Shadowing Practice: Tom Cruise Does Makeup The 'TC' Way | The Graham Norton Show - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 50 sentences and 435 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:09. The speaker talks fast, about 202 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 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

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• catering /ˈkeɪ.tɚ.ɪŋ/ (noun) — The business of providing food and related services; foodservice.
• bother /ˈbɑðɚ/ (verb) — To annoy, to disturb, to irritate; to be troublesome to, to make trouble for.
• compromise /ˈkɑmpɹəˌmaɪz/ (noun) — The settlement of differences by arbitration or by consent reached by mutual concessions.
• exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/ (adjective) — Forming an exception; not ordinary; uncommon; rare.
• ballet /bælˈeɪ/ (noun) — A classical form of dance.
• prosthetic /ˌpɹɑsˈθɛtɪk/ (adjective) — Artificial, acting as a substitute for part of the body; relating to prosthesis.
• moan /moʊn/ (verb) — To complain about; to bemoan, to bewail; to mourn.
• stopwatch (verb) — To time (something) by means of a stopwatch.
• basically /ˈbeɪ.sɪk.(ə.)li/ (adverb) — In a fundamental, essential or basic manner.
• facility /fəˈsɪlɪti/ (noun) — The physical means or contrivances to make something (especially a public service) possible; the required equipment, infrastructure, location etc.
• brilliant /ˈbɹɪl.jənt/ (adjective) — Shining brightly.
• shoot /ʃut/ (verb) — To fire (a weapon that releases a bullet or other projectile).
• none /noʊn/ — Not any of a given number or group.
• quickly /ˈkwɪk.li/ (adverb) — Rapidly; with speed; fast; with expedition.
• agree /əˈɡɹi/ (verb) — To be in harmony about an opinion, statement, or action; to have a consistent idea between two or more people.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• look at (verb) — To observe or watch.
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• come on /ˌkʌm ˈɒn/ — Come along with me; join me in going.
• get into (verb) — To move into (an object), such that one ends up inside it.
• go into (verb) — To get involved in; to investigate or explore.
• hang on /ˌhæŋ ˈɒn/ (verb) — To wait a moment.
• make up /ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To constitute, to compose.
• put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ (verb) — To don (clothing, equipment, or the like).

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 17 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'm, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “th” sounds: bother /ˈbɑðɚ/, prosthetic /ˌpɹɑsˈθɛtɪk/
• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/, shoot /ʃut/, mission /ˈmɪʃ.ən/
• Long words — get the stress right: exceptional /ɪkˈsɛpʃənəl/, basically /ˈbeɪ.sɪk.(ə.)li/, facility /fəˈsɪlɪti/, eventually /ɪˈvɛn.t͡ʃu.ə.li/, impossible /ɪmˈpɒs.ɪ.bəl/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like catering, bother, compromise.