Shadowing Practice: Viruses: Components & Shapes - Microbiology Acellular Pre-Nursing, Pre-Med | @LevelUpRN - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Hi, I'm Kathy with Level Up RN.

In this video, I'm going to begin my coverage of topics from the Acellular Infectious Agents section of our Microbiology Flashcard deck.

Specifically, I'll be talking about viruses, including key characteristics of viruses, virus components, and virus shapes.

I've included a quiz at the end of the video to test your knowledge on some of the key facts

I'll be covering, so definitely stay tuned for that.

And if you have our Level Up RN microbiology flashcards, go ahead and pull out your flashcards on viruses

so you can follow along with me

and pay close attention to the bold red text on the back of the cards

because those are the things that you are likely to get tested on in your micro class.

Viruses are acellular pathogens.

This means that they are not composed of cells and do not contain cells.

Viruses require a host cell in order to survive.

They basically hijack the host cell's machinery to reproduce, synthesize viral proteins, and assemble virus components.

This makes them obligate intracellular parasites.

Viruses come in a variety of sizes, but in general, they are very small, usually between 20 and 900 nanometers in length.

Each virus has a host range, which is the range of species and cell types that the virus can infect.

So for example, a bacteriophage is a virus that only infects bacterial cells.

They do not infect human cells.

A virulent phage is a bacteriophage that infects a bacterial cell and causes the cell to lice or burst,

which results in cell death.

Whereas a temperate phage integrates its genetic material into the host cell's chromosome,

and that genetic material is replicated when the host cell replicates.

So in the next video, in this video playlist, we will go into detail about the different ways that a bacteriophage can replicate.

Of note, when you see the term virion, that is referring to a virus particle that is outside the host cell.

So it's basically the extracellular form of a virus that is capable of infecting a new host.

Let's now talk about the different components that make up a virus.

So each virus will contain genetic material.

This may be DNA or RNA, but not both.

And then in addition to the DNA or RNA, each virus will have a capsid,

which is a protein coat that surrounds and protects the genetic material.

The capsid is made up of capsimeres, which are protein subunits that interlock to form the capsid.

Many viruses also have an envelope, which is a phospholipid membrane that surrounds the virus.

This envelope is derived from the host cell when the virus pinches off from the host cell during a process called budding.

A virus that lacks an envelope is referred to as a non -enveloped virus or a naked virus.

Some viruses also have spikes, which are protein structures that extend outward and away from the virus.

These spikes allow the virus to more effectively attach to the host cell, enter the cell, and cause infection.

So viruses that have spikes tend to be more virulent.

An example of a virus that has spikes is the coronavirus, which causes COVID -19.

Now let's talk about key virus shapes, which include a helical shape, a polyhedral shape, and a complex shape.

A virus with a helical shape has a cylindrical

or rod -shaped capsid with the viral nucleic acid poiled up inside the capsid.

An example of a virus with a helical shape is the tobacco mosaic virus.

A virus with a polyhedral shape has a nucleic acid surrounded by a multi -sided capsid.

An example of a virus with a polyhedral shape is the adenovirus.

An icosahedron is a polyhedron with 20 equilateral triangular sides,

which makes the virus appear spherical in shape.

An example of a virus with an icosahedral shape is the poliovirus.

And of note, helical viruses and polyhedral viruses may also have an envelope.

Lastly, some viruses will have a complex shape, which includes features of both helical and polyhedral viruses.

The most common example of a virus with a complex shape is a bacteriophage.

So as you can see in the image, the head of the bacteriophage has a polyhedral shape,

whereas the tail of the bacteriophage has a helical shape.

All right, it's quiz time, and I have five questions for you.

Question number one, what do you call the protein coat that surrounds and protects the nucleic acid of a virus?

The answer is the capsid.

Number two, what do you call the protein subunits that make up a capsid?

The answer is capsomeres.

Number three, what is a naked virus?

The answer is a virus that lacks an envelope.

Number four, what viral shape is shown here?

The answer is helical.

And number five, what do you call a complete virus particle outside the host cell?

The answer is a virion.

All right, that's it for this video.

I hope you found it to be helpful.

If so, be sure to hit that like button.

Take care and good luck with studying!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This speaking lesson is built on the video “Viruses: Components & Shapes - Microbiology Acellular Pre-Nursing, Pre-Med”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: virus, shape, cell, viruses, host. This video has 17 sentences and 891 words to shadow. The speech runs for 6:43. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 69% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 5 of its 17 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.

Key vocabulary in this video

15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
virus noun	/ˈvaɪ.ɹəs/	A submicroscopic, non-cellular structure that consists of a core of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat, that requires a living host cell to replicate, and…
envelope noun	/ˈɛnvə(ˌ)loʊp/	A paper or cardboard wrapper used to enclose small, flat items, especially letters, for mailing.
genetic adjective	/d͡ʒəˈnɛt.ɪk/	Relating to genetics or genes.
spike noun	/spaɪk/	A sort of very large nail.
surround verb	/səˈɹaʊnd/	To encircle something or simultaneously extend in all directions.
acid noun	/ˈæsɪd/	A sour substance.
component noun	/kəmˈpoʊ.nənt/	A smaller, self-contained part of a larger entity. Often refers to a manufactured object that is part of a larger device.
viral adjective	/ˈvaɪɹəl/	Of or relating to a biological virus.
replicate verb	/ˈɹɛplɪkeɪt/	To make a copy (replica) of.
refer verb	/ɹɪˈfɜː/	To direct the attention of (someone toward something).
helpful adjective	/ˈhɛlp.fl̩/	Furnishing help; giving aid; useful.
naked adjective	/ˈneɪkɪd/	Bare, not covered by clothing.
whereas	/(h)wɛɹˈæz/	In contrast; whilst on the contrary; although.
coat noun	/ˈkoʊ̯t/	An outer garment covering the upper torso and arms.
particle noun	/ˈpɑɹtək(ə)l/	A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
make up verb	/ˌmeɪk ˈʌp/	To constitute, to compose.
go ahead verb	/ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/	To proceed with; to begin.
pull out verb		To withdraw; especially of military forces; to retreat.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:

Structure	In the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it	are not composed · is replicated · is made
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	range, which is · capsimeres, which are · envelope, which is

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, I've. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

The “th” sounds: pathogen /ˈpæθəd͡ʒn̩/, synthesize /ˈsɪnθəsaɪz/
The “sh” and “zh” sounds: infection /ɪnˈfɛkʃən/, machinery /məˈʃiːnəɹi/, infectious /ɪnˈfɛk.ʃəs/, flashcard /ˈflæʃˌkɑɹd/
Long words — get the stress right: machinery /məˈʃiːnəɹi/, characteristic /ˌkæɹ(ə)ktəˈɹɪstɪk/, bacteriophage /bækˈtɪəɹ.ɪəʊˌfeɪd͡ʒ/, microbiology /ˌmʌɪkrə(ʊ)bʌɪˈɒlədʒi/, adenovirus /əˈdɛnəʊˌvaɪɹəs/

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 virus, envelope, genetic.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →

Shadowing Practice: Viruses: Components & Shapes - Microbiology Acellular Pre-Nursing, Pre-Med | @LevelUpRN - Learn English Speaking with Video

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