Shadowing Practice: The Vietnam War - Part 1 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
This is 19th century Vietnam, a feudal state with a butt-ton of valuable natural resources.
2
Hey Vietnam, do you mind if we colonize you and steal all your resources?
3
The Vietnamese did mind, but the French colonized them anyways.
4
France went to the powerful landowners and was like, how about you keep your power and privileges, but you help us keep everyone under control.
5
This was a sweet deal for the French, who got rich of Vietnamese resources, but the Vietnamese people benefited very little.
6
Only 25% of them could read and 90% lived in poverty working for large landowners, French farms or factories.
7
A young Vietnamese called Wen Xin Gong thought that this was deeply uncool
8
and in 1911 left for France to get an education.
9
There he came across the works of Marx and Lenin who described that In a capitalist system, the landowners and wealthy individuals would team up to systematically oppress the workers
10
and poor farmers and
11
that powerful capitalist nations relied on the exploitation of the resources from underdeveloped nations to sustain their way of life,
12
and that thus the only way to end imperialism and the colonialism that came with it was to end capitalism itself.
13
This made a lot of sense to Yang Wen, who became a big fan.
14
In 1919, after the end of World War I, he contacted American President Woodrow Wilson's team in Versailles and gave them a petition asking for help in turning Vietnam independent.
15
The request was ignored.
16
At the same time, independence movements were growing in Vietnam.
17
Although they were led by the communist party, they had wide support from people who wished to see a free Vietnam.
18
In 1930, workers at a mission plant in Phu Sien went on strike to protest their terrible working conditions.
19
The French brutally crushed the strike and executed the leaders by guillotine.
20
The movement was interrupted when Master Schman decided to invade Poland and then France, which severely limited France's ability to manage its colonial empire.
21
Yoink said Japan, immediately taking over Vietnam and its resources.
22
Although they too were brutal in their occupation, the Japanese victory over the French sent a clear message.
23
The Europeans were not invincible.
24
When returned to Vietnam and took on the name Ho Chi Minh, he then founded the League for an Independent Vietnam, or Viet Minh for short,
25
and soon began guerrilla warfare against the Japanese occupiers. Who is this?
26
I'm the OSS.
27
The what?
28
The predecessor to the CIA?
29
Oh, you should have just said that.
30
Listen, I heard you're fighting the Japanese.
31
We are fighting the Japanese too.
32
Wouldn't it be like super cool if we fought them together?
33
How do I know I can trust you?
34
I'll give you tons of weapons.
35
You son of a B.
36
I'm in.
37
The OSS supplied the Viet Minh with weapons, munitions, food and medical supplies and promised that the US would later support an independent Vietnam.
38
The fighting was devastating for the Vietnamese and in late 1945, Japanese appropriation of rice farms accompanied by floods
39
and poor weather conditions led to a terrible famine that caused the death of between 1 and 2 million Vietnamese.
40
The Viet Minh did their best to help, often stealing food from the occupiers and distributing it among the starving villagers,
41
saving countless people and gaining incredible amounts of support.
42
After Japan surrendered, Vietnam was finally free.
43
So on September 2nd, Ho declared the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
44
He was reportedly a huge fan of the US, even having a picture of George Washington and a copy of the US Declaration of Independence on his desk.
45
He even sought the advice of an OSS officer in framing the Declaration of Independence.
46
The Vietnamese declaration begins with, all men are created equal, they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights.
47
Among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
48
Sounds familiar?
49
Wow, that is so moving!
50
You totally made me reconsider my stance on colonialism.
51
Really?
52
No. The moment Allied forces left the country, the French army began retaking Vietnam.
53
They recognized the DRV above the 17th parallel, but demanded it became part of the French Union.
54
Ok, let's agree that Cochin China will get to vote on whether to unite with me or join the French Union.
55
Deal?
56
Deal?
57
What are you doing?
58
Oh, Cochin China is joining the French Union.
59
But we just agreed to- I have no idea what you're talking about.
