Shadowing Practice: Try This Simple Speaking Practice – Hobbies (Beginner English) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 110 sentences and 601 words to shadow. The speech runs for 8:51. The speaker talks slowly, about 68 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 84% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• hobby /ˈhɑ.bi/ (noun) — An activity that one enjoys doing in one's spare time.
• carefully /ˈkɛɹf(ə)li/ (adverb) — With care; attentively, circumspectly.
• frequency /ˈfɹiːkwənsi/ (noun) — The rate of occurrence of anything; the relationship between incidence and time period.
• combine /kəmˈbaɪn/ (verb) — To bring (two or more things or activities) together; to unite.
• verb /vɝb/ (noun) — A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.
• beginner /bəˈɡɪnɚ/ (noun) — Someone who is just starting at something, or has only recently started.
• repetition /ˌɹɛp.əˈtɪʃ.ən/ (noun) — The act or an instance of repeating or being repeated.
• sentence /ˈsɛn.təns/ (noun) — The judicial order for a punishment to be imposed on a person convicted of a crime.
• detail /ˈdi.teɪl/ (noun) — A part small enough to escape casual notice.
• sport /spoɹt/ (noun) — Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics.
• afternoon /ˌæf.tɚˈnun/ (noun) — The part of the day from noon or lunchtime until sunset, evening, or suppertime or 6pm.
• speed /spiːd/ (noun) — The state of moving quickly or the capacity for rapid motion.
• welcome /ˈwɛl.kəm/ — Greeting given upon someone's arrival.
• episode /ˈɛp.ə.soʊd/ (noun) — A discrete but connected event, situation, or period within a broader sequence, narrative, or life course.
• wonderful /ˈwʌndəfl̩/ (adjective) — Tending to excite wonder; surprising, extraordinary.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, can't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like hobby, carefully, frequency.