Shadowing Practice: Unit 8, listening 2 - Basic Tactics for Listening - 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 8, listening 2 - Basic Tactics for Listening”. This video has 37 sentences and 192 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:34. The speaker talks at a steady 123 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 11 of its 37 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
8 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| volleyball noun | /ˈvɒlibɔ(ː)l/ | A game played on a rectangular court between two teams of two to six players which involves striking a ball back and forth over a net. |
| tennis noun | /ˈtɛnɪs/ | A sport played by two players (or four in doubles), who alternately strike the ball over a net using racquets. |
| windsurfing noun | A marine sport in which one stands on a floating board (typically 2 - 3 meters in length) to which a sail is attached. The board is steered by tilting the sail… | |
| exercise noun | /ˈɛk.sə.saɪz/ | Any activity designed to develop or hone a skill or ability. |
| baseball noun | /ˈbeɪs.bɔl/ | A sport common in North America, the Caribbean, and East Asia, in which the objective is to strike a ball so that one of a nine-person team can run… |
| sport noun | /spoɹt/ | Any activity that uses physical exertion or skills competitively under a set of rules that is not based on aesthetics. |
| shape noun | /ˈʃeɪ̯p/ | The status or condition of something |
| winter noun | /ˈwɪntə/ | Traditionally the fourth of the four seasons, typically regarded as spanning either the period between the winter solstice to the spring equinox, or the months… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| work out verb | /ˌwɝk ˈaʊt/ | To calculate. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Do you play a lot of sports?
- Want to play with me and my friends tonight?
- Which one do you like best?
- Do you like playing sports?
- What kinds of sports do you play?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, you're. 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.
- 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 volleyball, tennis, windsurfing.
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.