Shadowing Practice: UFC 264: Pre-fight Press Conference Highlights - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “UFC 264: Pre-fight Press Conference Highlights”. This video has 31 sentences and 286 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:47. The speaker talks slowly, about 103 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
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| skill noun | /skɪl/ | A capacity to do something well; a technique, an ability, usually acquired or learned, as opposed to abilities that are regarded as innate. |
| trash noun | /tɹæʃ/ | Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse. |
| butter noun | /ˈbʌtɚ/ | A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk). |
| silly adjective | /ˈsɪl.i/ | Laughable or amusing through foolishness or a foolish appearance. |
| knock verb | /nɑk/ | To rap one's knuckles against something, especially wood. |
| fighter noun | /ˈfaɪtɚ/ | A person who fights; a combatant. |
| tactics noun | /ˈtæktɪks/ | The military science that deals with achieving the objectives set by strategy. |
| belly noun | /ˈbɛli/ | The abdomen (especially a fat one). |
| unusually adverb | /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli/ | In an unusual manner. |
| aura noun | /ˈɔːɹə/ | A subtle emanation or exhalation of any substance, such as an aroma or odour. |
| frail adjective | /fɹeɪl/ | Easily broken physically; not firm or durable; liable to fail and perish. |
| disgraceful adjective | [dɪsˈɡɹeɪsfəɫ] | Bringing or warranting disgrace; shameful. |
| stratosphere noun | /ˈstɹætəsfɪɚ/ | The region of the uppermost atmosphere where the temperature increases along with the altitude due to the absorption of solar ultraviolet radiation by ozone. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 8 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, I've, there'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: trash /tɹæʃ/, unusually /ʌnˈjuːʒuəli/
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 skill, trash, butter.
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.