Shadowing Practice: The /ʌ/ Sound (luck, much, trust) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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14 sentences
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Hi and welcome back to Pronunciation with Emma.
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Today we're going to look at the uh sound, which is sound I also had to learn as well,
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as I'm from the north of England and the sound doesn't exist.
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So if you're watching this, I've been in your exact position, don't worry.
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Now a lot of people confuse the sound with the schwa.
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I'll admit they do sound quite similar, but the schwa is more relaxed.
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With this sound, the uh sound, you'll see that I drop my jaw more.
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So the schwa is more relaxed.
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I'm not really dropping anything, I'm not moving anything.
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But with this sound we drop our jaw.
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Under, under, colour, colour, Monday, Monday. That colour is lovely. That colour is lovely.
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I hope that you've enjoyed this British pronunciation video.
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I will see you next lesson.
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Bye bye!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “The /ʌ/ Sound”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: sound, colour, schwa. This video has 14 sentences and 144 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:03. The speaker talks at a steady 137 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| pronunciation noun | /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The formal or informal way in which a word is made to sound when spoken. |
| lesson noun | /ˈlɛs.ən/ | A section of learning or teaching into which a wider learning content is divided. |
| confuse verb | /kənˈfjuːz/ | to puzzle, perplex, baffle, bewilder (somebody); to afflict by being complicated, contradictory, or otherwise difficult to understand |
| schwa noun | /ʃwɑ/ | An indeterminate central vowel sound as the "a" in "about", represented as /ə/ in IPA. |
| colour noun | Commonwealth and Ireland standard spelling of color. | |
| admit verb | /ədˈmɪt/ | To allow to enter; to grant entrance (to), whether into a place, into the mind, or into consideration. |
| exact adjective | /ɪɡˈzækt/ | Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect. |
| drop noun | /dɹɑp/ | A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own rounded shape through surface tension, especially one that falls from a source of liquid. |
| lovely adjective | /ˈlʌv.li/ | Delightful for beauty, harmony, or grace. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| worry verb | /ˈwʌ.ɹi/ | To be troubled; to give way to mental anxiety or doubt. |
| exist verb | /ɪɡˈzɪst/ | to be; have existence; have being or reality |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | I've been · you've enjoyed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | sound, which is |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll admit · you'll see · will see |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're watching · I'm not really dropping |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 11 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, doesn't, don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: pronunciation /pɹəˌnʌn.siˈeɪ.ʃən/, schwa /ʃwɑ/
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 relax, pronunciation, lesson.
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.