Shadowing Practice: The Penguin: A Bird That Can't Fly - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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1
Wow! Look at those birds!
2
They're penguins. Do you like them?
3
Yes! They're black and white.
4
Like my shoes!
5
Is that penguin flying?
6
No. Penguins can't fly.
7
Really? But they're birds!
8
Yes, they're birds. They have wings.
9
But their wings are small and flat.
10
Oh! That one is in the water!
11
Look. It can't fly, but it can swim.
12
Wow, it swims so fast!
13
Yes! It uses its wings in the water.
14
Ha! Now it's walking.
15
It's very slow!
16
Penguins walk slowly, but they swim fast.
17
Fast in the water, slow on land!
18
Are they hungry?
19
Yes. It's lunch time.
20
What do penguins eat?
21
They eat fish. Lots of fish!
22
Ew! I don't like fish!
23
Brr! It's so cold in here!
24
Yes. Many penguins live in cold places.
25
They like the ice and snow.
26
Not me! I like the sun.
27
Okay, it's time to go.
28
Oh no... Already?
29
Wait! That penguin is looking at me!
30
Ha! I think he likes you.
31
Bye-bye, penguin! See you soon!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A1 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Penguin: A Bird That Can't Fly”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: penguin, swim, wings, birds, fish. This video has 31 sentences and 167 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:40. The speaker talks slowly, about 100 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow. 6 of its 31 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| penguin noun | /ˈpɛŋ.ɡwɪn/ | Any of several flightless sea birds, of the family Spheniscidae within the order Sphenisciformes, found in the Southern Hemisphere, marked by their usual… |
| swim verb | /swɪm/ | To move through the water, without touching the bottom; to propel oneself in water by natural means. |
| hungry adjective | /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ | Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food. |
| shoe noun | /ˈʃu/ | A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of… |
| bird noun | /ˈbɜːd/ | An animal of the clade (traditionally class) Aves in the phylum Chordata, characterized by being warm-blooded, having feathers and wings usually capable of… |
| wing noun | /wɪŋ/ | An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly. |
| lunch noun | /lʌnt͡ʃ/ | A light meal usually eaten around midday, notably when not as main meal of the day. |
| snow noun | /snoʊ̯/ | The partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes; also, the falling of such flakes; and the accumulation… |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| fish noun | /ˈfɪʃ/ | A typically cold-blooded vertebrate animal that lives in water, moving with the help of fins and breathing with gills; any vertebrate that is not a tetrapod. |
| fly noun | /ˈflaɪ̯/ | Any insect of the order Diptera; characterized by having two wings (except for some wingless species), also called true flies. |
| flat adjective | /ˈflæt/ | Having no variations in height. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, can't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, fish /ˈfɪʃ/
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 penguin, swim, hungry.
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.