Shadowing Practice: Like - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
The speaker keeps coming back to these words: dream, sweetest, drifting, blur, velvet. This video has 26 sentences and 370 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:42. The speaker talks slowly, about 100 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 73% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 4 of its 26 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 13 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| blur verb | /blɝ/ | To make indistinct or hazy, to obscure or dim. |
| velvet noun | /ˈvɛlvɪt/ | A closely woven fabric (originally of silk, now also of cotton or man-made fibres) with a thick short pile on one side. |
| drift noun | /dɹɪft/ | Anything driven at random. |
| glow verb | /ɡloʊ/ | To emit heat and light without a flame. |
| wrap verb | /ɹæp/ | To enclose (an object) completely in any flexible, thin material such as fabric or paper. |
| linger verb | /ˈlɪŋɡɚ/ | To stay or remain in a place or situation, especially as if unwilling to depart or not easily able to do so. |
| weightless adjective | /ˈweɪt.ləs/ | Without weight. |
| moonlight noun | /ˈmunˌlaɪt/ | The light reflected from the Moon, which seems to emanate from it. |
| float verb | /fləʊt/ | To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object). |
| dawn noun | /dɔːn/ | The morning twilight period immediately before sunrise. |
| whisper verb | /ˈ(h)wɪspɚ/ | To speak softly or under one's breath, so as to be heard only by one near at hand; to utter words without sonant breath; to talk without that vibration of the… |
| rub verb | /ɹʌb/ | To move (one object) while maintaining contact with another object over some area, with pressure and friction. |
| rhythm noun | /ˈɹɪð.əm/ | The variation of strong and weak elements (such as duration, accent) of sounds, notably in speech or music, over time; a beat or meter. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| reach out verb | To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Superlatives the -est / the most … — the top or bottom of a group | The sweetest |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | I'm rubbing · I'm floating · I'm drifting |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 13 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, don't, I'll. 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 blur, velvet, drift.
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.