Shadowing Practice: TOEFL Speaking: Listen and Repeat Training (2026) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Most TOEFL test takers agree that listen and repeat is one of the hardest tasks to do on test day.
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This is in the TOEFL speaking section and it looks like this.
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You get an image and you have seven statements about the image and you only get to listen to it once.
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It'll be like this.
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the information desk can answer questions about exhibits, events and museum programs.
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So it seems pretty easy, but it's actually more difficult to remember every single word that was just said.
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But that's what we're going to practice together right now.
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I'm going to give you 30 statements that I want you to listen and repeat.
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We'll start off easy and we'll get more complex and more difficult as we go.
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And at the end as well, I'll give you a test simulation.
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You'll have an image and seven statements, just like on the test.
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And if you're a little confused about this, don't worry.
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I'm going to give you tips and tricks along the way as well, so you know how to improve your score and you know exactly what to expect on test day.
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So let's get started with the first one.
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The workshop has been cancelled.
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Let's order something different.
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Please remain behind the line.
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Please remain behind the line.
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So pretty easy to start.
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This leads me to my first tip, which is to use speech-to-text software when you practice.
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Basically, if you're just speaking and you don't have anybody to listen to you except yourself, it's easy to let mistakes slip through the cracks,
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like you can't hear your own mistakes very well.
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So there's two ways to help fix this.
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One way is to sign up for a free account at TST Prep, and you can have free practice and we actually check if you repeated the words the exact same way or not.
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That's the simplest way.
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If you would like to do it on your own, you can also use speech-to-text software.
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So for example, ChatGPT, your iPhone, or even Google Docs with something called voice typing.
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Basically, you speak into your technology, your phone or your computer, and then it'll write out, it'll type out or whatever you want to say, what you said.
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And if you heard it correctly, it should be exactly like it is written in the answer key below.
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So that's my first tip.
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Make sure you're checking your answers with some type of software that converts your speech to text.
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All right, let's keep going.
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Who can solve this problem?
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The warranty covers most repairs.
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Additional evidence is still needed.
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Registration closes at noon.
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The presentation exceeded expectations.
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Construction began over a century ago.
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Have you read the article? so so the
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first 10 pretty easy we're about to get a little more
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complicated before we do my next tip is to make sure you do the little things right.
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So for example, make sure you have an S at the end of words that need an S.
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So for example, if you look at number two, it says let's order something different.
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Make sure you said let's with that S sound at the end.
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If you just said let order without the S sound, then that means it's wrong.
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So you have to be very careful of that.
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You want You want to make sure every word is correct and everything is included.
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And that includes also another example.
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The warranty covers most repairs.
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Make sure you have covers.
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This is number five.
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Covers with an S, most repairs with an S.
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So make sure you do all those little things right.
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You include all of those little words, all those function words like a, an and the.
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Make sure all of those are included in your response.
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That's it.
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Let's go to the more difficult ones.
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Although the concepts are difficult, the examples are straightforward.
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Employers appreciate applicants who arrive prepared and on time.
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Books returned after the due date may incur a fee.
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Should you misplace your key, we can issue a replacement.
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The information desk can direct you to any office.
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So the statements are getting a little bit longer, a little bit harder to remember every word that was said.
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You know, you remember pieces of it, but you don't remember every single word.
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So this is where some strategy might help.
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One piece of strategy that I find helpful.
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Some students do, some students don't, so experiment with this and see how you feel about it.
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But that's to write the first letter of every word in your notes.
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So on test day, you're allowed to take some notes.
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I usually don't recommend notes for listen and repeat, but this actually kind of helps.
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What is it?
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Let me explain.
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So the first thing you want to do is that you want to write down the numbers one, two, three, four, five, six, seven.
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On test day, you'll have for listen and repeat, you'll have an image and there'll be seven statements about it.
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Okay, the shorter ones are kind of easy.
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I don't think you need to do this for the shorter ones.
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For the longer sentences, like numbers three and four and five and six and seven, then you might want to think about doing this.
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What does it look like?
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So let's look at number 11 for an example.
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Although the concepts are difficult, the examples are straightforward.
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In my notes, I wrote down A-T-C-A-D-T-E-A-S.
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And what is that?
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That's the first letter of every word.
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A is although, T is the, concepts is C, A is difficult, A is R, D is difficult, and so on.
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Now, why is this helpful?
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It's helpful for a couple reasons.
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One reason is that you're focused on your listening and on taking notes, so you're super focused.
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It helps improve your focus for one thing.
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You don't worry about the image so much, you don't worry about anything else around you, you're like, okay, what's the first letter, what's the first letter, what's the first letter?
