Shadowing Practice: What If the Kraken Was Real? - Learn English Speaking with Video

Choose a practice mode

Each mode opens a full-screen practice room.

63 sentences
If sentences are too short or too long, click Edit to adjust them.
1
Below the thunders of the Upper Deep, far, far beneath, in the abysmal sea,
2
his ancient, dreamless, uninvaded sleep, the Kraken sleepeth.
3
That's right, it's time to release the Kraken.
4
This is the legendary sea monster.
5
It's massive, terrifying, and hungry.
6
Thankfully, it's just a myth, right?
7
What if this behemoth of the sea actually existed?
8
How would this Leviathan live in the real world?
9
And how would this monster affect our lives?
10
This is What If, and here's what would happen, would happen if the Kraken were real.
11
It's time to dive in.
12
We're getting up close and personal with the mythical cephalopod feared by ocean dwellers and land lovers alike, the Kraken.
13
How exactly would the Kraken live in our world?
14
First, we would categorize the Kraken as a cephalopod.
15
Like the octopus, squid, and cuttlefish, the kraken would be a highly advanced and intelligent marine animal.
16
Cephalopods are soft-bodied, so they have no bones to become fossils.
17
That would explain why we haven't found any remains of a kraken.
18
But it also proposes a terrifying possibility.
19
If the kraken lived by the laws of science, it wouldn't be immortal, which means there's more than one.
20
And they're breeding.
21
baby krakens.
22
As to where this is happening, we assume it would remain in the North Atlantic Ocean.
23
That being said, the species of giant squids alive today inhabit all of the world's oceans, so we shouldn't consider ourselves to be safe yet.
24
Your first hint that you may be in the presence of a kraken is that you catch lots of fish.
25
And I mean, a lot of fish.
26
If it seems too good to be true, that's because it is.
27
The kraken is scaring the fish towards the surface.
28
And that's a harbinger of death for unwary sailors.
29
Giant squids hunt by keeping still in deep waters.
30
When a fish gets close enough to the dangling tentacles, it's pulled into the squid's grasp and is unable to escape the suction cups that line the tentacles.
31
We can assume that the kraken hunts in a similar style, but fish isn't on its menu.
32
It wants you, your crew, and your ship.
33
The kraken is described in folklore as being the size of a few small islands, and its back was 1,500 m in circumference.
34
It's also said that the kraken was able to pull massive ships completely underwater with its tentacles.
35
How strong would it have to be to pull this off?
36
Well, Archimedes' Principle states that the buoyant force of an object submerged in a fluid
37
equals the weight of the fluid that the object displaces.
38
If you take the gross tonnage of your ship, and multiply it by the density of seawater and gravity, then subtract the weight of your ship,
39
it will give you the force that the kraken needs to use to pull your ship under the water.
40
For the kraken to pull a regular-sized ship completely underwater, it would need to exert a force of just over 400,000 kg.
41
In non-mathematical terms, the Kraken is very, very strong. And you?
42
Well, I'm sorry to break this to you, but you're Kraken food.
43
It's safe to say that if at least one of these monsters dwelled beneath the ocean, anything involving sea travel would have happened very, very differently.
44
How would it affect us?
45
Well, if this monster of the deep is lurking in the Atlantic.
46
It would have changed history as we know it.
47
The Vikings wouldn't have been able to sail overseas if this sea monster was eating them.
48
Come to think of it, Christopher Columbus and his crew may have ended up in a watery grave, and never made it to the New World.
49
In fact, North America might not have been discovered at all until the invention of air travel.
50
Now, we could assume that explorers evaded the kraken on their voyage, but with the kraken being such a massive creature,
51
it would need a lot of food to sustain itself.
52
meaning it doesn't look good for anyone who likes to go in the water.
53
Thankfully, the Kraken isn't currently devastating the ocean today.
54
If it ever existed in the first place, it would have been gone long before humans made their debut.
55
The myths and legends attributed to the Kraken are more than likely encounters with their very real,
56
and arguably very terrifying, giant squid cousins.
57
But after all that, we can't write the old kraken off for sure.
58
Human beings have only searched 5% of the oceans.
59
Everything else down there is a mystery.
60
It may be a creature of myth, but we can't imagine it would be fun to be eaten by a kraken.
61
What if another real nautical creature decided to make you its dinner?
62
What if you were swallowed by a whale?
63
Well, that sounds like a story for another WHAT IF.

Download App

Everything you need to speak fluently

AI PronunciationScore every sentence
IPA PracticeMaster every sound
VocabularyBuild your word bank
Vocab GameLearn while playing
Scan QR
Scan QR
Download on theApp StoreGet it onGoogle Play

Same Channel

What If a Needle Hit The Earth At The Speed Of Light?B2
1

What If a Needle Hit The Earth At The Speed Of Light?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Earth Becomes a Moon | What If Saturn Took Over?B2
1

Earth Becomes a Moon | What If Saturn Took Over?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If Megalodon Fought a 13-Meter Titanoboa in the Swamp?B2
2

What If Megalodon Fought a 13-Meter Titanoboa in the Swamp?