60
Negotiations broke down.
61
The Viet Minh wanted nothing short of Vietnamese independence, while the French were unwilling to lose control of their former colony.
62
By December 1946, violent skirmishes broke out across the border and the French attempted to reoccupy the North by force.
63
But the North resisted.
64
They had bled and died for independence against the Japanese and were not going to give it up without a fight.
65
Alright boys, the Vietnamese are resisting our occupation so we need a new approach.
66
Nuk em!
67
How about we rebrand the Vietmine are communists right?
68
So we are not colonizing them, we are liberating them from communism and maybe in the process taking all the resources.
69
Can't we just let them be free?
70
I mean we have already extracted enough resources from them.
71
Don't they have a right to serve the- You.
72
Let's go with your idea.
73
The French returned the former Emperor Bao Dai to Vietnam from Hong Kong
74
and recognized them as the leader of the Republic of Vietnam.
75
Bao Dai received support from the upper classes of Vietnam and the war turned into a civil war.
76
In 1949, Mao Zedong came to power in China.
77
Whatever Vietnam needs and China has, we will provide.
78
He recognized the DRV as an independent country
79
and began sending tons of weapons and munitions to Vietnam and even helped train their fighters.
80
China had its own reasons to help Vietnam.
81
After all, they were seeing an anti-communist crusade just a few miles from its own border
82
and they were getting a little nervous.
83
For them, defending Vietnam was not just about defending a fellow communist country, it was a matter of national security.
84
What's that?
85
Harry Truman is now president of the United States and he is really scared that communism will take over the world.
86
So he gave Western Europe a bunch of money so that it would depend on them and not the USSR.
87
He then founded NATO and in 1950 joined the war in Korea.
88
Well if you want me to join your f* Russia club, you'll have to help me against the Vietnamese.
89
Deal.
90
Truman didn't need much convincing and by the early 1950s the US was paying for 80% of the French expenses.
91
American support got to the point that the French Air Force was mostly comprised of American planes.
92
The war in Indochina became France's number one dollar earning export.
93
But it didn't have to be like this. In 1945 and 46,
94
Ho Chi Minh had written at least 8 letters to President
95
Truman asking for his help in bringing the matter of Vietnamese independence to the United Nations.
96
Despite the fact that Ho Chi Minh and his followers had worked closely with the Americans against Japan, and despite the fact that Ho was much closer to the US than to the USSR,
97
The Americans didn't answer any of the letters, and instead sided with the French.
98
Ho was after all a communist, and ho ho ho, he had to go.
99
When the war began, the French controlled most of the large cities in South Vietnam, where the rich elites granted them full support.
100
But the Viet Minh controlled the countryside.
101
The war was brutal and bloody, and neither side was making real progress.
102
Hey, how about we talk this out?
103
Okay, but let me ask my mom first.
104
Mom, can I go to peace negotiations with North Vietnam?
105
Well, I don't know.
106
Did you kill all the commies yet?
107
No, but you can go to peace negotiations after you kill all the commies, okay?
108
The US threatened to withdraw all economic and military aid if France even negotiated with the Viet Minh, so the French delegation never arrived.
109
Despite American aid, the guerrilla warfare was incredibly costly for the French and their grip on Vietnam loosened year after year.
110
Bao Dai was an absent leader and little more than a French puppet.
111
There was low morale and chronic desertions within South Vietnam's army and even in France the conflict was becoming very unpopular.
112
To turn things around the French came up with a plan
113
to force the Viet Minh into an open battle where they believed the superior military would prevail.
114
In 1953 they airlifted troops to a valley called Diem Vien Phu to cut the common supply lines.
115
The fighting was so fierce and the losses so terrible that even the Viet Minh began to lose morale.
116
Even if they defeated the French at Dien Bien Phu, the Viet Minh knew they couldn't kick the superior French military out of Vietnam,
117
and the French were aware that they could never take control of the countryside.
118
Finally, both sides decided to meet in Geneva to negotiate.
