Shadowing Practice: Unit 7: Describing Last Weekend- simple past (ESL video) - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Unit 7: Describing Last Weekend- simple past”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: weekend, yesterday, walk. This video has 31 sentences and 349 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:04. The speaker talks at a natural 168 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 82% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| reservoir noun | /ˈɹɛz.ə(ɹ).vwɑɹ/ | A place where anything is kept in store. |
| relax verb | /ɹɪˈlæks/ | To make something loose. |
| casino noun | /kəˈsiːnəʊ/ | A public building or room for gambling. |
| brewery noun | /ˈbɹuːəɹi/ | A building where beer is produced. |
| cheesecake noun | /ˈt͡ʃizˌkeɪk/ | A pie made of sweetened and flavoured cottage cheese or cream cheese, eggs and milk on a crunchy base. |
| girlfriend noun | /ˈɡɝlfɹɛnd/ | A female partner in an unmarried romantic relationship. |
| split verb | /splɪt/ | To divide fully or partly along a more or less straight line. |
| factory noun | /ˈfæk.tɚ.i/ | A building or other place where manufacturing takes place. |
| weekend noun | /ˈwiˌkɛnd/ | The break in the working week, usually two days including the traditional holy or sabbath day. Thus in Western countries, Saturday and Sunday. |
| yesterday noun | /ˈjɛstɹdeɪ/ | The day immediately before today; one day ago. |
| catch verb | /kæt͡ʃ/ | To capture or snare (someone or something which would rather escape). |
| lake noun | /leɪk/ | A large, landlocked stretch of water or similar liquid. |
| hill noun | /hɪl/ | An elevated landmass smaller than a mountain. |
| silver noun | /ˈsɪl.vɚ/ | A lustrous, white, metallic element, atomic number 47, atomic weight 107.87, symbol Ag. |
| minute noun | /ˈmɪnɪt/ | A unit of time which is one sixtieth of an hour (sixty seconds). |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
| walk around verb | To walk with no planned destination; to meander. |
| caught up verb | Involuntarily involved in a situation. |
| meet up verb | To come together with (someone), often at a prearranged time and/or location. |
| pick up verb | To lift; to grasp and raise. |
| split up verb | Cease to be together, break apart from the group. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, we're, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like reservoir, relax, casino.
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.