Shadowing Practice: The Worst Punishments in Human History - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

221 sentences

If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.

Let's start with the bad and slowly work our way towards the stuff of nightmares.

Number 10.

The Rat Dungeon.

If you were alive in London, England during the medieval period, you would have definitely heard about the Rat Dungeon,

since this punishment struck paralyzing fear into the hearts of even the most hardened criminals.

This was a cell that was located at the bottom of the London Tower, where prisoners were shackled and chained in complete darkness.

But here's the thing, the dungeon was connected to the nearby river and just below the river's waterline,

rows, all the rats that lived along the riverbed would be pushed out of their shelters and forced to swim downstream.

This would of course lead the hungry and angry rats towards the entrance of the dungeon, where they would then come face to face with the prisoner.

But to the unlucky prisoner, he never actually saw anything, and all he would hear were the soft scurries of the rat's feet entering the dungeon.

And in a matter of minutes,

these soft noises were in the hundreds and all rats would then begin to take small bites from the prisoner,

who had no way of defending himself.

Now, he might be able to shake the rats off for a few hours, but eventually the prisoner would pass out from pure exhaustion.

And while he slept, the rats would continue to take bites from his flesh.

Eventually, when he would wake up, he would discover hundreds of bites throughout his entire body.

But it didn't stop there.

The prisoner was left here for days or weeks on end, depending on this form of punishment just got more and more deranged,

eventually becoming a form of execution, where prisoners would just be thrown in the dungeon and forgotten about.

Number 9.

The Rack.

This was yet another punishment that took place in the London Tower.

The Rack was a torture device that was used in many places throughout history.

This form of punishment was originally designed for getting a confession, usually from criminals, slaves, or prisoners of war.

The device looked like a large ladder, but instead of secure steps, like a rolling pin.

You see, when a prisoner was placed on the rack, he would have his feet and wrists tied to a ratchet pulley system,

where two legal officials would slowly tighten the ropes and locking them in place, placing an increasing amount of strain on the prisoner's shoulders,

hips, knees, and elbows with every single turn.

This was all done to get information, but of course, a lot of the times the truth was not accepted as reality,

and the prisoner would then begin to say would work and the prisoners would be let go,

while other times they would be tortured even more for lying.

When the whole ordeal was over, prisoners were usually released with dislocated joints, but oftentimes they were left completely paralyzed.

That was the case in England in 1447

when a 25 -year -old girl named Anne Askew would be tortured on the rack for hours

and hours on end and left completely paralyzed after all her joints were dislocated.

She was then carried on a chair and burned alive at the stake.

All this because she read and memorized scriptures from the Bible which she preached in private to small group of women,

which were the exact women she refused to name and expose during her torture.

You see, during this time period, if you followed any religion other than the Catholic Church, you better not say a word to anybody,

including your own husband, which was the person that turned her in.

Number 8: Keelhauling This brutal punishment was carried out at sea on sailors who would steal

or be violent towards others and would usually result in death.

Keelhauling would start with a sailor having his arms tied with

the rope then looped around the entire circumference of the ship before being tied off to his feet.

The sailor would then be thrown overboard

while the group of men on board pulled on the rope

to slowly drag him around the outside of the ship including over the keel, which is how this punishment gets its name.

But a lot of the times, the sailor wouldn't even have to worry about it, since they were dead before they ever reached it.

Kinda just depends on how hard the guys on the rope feel like working that day.

Not only would the sailors be drowning and getting their backs and necks broken on the keel,

they were also getting sliced apart like a cheese grater by all the sharp barnacles on the outside of the ship.

But if by some miracle, a sailor actually happens to make it all the way around the ship without dying, one of three things will happen.

One, he would be sent for round two and for sure be dead by then.

2. Be freed and allowed back on the ship, where he would then slowly die to infections. Or 3.

Lived the rest of his life single

and being made fun of since he was now fully covered in scars from head to toe.

Number 7.

Crushed by Elephants.

Now we are getting to the part of the list where living is no longer an option.

This form of punishment has been used by many countries throughout history, but was most recently used by India in the 19th century.

Which is really not that long ago if you really think about it.

Like, your great grandma could have witnessed one of these.

What type of crimes would you have to commit to be crushed by an elephant you might ask?

Well, apparently if you failed to pay your taxes.

That was good enough.

enemy soldier was also a great way to become a tortilla.

But the most disturbing case in history was

when the fourth Mughal Emperor of India ordered an enormous amount of criminals to be crushed to death in a single day,

simply because he was bored and needed some entertainment.