119
But they both wanted to be in as good a position as possible on the ground before negotiations started.
120
The Viet Minh gathered their anti-air artillery in the hills around the valley and sieged the base for months.
121
Their camouflaged cannons were incredibly hard for the French to spot and they harassed the French air supply with virtual impunity.
122
With the forces at Dien Bien Phu cut off from the rest of their army, the French realized that they had put their head into a noose.
123
On March 13th 1954, the Viet Minh began a direct assault.
124
They used their cannons to weaken the French defenses and dug tunnels to get as close as possible before storming the base.
125
The Viet Minh took terrible casualties, but slowly they took over the base.
126
The French desperately pleaded to the US for aid, hoping for a direct intervention.
127
President Eisenhower, another firm believer in the domino theory, considered several possibilities to help them.
128
NUGEM!
129
Stop suggesting that!
130
Eisenhower considered joining the war, but a military assessment determined
131
that the US would have to commit at least half a million military personnel just to stabilize the situation.
132
Knowing that the American public wouldn't support another war in Asia so soon after Korea, he decided against it.
133
After months of fighting, the French surrendered at the NBN Phu on May 7th.
134
The next day, negotiations began in Geneva.
135
Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel with a demilitarized zone on both sides.
136
Ho Chi Minh would keep control of the North and Bao Dai of the South.
137
Vietnamese people would have freedom of movement between North and South for 300 days to choose where they wanted to be.
138
Neither North nor South Vietnam could receive outside military help, an international commission comprised of Canada, Poland and India would supervise elections in 1956 to choose
139
if the Vietnamese people wanted to unify under Ho Chi Minh or Bao Dai.
140
All things considered, the deal was quite good for the French, as it allowed many of of its economic interests, such as the Michelin rubber plantation, to continue operating.
141
But the Viet Minh were disappointed.
142
They wanted a united Vietnam, nothing less.
143
And they had momentum after the victory at Dien Bien Phu.
144
Many of their leaders wished to keep fighting to reach a better deal.
145
Okay, all in favor?
146
I agree.
147
I agree.
148
I aggri- We don't agree.
149
Neither the US nor South Vietnam signed the Geneva Accords.
150
The United States even refused to recognize the independence of North Vietnam.
151
While the negotiations were still taking place, the US set up a special paramilitary unit inside Vietnam led by CIA operative Edward Lansdale.
152
And their first mission weakened the North by making as many people as possible migrate south through psychological warfare.
153
The CIA created propaganda slogans
154
and leaflets appealing to the devout catholic with themes such as Christ has gone to the south
155
and the Virgin Mary has departed from the north.
156
But they didn't stop there.
157
Gather round everyone, look what I just found!
158
I hold in my hand an official Viet Minh document detailing the horrors they want to do to all of you!
159
Um, but why is it in English?
160
We all speak Vietnamese!
161
What do you mean in English?
162
I specifically told them to- Damn it Thomas, you had one job!
163
In the days following this massive campaign, refugee registration to the south tripled.
164
The CIA also infiltrated paramilitary forces in the north, contaminated the oil supply of the bus company of Hanoi to wreck the bus engines, sabotage the railroad, and much more.
165
Just four days before the reunification election, Prime Minister Vo Dinh Diem of South Vietnam issued a statement making it clear
166
that he had no intention of carrying them out.
167
Come on man, we had an agreement!
168
No. Diem, just like Eisenhower, knew that Ho Chi Minh would easily win any national election.
169
Eisenhower wrote in his memoirs, I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indo-Chinese affairs who did not agree
170
that had elections been held as of the time of the fighting, possibly 80% of the population would have voted for the communist Ho Chi Minh as their leader.
171
So the Eisenhower administration ensured that Diem postponed the elections as long as possible.
172
This was only possible due to the threat of US intervention.
173
Without it, the South could have never refused the elections without being immediately overrun by the Vietman armies.
174
The US justified their support for Diem by claiming that elections wouldn't be free, but that didn't really make any sense.