TeensDaily ConversationWorking Adults
8 Ancient Animals Scarier Than DinosaursB2
2

8 Ancient Animals Scarier Than Dinosaurs

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
You Are Alive to Watch the Space Station Fall From the SkyB2
2

You Are Alive to Watch the Space Station Fall From the Sky

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
What If a Megalodon Shark Fought the Kraken?B2
3

What If a Megalodon Shark Fought the Kraken?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If Gravity Got 1% Stronger Every Second?B2
1

What If Gravity Got 1% Stronger Every Second?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If you Could See the 4th Dimension?B2
3

What If you Could See the 4th Dimension?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
What If Russia Started World War 3?B2
7

What If Russia Started World War 3?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If You Were Swallowed ALIVE by a 60-Foot Sperm Whale?B2
2

What If You Were Swallowed ALIVE by a 60-Foot Sperm Whale?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If | Channel Trailer | An Epic Exploration Of PossibilitiesB1
3

What If | Channel Trailer | An Epic Exploration Of Possibilities

University StudentsWorking Adults
What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Leviathan Whale?B2
4

What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Leviathan Whale?

University Students
What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Mosasaurus?B1
7

What If the Megalodon Shark Fought the Mosasaurus?

University Students
What If the Mosasaurus Never Went Extinct?B2
3

What If the Mosasaurus Never Went Extinct?

University Students
What If The Megalodon Never Stopped Evolving?B2
4

What If The Megalodon Never Stopped Evolving?

University Students
What Happened After the DEADLIEST Asteroid Hit Earth?B2
1

What Happened After the DEADLIEST Asteroid Hit Earth?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
What If We Had To Rebuild Human Society From Scratch?B2
3

What If We Had To Rebuild Human Society From Scratch?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
What If We Built Vertical Farms?B2
6

What If We Built Vertical Farms?

IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
What If You Lived on Mars 1 Billion Years Ago?B2
3

What If You Lived on Mars 1 Billion Years Ago?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
What If Dinosaurs Never Stopped Evolving for 66 Million Years?B2
3

What If Dinosaurs Never Stopped Evolving for 66 Million Years?

Daily ConversationUniversity Students
FOR YOU

Recommend Video

5 "Impossible" Things That Can Happen On Other PlanetsB2
3
66 sentences

5 "Impossible" Things That Can Happen On Other Planets

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
I Searched 100 Sewers, Here’s What I Found…B2
1
251 sentences

I Searched 100 Sewers, Here’s What I Found…

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Nothing About Colossal Squids Is Normal... Here's WhyB2
1
182 sentences

Nothing About Colossal Squids Is Normal... Here's Why

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Titanic: The Final Hours Reconstructed (AI Cinematic)B2
1
151 sentences

Titanic: The Final Hours Reconstructed (AI Cinematic)

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Horror Movie Monsters YOU Can't SurviveB2
1
226 sentences

Horror Movie Monsters YOU Can't Survive

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
The Megatsunami That Struck the Entire PlanetB2
3
37 sentences

The Megatsunami That Struck the Entire Planet

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Why Don’t We Eat Shark Meat?B2
105 sentences

Why Don’t We Eat Shark Meat?

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
Every Weirdest Ships Every Made Explained In 4 MinutesB2
1
58 sentences

Every Weirdest Ships Every Made Explained In 4 Minutes

Daily ConversationWorking Adults
What If You Never Slept?B2
560
16 sentences

What If You Never Slept?

Daily ConversationUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
Ancient Animals The Viking Raiders SawB2
2
439 sentences

Ancient Animals The Viking Raiders Saw

Daily ConversationWorking Adults

Why This Video Is Perfect for Speaking Practice

This clip about the Kraken is ideal for honing English speaking skills because it blends vivid storytelling with conversational flow. The narrator uses a mix of descriptive language, hypothetical questions, and scientific explanations, mirroring real-world communication. It’s engaging enough to keep you focused, and the varied sentence structures—from short, punchy statements to longer, explanatory ones—make it a versatile tool for improving fluency. Plus, the topic’s intrigue makes repeating lines feel less like practice and more like sharing an exciting idea, which boosts confidence.

Breaking Down Natural English in the Dialogue

Let’s look at a few lines that sound authentic and why they work. First: “Thankfully, it's just a myth, right?” The tag question “right?” creates a conversational tone, inviting the listener to agree—a common tactic in casual speech. Next: “It's time to dive in.” This phrasal verb is used metaphorically, showing how English often relies on vivid imagery to transition between ideas. Finally: “In non-mathematical terms, the Kraken is very, very strong.” The repetition of “very” and the phrase “in non-mathematical terms” make complex information accessible, a key skill in clear communication. These examples show how natural English balances precision with approachability.

A Simple Shadow Speech Routine for This Video

To master the dialogue, try this shadowing practice: Start by watching the video once to grasp the story. Then, play a 5-second clip, pause, and repeat it immediately, mimicking the tone, pace, and stress. Focus on matching the narrator’s emphasis—for example, the rising intonation in “What if this behemoth of the sea actually existed?” Record yourself, then compare it to the original. Notice differences in pronunciation (like the soft “th” in “mythical”) and adjust. Repeat with longer clips as you get comfortable. This shadowspeak technique trains your mouth to move like a native and improves listening comprehension. For extra practice, use a shadowing site to slow down the audio or loop tricky sections. Over time, you’ll find your English sounds more natural, whether you’re discussing sea monsters or everyday topics.

Learning English with videos like this one makes practice fun and effective. By focusing on natural phrasing and using shadow speech, you’ll build the skills to communicate clearly and confidently in any situation.

Grammar in this video

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

StructureIn the video
Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does itbeing said · is described · have been discovered
Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters nowhaven't found · have only searched
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thingimmortal, which means · anyone who likes

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 →