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So it helps improve your focus, that's one thing.
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Another thing is that the first letter of each word helps cue you,
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helps remind you when it's time to repeat what you have to say, so you don't forget any word because all the words are there with just one letter.
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So even though, for example, although the concepts are difficult, I remember all that.
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The first part usually is where you'll remember things.
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The second part towards the end is where you'll start forgetting some things.
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And then I remember, oh, it was not just examples, it was the examples.
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I see the T and then I remember, oh it was the examples.
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And then A is R and then S is straightforward.
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So it might not work for you.
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This might not be the best fit for you.
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You might have trouble spelling, for example.
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For me, I find this very helpful.
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I can write down and stay super focused and the sentence just came.
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So even though there are thousands of words that begin with S, I can still see the letter S and get a cue, a kind of memory cue,
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because I just heard this sentence before.
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Okay, so this is my little tip that I think is helpful for a lot of students, not for every student.
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Some students think this is too confusing, don't find it helpful, that's fine.
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Experiment with this and see how it goes writing down the first letter of each word that you hear.
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Alright, let's keep going to the next batch of questions.
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Alright, here we go, listen and repeat.
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Once the timer starts, record measurements at regular intervals.
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areas are available on a first come, first serve basis.
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After graduation, transcripts can still be requested online.
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Following the keynote address, breakout sessions will begin.
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We'll continue this topic and examine additional examples next week.
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All right, so we're about to get into the even harder statements.
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These are even longer.
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These are the ones that will be the sixth or seventh statement on test day.
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So these are really difficult.
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Before I do, another tip here is to focus more on the audio than the image.
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image helps give you context, but really you really focus on what you're listening to and what you need to repeat.
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The image can be a little bit distracting, your eyes can be distracting, might look around the room, might look at different parts of the screen.
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If you close your eyes and just focus on what you're listening to, you'll enhance your focus on the audio.
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This is another reason why I like the note-taking strategy of writing down the first letter of each word, because it helps keep me focused on the audio itself.
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So again, focus more on the audio, less on the image.
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Also, don't forget to go to tstprep.com for our free practice questions for Listen
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and Repeat and also for the free speaking guide.
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I'll put a link in the description to that.
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That'll help you with not just Listen and Repeat, but also take an interview as well.
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So check that out, but let's keep going with the hard statements.
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Here we go.
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Several artifacts were recovered locally, while others were donated by private collectors.
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Workshops covering study strategies are offered regularly throughout the academic year.
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Due to maintenance work, passengers may experience minor delays during evening service hours.
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Measurements should be repeated carefully whenever the results appear inconsistent or unusual.
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We'll continue discussing this topic once everyone has completed the assigned reading.
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All right, pretty difficult, but you're almost finished.
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Five more to do.
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Another tip for you here is to listen in chunks.
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It means listening to groups of words instead of individual words.
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So for example, number 21 says, several artifacts were recovered locally, while others were donated by private collectors.
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So this sentence here has one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen words.
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So that's a lot of words, and that'd be a lot of things to write down.
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Thirteen letters would be a lot to write down quickly.
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So maybe instead, it's better for you to remember in chunks, you remember several artifacts.
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You remember this word several often modifies some noun this situation is artifacts, several artifacts, okay, were recovered locally.
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So you try to remember in chunks.
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You don't remember each word, but instead you remember this group of words that go together.
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For this strategy, it's kind of general.
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There's not really anything that I can say specifically like do this and do this and do this.
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This will be up to you about how you feel comfortable listening.
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Is it easier for you to remember each word or is it easier for you to remember chunks of words.
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This is something you'll have to experiment with and you'll have to see what you feel most comfortable doing.
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So experiment with the notes, writing down the first letter of each word, try listening in chunks, see which which style works best for you.
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Yeah, because everyone's going to be different for this.
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It's challenging, just listen to repeat stuff.
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All right, we got five more and then we have the actual mock test.
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So this is where you take everything that you've learned and apply it to the actual test question.
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So got a lot more good things to do.
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Let's get into it right now.
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Last five difficult ones before we get into the mock test.
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Discounted supplies are displayed near the register and additional items are available upstairs.
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Social changes often occur gradually, even when political reforms happen very quickly.
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Some animals become more active after sunset, particularly during the warmer summer months.
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Seating is limited for the afternoon workshop, so early arrival is strongly recommended.
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Group fitness classes remain popular because they encourage motivation and regular participation.
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All right, how did you do?
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If you scored over a 25 out of 30 and everything is perfect for those 25, that's a pretty good score.
