Shadowing Practice: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) 🍿 - 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 Pursuit of Happyness (2006) 🍿”. This video has 8 sentences and 77 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:26.
Key vocabulary in this video
11 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pants noun | /pænts/ | An outer garment that covers the body from the waist downwards, covering each leg separately, usually as far as the ankles; trousers. |
| hire verb | /ˈhaɪɹ/ | To obtain the services of in return for fixed payment. |
| sheriff noun | /ˈʃɛɹɪf/ | (High Sheriff) An official of a shire or county office, responsible for carrying out court orders, law enforcement and other duties. |
| ticket noun | /ˈtɪk.ɪt/ | A pass entitling the holder to admission to a show, concert, sporting event, etc. |
| arrest verb | /əˈɹɛst/ | To stop or slow (a process, course etc.). |
| station noun | /ˈsteɪʃən/ | A regular stopping place for ground transportation. |
| sit verb | /sɪt/ | To move oneself into such a position. |
| explain verb | /ɪkˈspleɪn/ | To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of. |
| interview noun | /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/ | Any face-to-face meeting, especially of an official or adversarial nature. |
| dress verb | /dɹɛs/ | To put clothes (or, formerly, armour) on (oneself or someone, a doll, a mannequin, etc.); to clothe. |
| failure noun | /ˈfeɪ.ljə/ | State or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, opposite of success. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
| sit out verb | To decline to participate; particularly, to decline to dance. |
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 | I've been sitting |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was arrested |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sheriff /ˈʃɛɹɪf/, station /ˈsteɪʃən/
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 pants, hire, sheriff.
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.