Shadowing Practice: What is Happiness? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 6 sentences and 107 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:30. The speaker talks fast, about 213 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 92% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
9 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
- happiness /ˈhæpinɪs/ (noun) — The emotion of being happy; joy; elation.
- principle /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ (noun) — A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief.
- conjunction /kənˈd͡ʒʌŋk.ʃn̩/ (noun) — The act of joining, or condition of being joined.
- critically /ˈkɹɪt.ɪ.kə.li/ (adverb) — In a critical manner; with, or in terms of, criticism.
- guest /ɡɛst/ (noun) — A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another.
- teach /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To pass on knowledge to.
- ourselves /aʊɚˈsɛlvz/ — Us; the group including the speaker as the object of a verb or preposition when that group also is the subject.
- speaker /ˈspikɚ/ (noun) — One who speaks.
- healthy /ˈhɛl.θi/ (adjective) — Enjoying good health; free from disease or disorder.
Phrasal verbs you will hear
- come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
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 happiness, principle, conjunction.
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.