Shadowing Practice: What do you think? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “What do you think?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Viper, Sergeant, vehicle, gun, clear. This video has 62 sentences and 337 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:32. The speaker talks at a steady 133 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 11 of its 62 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 |
|---|---|---|
| whoa | /woʊ/ | Stop (especially when commanding a horse or imitative thereof); calm down; slow down. |
| throat noun | /ˈθɹoʊt/ | The front part of the neck. |
| assumption noun | /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/ | The act of assuming, or taking to or upon oneself; the act of taking up or adopting. |
| imagery noun | /ˈɪmɪd͡ʒɹi/ | The work of one who makes images or visible representation of objects. |
| bound adjective | /ˈbaʊ̯nd/ | Obliged (to). |
| wash verb | /wɑʃ/ | To clean with water. |
| trap noun | /tɹæp/ | A machine or other device designed to catch (and sometimes kill) animals, either by holding them in a container, or by catching hold of part of the body. |
| logical adjective | /ˈlɑd͡ʒɪkəl/ | In agreement with the principles of logic. |
| drone noun | /dɹoʊn/ | A male hymenopteran (ant, bee, hornet, or wasp), whose sole primary function is to mate with the queen. |
| translate verb | /tɹænzˈleɪt/ | To change spoken words or written text (of a book, document, movie, etc.) from one language to another. |
| vet verb | /vɛt/ | To thoroughly check or investigate particularly with regard to providing formal approval. |
| rainfall noun | The amount of rain that falls on a single occasion | |
| interpret verb | /ɪnˈtɜː.pɹɪt/ | To decode the meaning of a topic and then act, whether to continue researching the topic, follow through, act in opposition, or further the understanding… |
| traitor noun | /ˈtɹeɪtɚ/ | Someone who violates an allegiance and betrays their country; someone guilty of treason; one who, in breach of trust, delivers their country to an enemy, or… |
| ambush noun | /ˈæm.bʊʃ/ | The act of concealing oneself and lying in wait to attack or kill by surprise. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| give up verb | To surrender (someone or something); to inform on (someone). |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
| wash out verb | To wash the inside of something. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- We don't stop the vehicles, we keep moving.
- Unless he's leading us into a trap.
- We just don't want to go down this road.
- Actually, I'm here to interpret.
- Alright, you want to be right on it?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: assumption /əˈsʌm(p).ʃ(ə)n/, wash /wɑʃ/, ambush /ˈæm.bʊʃ/, deduction /dɪˈdʌkʃən/
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 whoa, throat, assumption.
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.