have been playing |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have done · have been · have been raised |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | Korea which is · student who has · person who never |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | can be read · was shocked · is not only made |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 99 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shock /ʃɔk/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like topic, skill, confused.
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.



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