175
Ho was so popular that he didn't need to resolve to fraud to win elections.
176
and besides, the United Nations
177
and an international control commission set up by the Geneva Courts had already agreed to supervise the elections.
178
In the end, the elections for unification never took place, and Vietnam remained divided.
179
In the north, the communists implemented land reform and collectivization.
180
They also repressed class enemies, killing several thousand people.
181
Ho Chi Minh later admitted that they had gone too far and gave some of the land back.
182
Still, the reforms were a success food production increased by 60% and the economy surpassed its peak under French rule.
183
It also made the party incredibly popular.
184
At the same time, the South was in political turmoil, filled with powerful warlords and religious factions clashing for power.
185
President Eisenhower chose Diem as the man to build South Vietnam around.
186
In 1955, Diem challenged Bao Dai for leadership and heavily rigged the votes.
187
Just go for like 60%, we don't wanna be too obvious.
188
Uh-huh.
189
You promise to be discreet?
190
Mm-hmm, yes, absolutely very discreet.
191
No one will suspect a thing.
192
And the winner of the election is...
193
WowdinDM with...
194
Wow, 98.2% of the votes.
195
Thank you, what a surprise.
196
I want to thank everyone who totally voted for me.
197
And those who didn't, watch it.
198
No, seriously, I'm coming for you f, and you c*.
199
Diem immediately imprisoned 20,000 political opponents, many of whom he inaccurately accused of being communists, and in complete violation of the Geneva Accords,
200
the US sent 350 military men to Saigon to begin building up its military.
201
By 1959, the country was still divided, and Ho Chi Minh and his party really didn't like that.
202
Then it appeared that the only thing the war had achieved was to replace their French colonizers for American ones.
203
Okay guys, we need to do something about those pesky Americans.
204
We've had enough wars, let us focus on the North first.
205
Let's become prosperous and successful.
206
That will inspire our comrades in the South to join us.
207
Yeah, right, the Americans will never allow it.
208
We all know that they have one goal, to destroy us and everything we believe in.
209
Well, what do you propose then?
210
We go for the South first, we will show them our peaceful ideas and way of life. By force!
211
The Viet Minh went with this guy's idea and formed the National Liberation Front, a formal political face for the insurgency they were sponsoring in the South.
212
Their military arm became known as the Liberation Army of South Vietnam.
213
President Diem dubbed them Vietnamese Communist or Viet Cong.
214
The Viet Cong began assassinating Saigon government officials and ambushing government troops.
215
They had so much control over the countryside that they often functioned as a shadow government.
216
To supply their fighters in the south, the North built a massive network of supply routes that went from North Vietnam through Laos and Cambodia and into South Vietnam.
217
This was the beginning of the Ho Chi Minh Trail.
218
Diem was quickly losing control over South Vietnam.
219
The new US president John F.
220
Kennedy increased military aid from 700 to 16,000 military personnel by the time he was assassinated.
221
He also gave them millions of dollars and logistical
222
and air force aid that allowed the South Vietnam army to expand to 200,000 strong.
223
On January 2nd, 1963, the South attacked a Viet Cong position around the village of Ab Bac and got pummeled.
224
The Americans died in the fighting.
225
In the meantime, Diem was becoming increasingly unpopular.
226
He was a devout Catholic and continuously favored pro-Catholic policies, going so far as banning the public display of the flag of other religions.
227
And if this was not bad enough, the law came into effect right on a Buddhist holiday.
228
This led to massive demonstrations which were brutally suppressed, which led to even more protests during which a Buddhist monk immolated himself.
229
Diem's sister-in-law, who had the role of first lady, openly mocked the dead monk.
230
Let them burn and we shall clap our hands.
231
If the Buddhists wish to have another barbecue, I will be glad to supply the gasoline and a match.
232
This was too much for the US ambassador in Vietnam, who determined that Diem had become a liability.
233
The US then supported a coup that ended up killing Diem.
234
Kennedy was assassinated a few weeks later and Lyndon B.
235
Johnson became president.
