Shadowing Practice: The Secret to Getting Things Done Is Ignoring Your Feelings - Learn English Speaking with Video
Choose a practice mode
Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.
Download App
Everything you need to speak fluently
Same Channel
C1This Is Why You’ll Never Achieve Your Goals
C1The Journey Will Show You What You're Truly Capable Of
C1The Truth About What Should Motivate You
C1The Dark Truth About Human Nature
B2How Ordinary People Become Powerful
C1This Is Why You're Afraid to Change Your Life
B1This Is What His Father Taught Him About Life
B1When Cartoons Hit U Hard
Recommend Video
C1The Most Valuable 15 Minutes You'll Spend Today | Oprah Winfrey Motivation.
C1Susan David 2min Ted talk
C1The Only 32 Minutes You Need To Take Back Control of Your Life | David Goggins Motivation
C1Be Unbothered and See How Your Life Suddenly Changes! | Alain de Botton
C1Never Tell People What You Do | Jim Rohn Motivation
C1Why You Keep Taking the People You Love for Granted | Tony Robbins Full Intervention
C1How to RESTART YOUR LIFE | The Mountain Is You (Animated Book Summary)
C1Why You Feel Unmotivated (It's Not What You Think)
B2Avoid These 7 Habits at All Costs
C1Command Your Life: The Neuroscience of Self-Worth & Power
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “The Secret to Getting Things Done Is Ignoring Your Feelings”. This video has 9 sentences and 123 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:38. The speaker talks fast, about 192 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ignore verb | /ɪɡˈnɔː/ | To deliberately not listen or pay attention to. |
| arrive verb | /əˈɹaɪv/ | To reach; to get to a certain place. |
| motivation noun | /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/ | Willingness of action especially in behavior. |
| 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. |
| garbage noun | /ˈɡɑɹ.bɪd͡ʒ/ | Food waste material of any kind. |
| motivate verb | /ˈmoʊ.tɪ.veɪt/ | To provide someone with an incentive to do something; to encourage; to actuate. |
| casket noun | /ˈkæs.kɪt/ | A little box, e.g. for jewellery. |
| determine verb | /dɪˈtɜː(ɹ).mɪn/ | To set the boundaries or limits of. |
| identify verb | /aɪˈdɛn.(t)ə.faɪ/ | To establish the identity of someone or something. |
| resistance noun | /ɹɪˈzɪstəns/ | The act of resisting, or the capacity to resist. |
| secret noun | /ˈsiː.kɹɪt/ | A piece of knowledge that is hidden and intended to be kept hidden. |
| till | /tɪl/ | Until; to, up to; as late as (a given time). |
| afraid adjective | /əˈfɹeɪd/ | Impressed with fear or apprehension; in fear. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, emotion /ɪˈməʊ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: motivation /ˈmoʊ.tə.veɪ.ʃən/, identify /aɪˈdɛn.(t)ə.faɪ/
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 ignore, arrive, motivation.
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.