Shadowing Practice: What If The Earth Was Flat? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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15 sentences
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1
What would happen if Earth actually was flat?
2
Would we fall off?
3
Would we spin into the edge?
4
It's even weirder than you think, because for a sphere, gravity pulls in the same direction from all points on the surface.
5
But for a disc-shaped Earth, gravity depends on where you're standing.
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In the center, gravity pulls you down, but as you walk toward the edges, gravity pulls you down and sideways.
7
And the consequences of that, well, all the ocean water would be pulled toward the center, trees would grow diagonally to fight against gravity,
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and it would be near impossible to reach the outer edges of the Earth
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because this sideways gravity would make it feel like climbing a never-ending mountain.
10
And on top of that, our flattened Earth has no internal layers, and it's the movement of our molten liquid core that causes our magnetic field.
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So without it, we're just getting cooked by cosmic radiation.
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And depending on our orientation, there would be only day or only night.
13
And lunar eclipses look like this.
14
So if Earth was flat, we'd be cooking on a space pan with no escape.
15
To find out how scientists know what's really inside the Earth, subscribe.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “What If The Earth Was Flat?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: gravity, Earth, pulls, edge. This video has 15 sentences and 206 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:55. The speaker talks fast, about 224 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding. 3 of its 15 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 14 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sideways adverb | /ˈsaɪdweɪz/ | With a side to the front. |
| depend verb | /dɪˈpɛnd/ | To be contingent or conditioned; to have something as a necessary condition |
| diagonally adverb | /daɪˈæɡ.nə.li/ | In a diagonal manner, not square to any direction. |
| flatten verb | /ˈflæ.tən/ | To make something flat or flatter. |
| lunar adjective | /ˈlunɚ/ | Of, pertaining to, or resembling the Moon (that is, Luna, the Earth's moon). |
| cosmic adjective | /ˈkɑz.mɪk/ | Of or from or pertaining to the cosmos or universe. |
| eclipse noun | /ɪˈklɪps/ | An alignment of astronomical objects whereby one object comes between the observer (or notional observer) and another object, thus obscuring the latter. |
| sphere noun | /sfɪɚ/ | A surface in three dimensions consisting of all points equidistant from a center. . |
| melt verb | /mɛlt/ | To change (or to be changed) from a solid state to a liquid state, usually by a gradual heat. |
| disk noun | /dɪsk/ | A thin, flat, circular plate or similar object. |
| subscribe verb | /səbˈskɹaɪb/ | To write (one’s name) at the bottom of a document; to sign (one's name). |
| orientation noun | /ˌɔː.ɹi.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/ | The determination of the relative position of something or someone. |
| consequence noun | /ˈkɑn.sɪ.kwəns/ | An effect; something that follows a cause as a result. |
| magnetic adjective | /mæɡˈnɛtɪk/ | Of, relating to, operating by, or caused by magnetism. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| fall off verb | To become detached or to drop from. |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Conditional sentences if + clause, will/would + verb — a condition and its result | if Earth was flat, we'd be |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | would be pulled |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as we'd, we're, you're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: diagonally /daɪˈæɡ.nə.li/, orientation /ˌɔː.ɹi.ənˈteɪ.ʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like sideways, depend, diagonally.
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.