236
The Viet Cong exploited the power vacuum and increased aggression in South Vietnam.
237
They even sunk an American ship moored on the Saigon River.
238
During a storm on August 4th, US ships at the Gulf of Tonkin claimed to be under-attacked by the North Vietnamese while in international waters.
239
As a response, Congress authorized the Gulf of Tonkin resolution which allowed President Johnson to increase military presence in Vietnam.
240
We now know that there was no real attack on US ships, but whether it was an honest mistake due to a system malfunction
241
or if it was a deliberate lie to escalate involvement in Vietnam remains unknown.
242
It is now 1965 and the Pentagon estimated that there are between 20
243
and 100 thousand Vietcong and North Vietnam soldiers present in the south.
244
LBJ wanted to avoid an escalation with China and the Soviet Union, so he decided to start off with small attacks and increase the strength as needed.
245
To intimidate the North into surrendering, LBJ authorized a series of bombing raids just north of the 17th parallel.
246
Then in Operation Rolling Thunder, American planes bombed key military infrastructure.
247
Hey, I know that you guys are kind of getting wrecked by our airstrikes, so I'll offer you a deal.
248
I'll call off Rolling Thunder and initiate a massive aid deal for the North
249
if you agree to stop supporting the Viet Cong and recognize the South as an independent, non-communist state.
250
Okay.
251
Wait, really?
252
No. Rolling Thunder failed to achieve its goal.
253
In June 1965, the Viet Cong overwhelmed several regiments of the Southern Army, including three US-trained Ranger battalions, and captured the provincial capital at Dong Chua,
254
just 60 miles from Saigon.
255
To add to the chaos, there was another coup in Saigon.
256
With South Vietnam in such a fragile state, President Johnson now had to choose between losing Vietnam and sending American troops.
257
You may be able to guess what he chose to do.
258
The American army took control of the battles and relegated the Arben to improving relations in the countryside.
259
But the South Vietnamese were not pleased with being shunted aside while Americans took over the war.
260
Besides, they were prone to corruption and violence, which often undermined the purpose of the operation.
261
The country didn't have the infrastructure to support such a large military operation, so the US had to build it themselves.
262
With thousands of American troops arriving in Vietnam, Rolling Thunder now focused on bombing the Ho Chi Minh Trail to cut off the Viet Cong supply lines.
263
But the North, with a lot of help from China and the Soviet Union, was getting very good at defending their skies and their anti-aircraft system was becoming formidable.
264
On April 3, 1965, the Northern Air Force intercepted the US bombing of the Tan Hwa Bridge in one of the war's first air-to-air engagements.
265
Although they lost all their planes, the Vietnamese did manage to take down two supersonic American warplanes in a dogfight.
266
The message was clear.
267
The North was not going to let the Americans control the skies without a fight.
268
During Operation Starlight, the US launched a surprise attack on a Viet Cong position at the village of Van Thong.
269
The Vietnamese fought ferociously and although they were defeated and lost 600 fighters, the US also took hundreds of casualties.
270
got another costly victory at Iat Rang, where three North Army divisions tried to cut South Vietnam in half.
271
The Americans were beginning to grasp the magnitude of the casualties they would face.
