Shadowing Practice: Thomas Shelby | Pull me from the dark - Learn English Speaking with Video
B2Speak like Thomas Shelby | British accent | English speaking | Peaky blinders lesson #4
B2John Mayer - Slow Dancing In A Burning Room (Lyrics)
B2"I guess I just miss my friend" - The Shawshank Redemption (HD)
B2The Walking Dead 9x05 - Rick & Shane Hallucination
B2George confesses his love for Charlotte | Queen Charlotte
B2Tristan Tate ~ After Dark edit
B2Jinx || Are You Insane Like Me?
B2Taylor Swift - Patient Zero (Official Music Video)
B2Anne Clark - Our Darkness
B2Malcolm Todd - Sweet Boy
B210th Kingdom Wolf & Virginia Part1
B2Lana Del Rey || Off to the Races || (Lyrics)
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Thomas Shelby”. This video has 10 sentences and 202 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:57. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 9 of its 10 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| weakness noun | /ˈwik.nɪs/ | The condition of being weak. |
| madness noun | /ˈmæd.nəs/ | The state of being mad; insanity; mental disease. |
| lately adverb | /ˈleɪt.li/ | Recently; not long ago; of late; not long since. |
| bullet noun | /ˈbʊlɪt/ | A projectile, usually of metal, shot from a gun at high speed. |
| warn verb | /woɹn/ | To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. |
| whiskey noun | /ˈwɪski/ | A liquor distilled from the fermented mash of grain (as rye, corn, or barley). |
| shovel noun | /ˈʃʌv.əl/ | A hand tool with a handle, used for moving portions of material such as earth, snow, and grain from one place to another, with some forms also used for… |
| smoke verb | /sməʊk/ | To inhale and exhale the smoke from a burning cigarette or cigar, burning material in a pipe, etc. |
| smell verb | /smɛl/ | To sense a smell or smells. |
| doctor noun | /ˈdɑktɚ/ | A physician; a member of the medical profession; one who is trained and licensed to heal the sick or injured. The final examination and qualification may award… |
| freedom noun | /ˈfɹiːdəm/ | The state of being free. |
| trouble noun | /ˈt͡ʃɹʌbəl/ | A distressing or dangerous situation. |
| alive adjective | /əˈlaɪv/ | Having life; living; not dead. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | woman who I |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, I'm. 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.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like weakness, madness, lately.
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.