Shadowing Practice: This is a crazy joke #comedy #relatable #shorts - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 61 sentences and 304 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:32. The speaker talks fast, about 198 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 72% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| cancel verb | /ˈkæn.sl̩/ | To cross out something with lines etc. |
| offensive adjective | /ˈɔˌfɛnsɪv/ | Causing offense; arousing a visceral reaction of disgust, anger, hatred, sadness, or indignation. |
| introduce verb | /ˌɪntɹəˈdus/ | To cause (someone) to be acquainted (with someone else). |
| flush verb | /ˈflʌʃ/ | To cleanse by flooding with generous quantities of a fluid. |
| offend verb | /əˈfɛnd/ | To hurt the feelings of; to displease; to make angry; to insult. |
| giblet noun | /ˈd͡ʒɪblət/ | The edible viscera of a bird. |
| derogatory adjective | /dɪˈɹɑɡəˌtɔɹi/ | Disparaging. |
| crave verb | /kɹeɪv/ | To desire strongly, so as to satisfy an appetite; to long or yearn for. |
| gibber verb | /ˈd͡ʒɪbə(ɹ)/ | To jabber, talk rapidly and unintelligibly or incoherently. |
| giblets noun | /ˈd͡ʒɪbləts/ | The internal organs of poultry birds, used as food. |
| humankind noun | /ˌhjuːmənˈkaɪnd/ | The human race; mankind, humanity; Homo sapiens. |
| procrastinate verb | /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/ | To delay taking action; to wait until later. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 24 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, you're, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: derogatory /dɪˈɹɑɡəˌtɔɹi/, procrastinate /pɹoʊˈkɹæs.tə.neɪt/
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 whoa, cancel, offensive.
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.