✨ Recommend Video
B2271 sentences
The Vietnam War Explained In 25 Minutes | Vietnam War Documentary
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B22
91 sentences
Trung Cộng đang tự cắn xé chính mình | Trung Quốc Không Kiểm Duyệt
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B215
16 sentences
Thứ trưởng Đỗ Hùng Việt: Việt Nam và Bangladesh cùng hướng ra biển lớn vì tương lai thịnh vượng
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B23
332 sentences
How Vietnamese Tunnels Outsmarted the U.S. Military
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B21
602 sentences
World War II: The Complete Story (1939–1945) 🌍⚔️ | Learn English Through History
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C1148 sentences
Operation Linebacker II - The B-52s go to Hanoi, 1972 - Animated
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B22
140 sentences
Angolan Civil War (1975) | Historic Footage Documents Start of Fighting
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B24
19 sentences
SYND 30 4 75 KISSINGER SPEAKING ON CONTINUED SUPPORT TO ITS VIETNAM WAR ALLIES
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
B28
147 sentences
The Cold War - OverSimplified (Part 1)
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
C112
30 sentences
The Vietnam War
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C11
70 sentences
Hồ Chí Minh’s ideology inspires peace, humanity & solidarity| Vietnam Today
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C14
61 sentences
Diễn văn trong "Nhà độc tài vĩ đại" | Charlie Chaplin
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “The Vietnam War - Part 1”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Vietnam, French, Minh, Viet, Vietnamese. This video has 271 sentences and 3626 words to shadow. The speech runs for 21:45. The speaker talks at a natural 167 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| negotiation noun | /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The process of achieving agreement through discussion. |
| countryside noun | /ˈkʌn.tɹiˌsaɪd/ | An area located outside of towns and cities; an area that is not urban or suburban; a rural area. |
| landowner noun | /ˈlændˌoʊ.nɚ/ | A person who owns land. |
| casualty noun | /ˈkæʒu.əlti/ | Something that happens by chance, especially an unfortunate event; an accident, a disaster. |
| warfare noun | /ˈwɔɹfɛɹ/ | The waging of war or armed conflict against an enemy. |
| declaration noun | /ˌdɛk.ləˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | An emphatic or formal act of saying, telling or asserting something, by speech or writing; a decisive assertion or proclamation. |
| divide verb | /dɪˈvaɪd/ | To split or separate (something) into two or more parts. |
| assassinate verb | /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/ | To murder someone, especially an important person, by a sudden or obscure attack, especially for ideological or political reasons. |
| authorize verb | /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/ | To grant (someone) the permission or power necessary to do (something); to permit; to sanction or consent to. |
| devout adjective | /dɪˈvaʊt/ | Devoted to religion or to religious feelings and duties; pious; extremely religious; godly. |
| discreet adjective | /dɪˈskɹiːt/ | Respectful of privacy or secrecy; exercising caution in order to avoid causing embarrassment; quiet; diplomatic. |
| guerrilla noun | /ɡəˈɹɪlə/ | A soldier in a small independent group, fighting against the government or regular forces by surprise raids. |
| munition noun | /ˌmjuˈnɪʃən/ | Materials of war: armaments, weapons and ammunition. |
| occupier noun | One who occupies, particularly with respect to a foreign government controlling the territory of another. | |
| paramilitary adjective | /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/ | Relating to a paramilitary. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| take over verb | To assume control of something, such as a business or enterprise, and sometimes by force. | |
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| break down verb | To stop functioning. | |
| break out verb | To escape, especially forcefully or defiantly. | |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. | |
| call off verb | To recall; to cancel or call a halt to. | |
| come across verb | To change sides; to cross over to work for the opposition. | |
| come up with verb | To manage to produce, deliver, or present (something) by inventing, creating, thinking of, or obtaining it. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Wouldn't it be like super cool if we fought them together?
- How do I know I can trust you?
- Can't we just let them be free?
- Hey, how about we talk this out?
- You promise to be discreet?
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 ignored · were led · was interrupted |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | have already extracted · has gone · has departed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who wished · everyone who totally · those who didn |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 29 contractions and reduced forms, such as didn't, don't, I'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: authorize /ˈɔθəɹaɪz/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, withdraw /wɪðˈdɹɔ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, casualty /ˈkæʒu.əlti/, declaration /ˌdɛk.ləˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, munition /ˌmjuˈnɪʃən/, negotiate /nəˈɡəʊ.ʃi.eɪt/
- Long words — get the stress right: negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, casualty /ˈkæʒu.əlti/, declaration /ˌdɛk.ləˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, assassinate /əˈsæs(ə)nˌeɪt/, paramilitary /ˌpæɹəˈmɪlɪˌtɛɹi/
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 negotiation, countryside, landowner.
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.