Shadowing Practice: What is “Curating” in Art? (in 90 seconds) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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Curating Nowadays, the verb to curate appears frequently.

We listen to curated playlists, eat from curated menus, or stream films from curated platforms.

But what does curating mean in the art world?

Curating an art is an endeavour of researching, selecting, managing, acquiring, organising, inventorying and presenting art,

most often in the form of curating exhibitions.

The main aim of the curator is to create a synergy in

which the sum of the different artworks is more than the individual parts, providing an additional value in the form of sociopolitical or art historical interpretation,

education or inspiration for the public.

Interestingly, the word curator or curating is derived from the Latin word cura or curar, which means to care or to take care.

Curators care about art, the artist and their audience.

They take care of the artwork, the presentation and the organization of the show.

They are specialized in art history but also in managing an exhibition practically at galleries, institutions and beyond.

Think of loans of artworks, press and of course providing curatorial texts becoming the central figure and point of contact of the show.

The curator creates an entirely different world of art and invites us

and guides us to discover more than we could have ever imagined.

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This video has 15 sentences and 211 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:23. The speaker talks at a natural 153 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. Only 74% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.

Key vocabulary in this video

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

Word	Pronunciation	Meaning
curator noun	/kjʊəˈɹeɪtə(ɹ)/	A person who manages, administers or organizes a collection, either independently or employed by a museum, library, archive or zoo.
artwork noun	/ˈɑɹtˌwɝk/	A painting, drawing, sculpture or other piece of creative, visual art.
exhibition noun	/ɛksɪˈbɪʃən/	An instance of exhibiting, or something exhibited.
select verb	/sɪˈlɛkt/	To choose one or more elements of a set, especially a set of options.
inspiration noun	/ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/	The drawing of air into the lungs, accomplished in mammals by elevation of the chest walls and flattening of the diaphragm, as part of the act of breathing.
institution noun	/ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/	A long-established organization or type of organization, particularly one involved with education, public service, or charity work.
discover verb	/dɪˈskʌvə/	To find or learn something for the first time.
presentation noun	/ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/	The act of presenting, or something presented.
invite verb	/ɪnˈvaɪt/	To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
menu noun	/ˈmɛn.juː/	The details of the food to be served at a banquet; a bill of fare.
interpretation noun	/ɪnˌtɜːpɹəˈteɪʃən/	An act of interpreting or explaining something unclear; a translation; a version.
practically adverb	/ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/	In practice; in effect or in actuality, though possibly not officially, technically, or legally.
inventory noun	/ˈɪn.vən.tɹi/	The stock of an item on hand at a particular location or business.
acquire verb	/əˈkwaɪɚ/	To get.
verb noun	/vɝb/	A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being.

Pronunciation to watch

The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exhibition /ɛksɪˈbɪʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, presentation /ˌpɹɛzn̩ˈteɪʃn̩/, interpretation /ɪnˌtɜːpɹəˈteɪʃən/
Long words — get the stress right: exhibition /ɛksɪˈbɪʃən/, inspiration /ˌɪn.spɪˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, institution /ˌɪn.stɪˈtʃuː.ʃən/, interpretation /ɪnˌtɜːpɹəˈteɪʃən/, practically /ˈpɹæk.tɪ.k(ə.)li/

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 curator, artwork, exhibition.

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	is derived · are specialized
Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing	curar, which means

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: What is “Curating” in Art? (in 90 seconds) - Learn English Speaking with Video

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