Shadowing Practice: Unit 2 This is my day, lesson 1, Audio 16 - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 24 sentences and 230 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:01. The speaker talks at a steady 114 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 80% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

• uniform /ˈjunɪˌfɔɹm/ (noun) — A distinctive outfit that serves to identify members of a group, company, prison inmates, etc.
• butter /ˈbʌtɚ/ (noun) — A soft, fatty foodstuff made by churning the cream of milk (generally cow's milk).
• routine /ɹuˈtin/ (noun) — A course of action to be followed regularly; a standard procedure.
• alarm /əˈlɑɹm/ (noun) — A summons to arms, as on the approach of an enemy.
• shoe /ˈʃu/ (noun) — A protective covering for the foot, with a bottom part composed of thick leather or plastic sole and often a thicker heel, and a softer upper part made of…
• brush /bɹʌʃ/ (noun) — An implement consisting of multiple more or less flexible bristles or other filaments attached to a handle, used for any of various purposes including…
• jeans /d͡ʒiːnz/ (noun) — A pair of trousers made from denim cotton.
• cloth /klɒθ/ (noun) — A fabric, usually made of woven, knitted, or felted fibres or filaments, such as used in dressing, decorating, cleaning or other practical use. Sometimes…
• toast /toʊst/ (noun) — Bread that has been toasted (cooked lightly by browning).
• upstairs /ˌʌpˈstɛɹz/ (adverb) — Up the stairs; on or to a higher floor or level.
• cereal /ˈsɪə.ɹɪ.əl/ (noun) — A type of grass (such as wheat, rice or oats) cultivated for its edible grains.
• downstairs /daʊnˈstɛɹz/ (adverb) — Down the stairs.
• tidy /ˈtaɪ.di/ (adjective) — Arranged neatly and in order.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• go off (verb) — To explode.
• put on /ˌpʊt ˈɒn/ (verb) — To don (clothing, equipment, or the like).
• talk about (verb) — Used to draw attention to the speaker's characterization of someone or something.
• turn on (verb) — To set a flow of fluid or gas running by rotating a tap or valve.
• wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, we've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shoe /ˈʃu/, brush /bɹʌʃ/

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 uniform, butter, routine.