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if you still need to work on it and improve, you do want to practice every day.
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That's my next tip for this, is that the first time you do this, listen and repeat, it seems so simple.
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And then you start running into challenges and difficulties.
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And so you need to practice it to get better at it.
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It's like anything, you know, you practice it a little bit more, you get better at it.
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So make sure that you have enough practice.
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If you sign up for TSD Prep Score Builder Program, We have thousands of additional TOEFL practice questions.
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We have, I think, about a hundred questions like this.
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We have 10 practice tests.
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You just get a lot of stuff in the Score Builder program.
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I'll put a link in the description of that.
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But make sure that you practice every day, YouTube videos, whatever you can find.
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This will help you get more comfortable with this and also find your style that you like.
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Do you like to take notes?
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Do you like to look at the image?
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Do you like to focus on just listening with your ears?
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Decide what works best for you.
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Is it better to listen in chunks or individual words and so on.
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But make sure you check your answers using speech to text and see that you included every word.
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Your memory is not, and what your ears hear is not the same as what everyone else hears.
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So definitely record your voice and listen back to it.
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All right, but let's get into the actual mock test style.
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And that's it.
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Thank you for watching.
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I hope you find this helpful.
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Make sure to hit the subscribe button and let's get into the last part.
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You are being trained to assist visitors at a campus museum.
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Listen to your trainer and repeat what he says.
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Repeat only once.
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Admission is free for all students.
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Today's special exhibit focuses on ancient cultures.
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Museum maps and visitor guides are available near the front desk.
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Several galleries can be reached by following the sign to your left.
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Many guests choose to make a donation before leaving the museum.
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The information desk can answer questions about exhibits, events and museum programmes.
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If you are interested in local history, ask about the collections currently featured in the galleries.
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Thank you.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “TOEFL Speaking: Listen and Repeat Training”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: word, listen, example, repeat, test. This video has 205 sentences and 2444 words to shadow. The speech runs for 23:59. The speaker talks slowly, about 102 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 89% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| litter noun | /ˈlɪt.ɚ/ | Straw, grass, and similar loose material used as bedding for people or animals. |
| chunk noun | /t͡ʃʌŋk/ | A part of something that has been separated; a generally squat, thick, irregular piece of something, e.g. wood or stone. |
| artifact noun | /ˈɑɹtɪfækt/ | An object made or shaped by human hand or labor. |
| straightforward adjective | /ˌstɹeɪtˈfɔː(ɹ)wə(ɹ)d/ | Proceeding in a straight course or manner; not deviating. |
| mock verb | /mɑk/ | To mimic, to simulate. |
| locally adverb | /ˈləʊkəli/ | With respect to place; in place. |
| workshop noun | /ˈwɝk.ʃɑp/ | A room, especially one which is not particularly large, used for manufacturing or other light industrial work. |
| exhibit verb | /ɪɡˈzɪbɪt/ | To display or show (something) for others to see, especially at an exhibition or contest. |
| distract verb | /dɪˈstɹækt/ | To divert the attention of. |
| warranty noun | /ˈwɔɹ.ən.ti/ | A guarantee that a certain outcome or obligation will be fulfilled; security. |
| thirteen noun | /ˌθɝtˈtin/ | A group of thirteen items. |
| collector noun | /kəˈlɛk.tɚ/ | A person who or thing that collects, or which creates or manages a collection. |
| visitor noun | /ˈvɪzɪtɚ/ | Someone who visits someone else; someone staying as a guest. |
| donate verb | /ˈdoʊˌneɪt/ | To make a donation; to give away something of value to support or contribute towards a cause or for the benefit of another. |
| measurement noun | /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/ | The act of measuring. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| write down verb | To produce or set (something) down in writing; to record something. |
| go together verb | To be in a relationship. |
| look around verb | To inspect a building or area. |
| start off verb | To begin. |
| write out verb | To write at full length or in expanded form. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- All right, let's keep going.
- Have you read the article?
- All right, how did you do?
- Do you like to take notes?
- Do you like to look at the image?
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 just said · has been cancelled · is written |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has been cancelled · has completed · you've learned |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 50 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: workshop /ˈwɝk.ʃɑp/, measurement /ˈmɛʒ.ə.mənt/, simulation /ˌsɪm.jəˈleɪ.ʃn̩/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, donation /doʊˈneɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: inconsistent /ˌɪnkənˈsɪstənt/, expectation /ˌɛk.spɛkˈteɪ.ʃən/, graduation /ˌɡɹæd͡ʒuˈeɪʃən/
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 litter, chunk, artifact.
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.