Shadowing Practice: The Shawshank Redemption court - Learn English Speaking with Video
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66 sentences
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1
Honey, child, more than words you can say. If I didn't care...
2
Mr. Dufresne, describe the confrontation you had with your wife.. the night that she was murdered.
3
It was very bitter.
4
She said she was glad I knew...
5
that she hated all the sneaking around.
6
She said she wanted a divorce in Reno.
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What was your response?
8
I told her I would not grant one.
9
I'll see you in hell before I see you in Reno.
10
Those were the words you used, Mr. Dufresne, according to the testimony of your neighbors. If they say so.
11
I really don't remember if I was upset.
12
What happened after you argued with your wife?
13
She packed a bag.
14
She packed a bag to go and stay with me and stay with Mr. Quentin.
15
Glenn Quentin, the golf pro at the Snowden Hills Country Club.
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The man you had recently discovered was your wife's lover. Did you follow her?
17
Went to a few bars first.
18
Later I drove to his house to confront them.
19
They weren't home, so I parked in the turnout and waited.
20
With what intention?
21
I'm not sure.
22
I was confused and drunk.
23
I think mostly I wanted to scare them.
24
When they arrived, you went up to the house and murdered them.
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No. I was sobering up.
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I got back in the car and I drove home to sleep it off.
27
Along the way, I stopped and I threw my gun into the Royal River.
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I feel I've been very clear on this point.
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Well, where I get hazy is where the cleaning woman shows up the following morning
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and finds your wife in bed with her lover riddled with .38 caliber bullets.
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Now, does that strike you as a fantastic coincidence, Mr. Defrainer?
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Mr. Dufrain, or is it just me?
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Yes, it does.
34
Yet you still maintain that you threw your gun into the river before the murders took place.
35
That's very convenient.
36
It's the truth.
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The police dragged that river for three days, and nary a gun was found.
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So there could be no comparison made between your gun...
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and the bullets taken from the blood-stained corpses of the victims. And that also...
40
is very convenient, isn't it, Mr. Dufresne?
41
Since I am innocent of this crime, sir, I find it decidedly inconvenient.. that the gun was never found.
42
And would I be sure that this is love beyond compare?
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Ladies and gentlemen, you've heard all the evidence.
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You know all the facts.
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We have the accused at the scene of the crime.
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We have footprints, tire tracks.
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We have bullets strewn on the ground which bear his fingerprints.
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The broken bourbon bottle, likewise with fingerprints.
49
Likewise, with fingerprints, and most of all, we have a beautiful young woman and her lover lying dead in each other's arms.
50
They had sinned.
51
But was their crime so great as to merit a death sentence?
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Now, while you think about that, think about this.
53
A revolver holds six bullets, not eight.
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I submit that this was not a hot-blooded crime of passion.
55
That at least could be understood, if not condoned.
56
No. This was revenge of a much more brutal and cold-blooded nature.
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Consider this, four bullets per victim.
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Not six shots fired, but eight.
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That means that he fired the gun empty and then stopped to reload so that he could shoot each of them again.
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An extra bullet per lover.
61
Right in the head.
62
You strike me as a particularly icy and remorseless man, Mr. Dufresne.
63
Mr. Dufresne, it chills my blood just to look at you.
64
By the power vested in me by the state of Maine, I hereby order you to serve two life sentences back to back, one for each of your victims.
65
So be it.
66
Oh, my God.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Shawshank Redemption court”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: bullet, gun, Dufresne, lover, crime. This video has 66 sentences and 637 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:49. The speaker talks at a steady 132 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 78% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| fingerprint noun | /ˈfɪŋɡɚˌpɹɪnt/ | The natural pattern of ridges on the tips of human fingers, unique to each individual. |
| likewise adverb | /ˈlaɪkˌwaɪz/ | In a similar manner. |
| convenient adjective | /kənˈviː.niənt/ | Serving to reduce a difficulty, or accessible with minimum difficulty; expedient. |
| condone verb | /kənˈdoʊn/ | To forgive, excuse or overlook (something that is considered morally wrong, offensive, or generally disliked). |
| decidedly adverb | /dɪˈsaɪdɪdli/ | In a manner which leaves little question; definitely, clearly. |
| inconvenient adjective | /ˌɪn.kənˈviːni.ənt/ | not convenient |
| reload verb | /ɹiːˈləʊd/ | To load (something) again. |
| remorseless adjective | Without remorse, mercy or pity. | |
| revolver noun | /ɹɪˈvɒl.vɚ/ | A handgun with a revolving chamber enabling several shots to be fired without reloading. |
| riddle noun | /ˈɹɪdəl/ | A verbal puzzle, mystery, or other problem of an intellectual nature. |
| footprint noun | /ˈfʊtpɹɪnt/ | The impression of the foot in a soft substance such as sand or snow. |
| hereby adverb | /hɪɹˈbaɪ/ | By this means, action or process. |
| bourbon noun | /ˈbɜː(ɹ).bən/ | A whiskey distilled in the United States from a mixture of grains in which at least 51% is corn, aged in charred, new oak barrels. |
| caliber noun | /ˈkæl.ə.bɚ/ | Diameter of the bore of a firearm, typically measured between opposite lands. |
| turnout noun | /ˈtɜː(ɹ)naʊt/ | The act of coming forth. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| show up verb | To appear, arrive, or attend, especially suddenly or erratically. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What was your response?
- I really don't remember if I was upset.
- What happened after you argued with your wife?
- Did you follow her?
- Dufrain, or is it just me?
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 | was murdered · was found · was never found |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · you've heard |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: decidedly /dɪˈsaɪdɪdli/, inconvenient /ˌɪn.kənˈviːni.ənt/, confrontation /ˌkɑn.fɹənˈteɪ.ʃən/, coincidence /kəʊˈɪnsɪdəns/, testimony /ˈtɛstɪmoʊni/
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 fingerprint, likewise, convenient.
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.