Shadowing Practice: The Winner Takes It All - Learn English Speaking with Video

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47 sentences
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The I don't wanna talk about things we've gone through Though it's hurting me,
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now it's history I've played all my cards,
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and that's what you've done too
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Nothing more to say, no more ace to play
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The winner takes it all, the loser standing small
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Beside the victory, that's our destiny I was in your arms,
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thinking I belonged there I figured it made sense,
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building me a fence
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Building me a home, thinking I'd be strong there
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But I was a fool, laying by the rules
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The gods made from a dice, their minds as cold as ice
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And someone way down here, loses someone dear
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The winner takes it all, the loser has to fall
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It's simple and it's plain
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Why should I complain?
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But tell me, does she kiss
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Like I used to kiss you?
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Does it feel the same
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When she calls your name?
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Somewhere deep inside
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You must know I miss you
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But what can I say?
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Rules must be obey
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The judges will decide
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The likes of me abide
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Spectators on the charts
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Always stay in love
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The game is on again A lover or a friend A big,
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big or a small
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The winner takes it all I don't wanna talk
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If it makes you feel sad
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And I understand
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You've come to shake my hand I apologize
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If it makes you feel bad
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Seeing me so tense
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No self -confidence
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But you see
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The winner takes it all
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The wind takes it all
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So the wind takes it all
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And the wind's just as you know
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Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh,
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oh, oh One, two, three

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “The Winner Takes It All”. This video has 47 sentences and 380 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:25. The speaker talks slowly, about 86 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

WordPronunciationMeaning
loser noun/luzɚ/A person who loses; one who fails to win or thrive.
chart noun/t͡ʃɑɹt/A map illustrating the geography of a specific phenomenon.
plain noun/pleɪn/An expanse of land with relatively low relief and few trees, especially a grassy expanse.
belong verb/bɪˈlɒŋ/To have its proper place.
shake verb/ˈʃeɪk/To cause (something) to move rapidly in opposite directions alternatingly.
lover noun/ˈlʌvɚ/One who loves and cares for another person in a romantic way; a sweetheart, love, soulmate, boyfriend, girlfriend, or spouse.
complain verb/kəmˈpleɪn/To express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction, or resentment.
fence noun/fɛns/A thin artificial barrier that separates two pieces of land or forms a perimeter enclosing the lands of a house, building, etc.
beside/bɪˈsaɪd/Next to; at the side of.
destiny noun/ˈdɛs.tɪ.ni/That to which any person or thing is destined; a predetermined state; a condition predestined by the Divine or by human will.
apologize verb/əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends
tense noun/tɛns/The property of indicating the point in time at which an action or state of being occurs or exists.
obey verb/oʊˈbeɪ/To do as ordered by (a person, institution etc), to act according to the bidding of.
abide verb/əˈbaɪd/To endure without yielding; to withstand.
spectator noun/spɛkˈteɪtə/One who watches an event; especially, an event held outdoors.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

WordMeaning
go through verbTo travel from one end of something to the other.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

StructureIn the video
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowwe've gone · I've played · you've done
Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessaryhas to fall · must know

Pronunciation to watch

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

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like loser, chart, plain.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →