Shadowing Practice: The Pitt | A Humane Death (1) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 40 sentences and 281 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:08. The speaker talks at a steady 132 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• assist /əˈsɪst/ (verb) — To help.
• fluid /ˈflu.ɪd/ (noun) — Any substance which can flow with relative ease, tends to assume the shape of its container, and obeys Bernoulli's principle; a liquid, gas or plasma.
• lung /ˈlʌŋ/ (noun) — A biological organ of vertebrates that controls breathing and oxygenates the blood.
• pneumonia /njuˈməʊniə/ (noun) — Inflammation of the lungs caused by viruses, bacteria or other infectious microorganisms.
• tube /tuːb/ (noun) — Anything that is hollow and cylindrical in shape.
• breathe /bɹiːð/ (verb) — To draw air into (inhale), and expel air from (exhale), the lungs in order to extract oxygen and excrete waste gases.
• oxygen /ˈɑksɪd͡ʒən/ (noun) — The chemical element (symbol O) with an atomic number of 8 and relative atomic mass of 15.9994. It is a colorless and odorless gas. Sometimes called elemental…
• artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/ (adjective) — Man-made; made by humans; of artifice.
• medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ (noun) — A medicine, or all the medicines regularly taken by a patient.
• homework /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ (noun) — Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class.
• directive /daɪˈɹɛk.tɪv/ (noun) — An instruction or guideline that indicates how to perform an action or reach a goal.
• baseline /ˈbeɪslaɪn/ (noun) — A line that is a base for measurement or for construction.
• durable /ˈdʊɹəbəl/ (adjective) — Able to resist wear or decay; lasting; enduring.
• humane /hjuːˈmeɪn/ (adjective) — Having or showing concern for the pain or suffering of another; compassionate.
• antibiotic /ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/ (noun) — Any substance that can destroy or inhibit the growth of bacteria and similar microorganisms, generally transported by the lymphatic system.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go back to (verb) — To stem from; to originate in.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• think about /ˈθɪŋk əˌbaʊt/ (verb) — To ponder.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/
• Long words — get the stress right: artificial /ˌɑː.tɪˈfɪʃ.əl/, medication /mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/, antibiotic /ˌæn.taɪ.baɪˈɑ.tɪk/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like assist, fluid, lung.