The guy who forgot to pay his taxes?

Crushed.

The man who stole an apple from the local market?

Crushed.

The little orphan who jaywalked across the street?

Crushed.

The man who murdered his neighbor

and added his remains to a large pot of tomato soup then fed that soup to his

the shadows with a creepy smirk on his face.

Eh, he's alright.

Apparently he makes a damn good soup.

There are a few ways that this public execution goes down, but one thing always stays the same.

There's always a guy on top of the elephant controlling its every move.

And this was very intentional, as this was meant to showcase just how amazing the ruling class were.

I mean, look at them.

They can control an elephant.

Now be impressed.

The first method of execution was the one that you better pray for if this was going to be your fate.

Here the criminals would have their arms tied behind their back and their heads placed on a pedestal, where it was then crushed like a grape by the elephant's foot.

Now the second method is much more cruel.

The criminal would be placed flat on the floor with their arms tied behind their backs.

Then the elephants would be guided to walk over the person's body, and hopefully the criminal would die on the first go.

But sometimes they just end up crushing a leg or an arm, then has to make a U -turn and try again and again and again.

The final and worst way is when a highly trained elephant was guided to slowly crush the person limb by limb.

They would first crush the arms, then the legs, and then poke holes in them with the tusks, until eventually dealing the final blow to the head or torso.

This is the more theatrical route that rulers like the 4th mogul love to take, and made for a truly traumatizing experience for everyone.

Except for the fourth mogul.

He loved it.

Number 6.

Impelment.

100

Probably one of the grossest and most cruel forms of punishment on the list.

101

This has been used by a few countries throughout history, but was most recently used in Egypt in the 17th century, usually against criminals that were highway robbers,

102

grave thieves, or anyone who would try and start a rebellion.

103

This punishment would start by having a criminal lay flat on their stomachs with their arms tied behind their back.

104

They would then be sliced open incision was made,

105

the cut would be lathered with paste to instantly stop the blood.

106

They would then thrust in a long wooden stake that was the width of a man's arm, which was sharply tapered on one end.

107

They then begin to hit the wooden stake with the mallet, pushing it further and further in.

108

And of course, the stake was greased up beforehand to make this process a lot smoother.

109

And once the stake has popped out of the criminal's shoulder, head, or mouth, they were pretty much long gone.

110

road like a Halloween decoration to remind everyone that this is what happens when you break the law.

111

They will be left there for the entire day and removed the following morning before the body begins to stink.

112

But wait, there's another version of this as well.

113

You see, on some occasions, the criminals would only be impelled just deep enough to keep them in place, but not too deep that it would cause immediate death.

114

They would do this by having stakes that had a seated position

115

They would then be placed on a busy road where they would suffer for hours

116

and hours pleading to people walking by for help, until eventually succumbing to their wounds.

117

Number 5.

118

Poena Cule.

119

Poena Cule is Latin for penalty of the sack.

120

And that's exactly what it was, just a lot more terrifying and cruel.

121

This was an exclusive punishment for anyone that would murder their own family members.

122

This was first seen in the 2nd century in Rome, but would later be used by the Germans in the 18th century.

123

This all begins with a convicted murderer being placed inside a thick leather bag.

124

But just to make sure the man isn't lonely, they would then add a dog, a rooster, a viper, and a monkey.

125

I don't know what these animals did to deserve this, but hey, at least the evil family murderer doesn't die alone.

126

Once all the animals are added inside the bag, it is then sewn shut, creating an almost airtight seal.

127

Now you would think this would be horrible enough, but no, this is just the beginning.

128

Because as soon as the bag is sewn shut, it is then tossed into the ocean.

129

But don't worry, later on, these murderers would be given the option to either be placed inside the leather bag,

130

form the act of being mauled to death in front of all of their loved ones and peers.

131

You know, at least they had the option.

132

Number 4.

133

Rats.

134

This is one of the most sick punishments in all of human history, and it involves the use of rats.

135

I will cover two of them here as they are very similar.

136

The first use of this form of punishment dates back to 1568, during the 80 years war.

137

A Dutch leader named Diedrich Sonoy would often use this method of punishment, which involved placing a rat inside of a clay bowl,

138

then placing it topside down on a prisoner's stomach, chest, face, or groin.

139

bowl would be heated with either a torch

140

or some coals causing the rat to go into a full -on panic trying to escape from the heat

141

and its only way out was to burrow into the human once inside it would continue to chew

142

and tear apart whatever was in its way desperately searching for

143

a way out eventually the rat finds its way out of the maze and survives

144

The same could not be said for the prisoner.

