Shadowing Practice: The Single Biggest Financial Decision | Mel Robbins #shorts - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 32 sentences and 436 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:24. The speaker talks fast, about 182 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 87% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• define /dɪˈfaɪn/ (verb) — To determine with precision; to mark out with distinctness; to ascertain or exhibit clearly.
• generous /ˈd͡ʒɛn(ə)ɹəs/ (adjective) — Noble in behaviour or actions; principled, not petty; kind, magnanimous.
• spouse /spaʊ̯s/ (noun) — A person in a marriage or marital relationship.
• topic /ˈtɑpɪk/ (noun) — A subject; a theme; a category or general area of interest.
• vast /væst/ (adjective) — Very large or wide (literally or figuratively).
• naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/ (adverb) — In a natural manner.
• necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/ (adverb) — Inevitably; of necessity.
• household /ˈhaʊshoʊld/ (adjective) — Belonging to the same house and family.
• argue /ˈɑɹ.ɡju/ (verb) — To show grounds for concluding (that); to indicate, imply.
• encourage /ɪnˈkʌɹ.ɪd͡ʒ/ (verb) — To mentally support; to motivate, give courage, hope or spirit.
• skill /skɪl/ (noun) — A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate.
• bother /ˈbɑðɚ/ (verb) — To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
• invest /ɪnˈvɛst/ (verb) — To spend money, time, or energy on something, especially for some benefit or purpose; used with in.
• assignment /əˈsaɪn.mənt/ (noun) — The act of assigning; the allocation of a job or a set of tasks.
• blank /ˈblæŋk/ (noun) — The white spot in the centre of a target; hence (figuratively) the object to which anything is directed or aimed, the range of such aim.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• come down to (verb) — To reach by moving down or reducing.
• make over (verb) — To renovate or to convert to a different use, particularly houses, offices, or rooms within them.
• figure out (verb) — To come to understand; to discover or find a solution; to deduce.
• go out (verb) — To leave, especially a building.
• look for (verb) — To seek.
• open up (verb) — To open.
• see in (verb) — To show (someone) in: to introduce (someone) to the inside of a place.
• sit down (verb) — To assume a sitting position from a standing position.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, aren't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• Long words — get the stress right: naturally /ˈnæt͡ʃ.(ə.)ɹə.li/, necessarily /ˌnɛs.əˈsɛɹ.ə.li/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like define, generous, spouse.