Shadowing Practice: Urbanisation and the growth of global cities - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Urbanisation and the growth of global cities”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: cities, infrastructure, urbanisation, benefit. This video has 20 sentences and 276 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:12. The speaker talks at a steady 126 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.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| urbanization noun | The process of the formation and growth of cities. | |
| refine verb | /ɹɪˈfaɪn/ | To purify; reduce to a fine, unmixed, or pure state; to free from impurities. |
| specialize verb | /ˈspɛʃəˌlaɪz/ | To narrow in scope. |
| amenities noun | /əˈmɛn.ə.tiːz/ | Synonym of pleasantries. |
| connectivity noun | The state of being connected. | |
| stimulate verb | /ˈstɪm.jəˌleɪt/ | To encourage into action. |
| continually adverb | /kənˈtɪnjuəli/ | In regular or repeated succession; very often. |
| investor noun | /ɪnˈvɛs.tə(ɹ)/ | A person who invests money in order to make a profit. |
| capability noun | /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/ | The power or ability to generate an outcome. |
| historically adverb | /hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/ | In a historic manner; with reference to history or the historical record. |
| euro noun | /ˈjʊɹoʊ/ | The currency unit of the European Monetary Union. Symbol: € |
| productivity noun | /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/ | The state of being productive, fertile, or efficient. |
| sustainable adjective | /səˈsteɪnəbəl/ | Able to be sustained. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: amenities /əˈmɛn.ə.tiːz/, continually /kənˈtɪnjuəli/, capability /ˌkeɪ.pəˈbɪl.ɪ.ti/, historically /hɪˈstɔɹɪkli/, productivity /ˌpɹɒdʌkˈtɪvəti/
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 urbanization, refine, specialize.
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.