145

But the second method was much, much worse.

146

And was highly secretive since it was used under the guidance

147

of the dictator Augusto Pinochet where he held power from 1976 through 1983.

148

They called it the Rectoscope.

149

And I'm sure you have already figured out where this is going.

150

Yes, it's exactly what you think.

151

They would place a tube on a prisoner's back door,

152

then insert a rat inside so sick that they actually expected the prisoners to answer questions while this was going on.

153

Eventually, the rat would find its way in and begin to move forward to find its way out.

154

Nobody really knows how many people died from this punishment, but we do know that a ton of people went missing when this dictator was in charge.

155

Number 3.

156

Gibbeting.

157

The last known use was in the early 1900s in Afghanistan.

158

This all came to light in 1921 when the National Geographic's

159

This was also used in the United States from time to time during the 17th and 18th century.

160

One notable example was in Boston, Massachusetts, where a few pirates were hung at the Boston Harbor, which served as a warning to any sailors that were approaching Boston.

161

Now let's talk about England since they loved this form of punishment so much.

162

In England this was used on traitors, murderers, pirates, and thieves.

163

But after the year 1752 the Murder Act was passed,

164

which required that all convicted dissected or by gibbetting of some sort.

165

And over 134 confirmed people met this fate.

166

The most common form of gibbetting were actually cages and they looked like this.

167

It was an all steel cage that was shaped tightly to the form of a human body, which was so tight that it would not allow the person inside to move.

168

They were then hung 30 feet or more off the floor, usually on a public road or waterhole, to ensure that the most amount of people could witness this monstrosity. But I

169

annoying than anything since every time you get thirsty

170

and needed to fill up your container of water you would

171

have to deal with the dying man begging you for a sip

172

"Over here !" But the annoyance and torture of the public didn't stop there.

173

Because after the criminals would die in the cages, the body would be left inside to rot for years and years on end.

174

With the locals complaining that the smell of death was so pungent that they couldn't even sleep at night.

175

There's even been reports that some human remains stayed inside of these cages for over 20 years, before a government official would finally remember to clean it out.

176

Number 2.

177

Scafism.

178

This was a form of punishment that was used by the ancient Persian empire on anyone that would be convicted of murder.

179

First, the criminal would be placed inside of a boat on their backs and tied down.

180

The boat had four holes cut out so that the person's arms

181

and legs would be outside of the boat and in the water.

182

They were then force -fed large quantities of honey and milk until their stomachs were visibly full.

183

They would then proceed to lather

184

he was then pushed out to the middle of the lake where he was completely exposed to the heat of the sun.

185

But the sun would soon become the least of his worries.

186

You see, the reason they fed him milk and honey was not because it was a great last meal, but because this combination causes the person to get extreme diarrhea,

187

which mixed with the sweet honey attracts rodents, bugs, wasps, bees, flies, and whatever other animals live near the lake.

188

After being tormented by the time maybe gets a little better.

189

No. Because as soon as the sun rises the following day, the person inside of the boat gets another gigantic meal of milk and honey and an additional lathering.

190

This would be done on a daily basis to prolong the punishment for as long as possible.

191

It was also well documented that the rodents would continuously attempt to burrow inside of the person through their back door.

192

They were probably trying to get a head start on their next meal.

193

A writer named John Cenaris wrote in great detail about one of these incidents.

194

He would go on to say that it was one of the most horrid and cruel forms of punishment, since it was terribly long and seemed to have no end in sight.

195

He wrote about a man who survived for an entire 17 days before he finally died from his wounds.

196

Apparently, the man spent his last few days with his entire face completely covered with wasps,

197

and his flesh rotting away filled with swarms of parasites and Filth.

198

Number 1.

199

The Oubliette.

200

Oubliette simply means to forget in French.

201

This was a punishment that was used in many places throughout history, including in the London Tower, which had a small and confined room called Little E's.

202

Not only was this room pitch black, it was also so small that prisoners could not sit, stand, or lay down while inside it,

203

and they would be left in this uncomfortable position for days on end.

204

One of the most famous Oubliettes is not the one in district of Warwick, inside of Warwick Castle.

205

Here, deep underground in the castle's dungeons, is a very small and narrow cell, completely made of stone, which has a metal door to close it shut.

206

Prisoners were tossed inside of the cell and forgotten about, as the name implies.

