Shadowing Practice: this is sus - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: diamond, tool, axe, damage. This video has 34 sentences and 187 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:06. The speaker talks at a natural 171 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 76% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 9 of its 34 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
12 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| diamond noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.mənd/ | A glimmering glass-like mineral that is an allotrope of carbon in which each atom is surrounded by four others in the form of a tetrahedron. |
| mini adjective | /ˈmɪn.i/ | Miniature, tiny, small. |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| wooden adjective | /ˈwʊdn̩/ | Made of wood. |
| underground adjective | /ˌʌn.dəɹˈɡɹaʊnd/ | Below the ground; below the surface of the Earth. |
| nope | /noʊp/ | No. |
| arrow noun | /ˈæɹəʊ/ | A projectile consisting of a shaft, a point and a tail with stabilizing fins that is shot from a bow. |
| roast verb | /ɹoʊst/ | To cook food by heating in an oven or over a fire without covering, resulting in a crisp, possibly even slightly charred appearance. |
| crit noun | /kɹɪt/ | Criticism. |
| mmmm noun | Elongated form of mmm. | |
| overworld noun | The celestial world. | |
| pickaxe noun | /ˈpɪkˌæks/ | A heavy iron tool with a wooden handle; one end of the head is pointed, the other has a chisel edge. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- You don't shoot the arrow now, right?
- I'm gonna go with, is it made of diamonds?!
- How you getting this mini correct?
- I don't know, I don't know.
- Why would I even say that?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | gonna go · gonna roast · gonna lose |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm doing |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 12 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, gonna. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 diamond, mini, silly.
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.