Shadowing Practice: The Passive Voice - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
Jerry, this is the third time you've been late this week.
2
You were needed in that meeting today.
3
Fortunately, the deal was done, but it almost didn't happen.
4
I'm really sorry, but I was stuck in traffic.
5
My car was sitting in the same spot for 30 minutes.
6
If you're getting stuck in traffic every day, then you should leave the house earlier.
7
I know, but that isn't the problem.
8
Today was the first time that I was stuck in traffic.
9
And it wasn't normal rush hour traffic either.
10
What do you mean?
11
Today, traffic was stopped by a zebra.
12
A zebra.
13
Yeah, I saw it.
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The zebra walked right in front of my car.
15
It was almost hit by another car.
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Other animals were seen on the freeway too.
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It was crazy.
18
You expect me to believe that you were delayed by a zebra?
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It's true.
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It was talked about on the radio.
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You should listen to the report.
22
It is thought that the animals escaped from the zoo.
23
I'm going to have to check out your story.
24
I'll give you the benefit of the doubt for now. But what about yesterday?
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You were an hour late.
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Yesterday, I was driving to work when my car was stopped by a policeman.
27
I was pulled over and the policeman told me I was under arrest.
28
Really?
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Why?
30
The policeman said that my car had been seen at the scene of a crime.
31
It sounds like you're making up stories. Did that really happen?
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It's all true.
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When I was pulled over, the policeman asked me to get out of the car.
34
My hands were handcuffed behind my back.
35
He said that my car had been seen on the camera of a gas station that had been robbed.
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Well, you made it to work somehow.
37
How did you get away?
38
The policeman got a call on his radio saying that the robbers had been caught by another policeman.
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They were being held in custody.
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The policeman let me go, but half an hour had already passed.
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I drove to work as quickly as I could.
42
Well, if that's true, then I understand. But what about Monday?
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I remember you coming in late then, too.
44
That was because my car was stolen.
45
I woke up Monday morning and my car was gone.
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The police were notified immediately.
47
I was forced to drive my wife's car and drop her off at her workplace, which took some extra time.
48
I see.
49
Why didn't you tell me?
50
It wasn't a big deal at the time.
51
My car was found by the police a few hours later, and I was only 15 minutes late to work.
52
Okay, but try to be on time from now on.
53
I need to be able to rely on you, especially for meetings like the one we had today.
54
I promised to try to be on time, but I need you to understand that none of these things were my fault.
55
I mean, I was held up by a zebra.
56
How could I have predicted that?
57
These things happened to me, and there was nothing I could do to avoid them.
58
Yes, I agree, if your stories are true.
59
But come on, they're a little unbelievable.
60
Well, they're true.
61
I hope you won't hold them against me. And this just in.
62
The men who had been robbing the gas stations in the area have been arrested by the police.
63
They had stolen the car of a local man.
64
But they were forced to go on foot once the stolen vehicle was found by the police.
65
The robbed cash hasn't been recovered yet.
66
The robbers are now being questioned by the police.
67
It is hoped that the money will be finally recovered from them.
68
More details will be provided soon.
69
So his story was true.
70
And earlier today, some animals escaped from the zoo.
71
One of the animal feeders had a seizure right when they were opening the animal cages.
72
And the animals were released from their cages by mistake.
73
The animals were recaptured by the zoo, and they were put back into their cages.
74
The animal feeder is now being treated in the hospital after collapsing in the zoo.
75
I'm going to call him right now.
76
Hello?
77
Hi, Jerry.
78
It's Carlos.
79
I'm sorry I didn't believe you.
80
I just watched the news.
81
They were talking about how a car was stolen and how the animals were accidentally released.
82
I want you to know that I trust you and feel like I can rely on you.
83
Thanks.
84
I appreciate you saying that. And Jerry?
85
Yeah?
86
In the future, I must be notified immediately when something happens to you.
87
Sure, I will notify you immediately from now on.
88
We use the passive voice when the action is more important than the person who does it.
89
We form the passive voice with the verb to be plus past participle.
90
My car was stolen.
91
The object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence.
92
The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent.
93
A zebra stopped the traffic.
94
The traffic was stopped by a zebra zebra people think
95
that the animals escaped from the zoo it is thought
96
that the animals escaped from the zoo the doctors are treating
97
the animal feeder in the hospital the animal feeder is being
98
treated in the hospital the police have arrested the robbers the
99
robbers have been arrested by the police we needed you in that meeting today.
100
You were needed in that meeting today.
101
The police were holding the robbers in custody.
102
The robbers were being held in custody by the police.
103
He said that the police had seen my car on the camera of a gas station.
104
He said that my car had been seen on the camera of a gas station.
105
We'll provide more details soon.
106
More details will be provided soon.
107
You must notify me immediately when something happens to you.
108
I must be notified immediately when something happens to you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Passive Voice”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: animal, zebra, policeman, traffic, robbers. This video has 108 sentences and 1008 words to shadow. The speech runs for 7:47. The speaker talks at a steady 130 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 85% 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
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| zebra noun | /ˈzɛb.ɹə/ | Any of three species of subgenus Hippotigris: Equus grevyi, Equus quagga, or Equus zebra, all with black and white stripes and native to Africa. |
| policeman noun | /pəˈliːsmən/ | A police officer, usually a male. |
| robber noun | /ˈɹɑ.bɚ/ | A person who robs. |
| notify verb | /ˈnoʊtɪfaɪ/ | To give (someone) notice (of some event). |
| feeder noun | /ˈfidɚ/ | One who feeds, or gives food to another. |
| passive adjective | /ˈpæs.ɪv/ | Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction. |
| cage noun | /keɪd͡ʒ/ | An enclosure made of spaced bars, normally to hold animals while providing some ventilation. |
| custody noun | /ˈkʌstədiː/ | The legal right to take care of something or somebody, especially children. |
| rely verb | /ɹɪˈlaɪ/ | To trust; to have confidence in; to depend. |
| recover verb | /ɹɪˈkʌvɚ/ | To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal). |
| handcuff verb | /ˈhændˌkʌf/ | To apply handcuffs to someone. |
| participle noun | /ˈpɑɹtɪˌsɪpəl/ | A form of a verb that may function as an adjective, noun or adverb. English has two types of participles: the present participle and the past participle. In… |
| recapture verb | To capture something for a second or subsequent time, especially after a loss. | |
| freeway noun | /ˈfɹiː.weɪ/ | A highway with grade-separated crossings (rather than level crossings) and designed (and only permitted) for high-speed motor-traffic running in two directions… |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pull over verb | To come to a stop, and turn off the road (i.e. onto the roadside or hard shoulder). | |
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). | |
| get away verb | To move away (from). | |
| get out of verb | To leave, exit or escape from; to become free of. | |
| hold up verb | To wait or delay. | |
| make up verb | /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ | To constitute, to compose. |
| wake up verb | /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ | To stop sleeping; to awake. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- I'm really sorry, but I was stuck in traffic.
- I know, but that isn't the problem.
- How did you get away?
- Why didn't you tell me?
- How could I have predicted that?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | were needed · was done · was stuck |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | you've been · have predicted · have been arrested |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | men who had · person who does |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was sitting · was driving · were being |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 19 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, didn't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: participle /ˈpɑɹtɪˌsɪpəl/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/, unbelievable /ˌʌnbɪˈliːvəbl̩/, accidentally /ˌæk.sɪˈdɛnt(ə)li/
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 zebra, policeman, robber.
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.