207

The prisoner would just have to sit there and wait for their inevitable death, which usually came in a few days from dehydration or starvation.

208

Now of course, this would be the best case scenario, a rotting corpse inside of the cell to keep the new prisoner company.

209

The previous occupier of the cell would serve as a daily reminder of his upcoming fate.

210

But that's not the only companions that he will have, since the underground dungeons are completely infested with rats that have developed a taste for human flesh.

211

But wait, there's more.

212

These oubliettes existed in many of the castles throughout Europe,

213

and in recent times they have actually discovered these dungeons ever cleaned.

214

Like in Leap Castle of Ireland, where in 1900 during the castle's renovation, a worker found a small opening behind a wall inside of the chapel.

215

This hole had an 8 foot drop that led to a large oubliette.

216

And what the worker found inside shocked him, since it was filled with so many skeletons that they needed multiple cart loads to clear it all out.

217

But just when you think this section is over, it just keeps on giving.

218

You see, there's been many stories of and kept alive for years and years on end,

219

surviving off crumbs of food and minimal amounts of water, prolonging their inevitable demise for as long as humanly possible.

220

These cells were sometimes even placed on ground level so they can hear the voices and laughter of the people outside.

221

An experience that they will never get again in this lifetime.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence

IPA PracticeMaster every sound

VocabularyBuild your word bank

Vocab GameLearn while playing

Scan QR

Download on theApp Store Get it onGoogle Play

✨ Recommend Video

205 sentences

Why practice speaking with this video?

Using "The Worst Punishments in Human History" video as a speaking practice resource offers a unique opportunity to engage with compelling content while enhancing your English skills. The narrative style of the speaker, combined with vivid and historical descriptions, encourages learners to articulate complex ideas and emotions. By practicing your spoken English through this video, you can improve your vocabulary, gain confidence in expressing opinions, and enrich your storytelling abilities. Additionally, the dark themes discussed provide an unconventional context that can make learning more memorable and engaging.

Grammar & Expressions in Context

The speech in the video is rich with grammatical structures and expressions that can provide excellent examples for English learners. Here are a few key structures:

Use of Past Simple Tense: The speaker frequently uses the past simple to describe historical events, e.g., "was located," which helps learners understand how to talk about past situations effectively.
Conditional Statements: Phrases like "If you were alive in London" showcase how conditional forms can be used to speculate about hypothetical scenarios, enriching learners' ability to discuss possibilities.
Complex Sentences: The speaker constructs complex sentences with multiple clauses. For example, "the rats would then come face to face with the prisoner," which can help learners understand how to join ideas smoothly in conversation.
Descriptive Language: The use of vivid adjectives, such as "hungry," "angry," and "paralyzing fear," enhances the narrative, helping learners expand their descriptive vocabulary.

Common Pronunciation Traps

When practicing your pronunciation using this video, pay attention to some potentially tricky words and phrases. Here are a few common traps:

Paralyzing: This word can be challenging due to its multiple syllables. Focus on breaking it down into smaller sounds: "par-a-lyz-ing."
Dungeon: Learners often mispronounce it as "dun-gez," but the correct pronunciation is "dun-jun." Practicing this word can significantly improve your overall clarity.
Scurries: The "c" here is silent, sounding like "skurries." Make sure to emphasize the initial "s" sound to avoid miscommunication.

To improve English pronunciation and enhance comprehension, consider employing the shadowing technique. This involves listening to the speaker and then mimicking their speech in real-time, allowing you to practice intonation and rhythm. By integrating methods like shadow speech with engaging content like this YouTube video, learners can effectively learn English with YouTube while enjoying the process.

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 located · was connected · would be pushed
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	husband, which was · keel, which is · guy who forgot
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now	has been · has popped · have already figured

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 →

Shadowing Practice: The Worst Punishments in Human History - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Download App

Truly EVIL Human Experiments That Actually Happened

The WORST Ways People Have DIED..

Black Dolphin: Worst Prison in the World

Crazy Laws That Still Exist Around The World

How to Cope as a Useless Lonely Rat // EP 108

Buckbeak Is Executed - Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban

These Crimes Will Send You To Death Row

Why This Painting Captures One of History’s Most Tragic Moments

Eating Death Row Inmates Last Meals

8 Ancient Animals Scarier Than Dinosaurs

These Dumb Weapons Actually Existed

The Son Of Beast Roller Coaster Accidents

Why practice speaking with this video?

Grammar & Expressions in Context

Common Pronunciation Traps

Grammar in this video

What is the Shadowing Technique?