Shadowing Practice: What is history? | Thinking Historically for Kids - Learn English Speaking with Video
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18 sentences
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1
The Ancient Egyptians.
2
The American Revolution.
3
The Moon landings.
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What do they all have in common?
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They are all part of history.
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History is the study of events that happened in the past: By learning about exciting discoveries, important battles and people's everyday lives, we can understand the past - and see how it affects communities today.
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People can learn about history in many different ways.
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Objects like clothing, tools and games can show us how people lived and worked in the past.
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Important documents, like the Constitution, can show us how leaders thought at the time.
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We can also read books and diaries to find out about people's lives.
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And study paintings and photographs to see how the past might have looked.
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History is also shared through stories that are passed down, often from family member to family member, sometimes over hundreds of years.
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These are called oral histories because they are spoken, not written.
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But when studying history, it's important to remember that some sources might not tell the whole story or may include mistakes.
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So it's important to check multiple sources.
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Learning about history is important because it helps us understand different cultures, ideas, and traditions from around the world.
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And by looking at what happened in the past.
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We can better understand our world today.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This A2 speaking lesson is built on the video “What is history?”. This video has 18 sentences and 218 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:34. The speaker talks at a steady 140 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| clothing noun | /ˈkloʊðɪŋ/ | Any of a wide variety of articles, usually made of fabrics, animal hair, animal skin, or some combination thereof, used to cover the human body for warmth, to… |
| everyday adjective | /ˈɛvɹiˌdeɪ/ | Appropriate for ordinary use, rather than for special occasions. |
| discovery noun | /dɪˈskʌv.ɹi/ | Something discovered. |
| landing noun | /ˈlændɪŋ/ | An arrival at a surface, as of an airplane or any descending object. |
| oral adjective | /ˈɔː.ɹəl/ | Relating to the mouth. |
| photograph noun | /ˈfoʊ.təˌɡɹæf/ | A picture created by projecting an image onto a photosensitive surface such as a chemically treated plate or film, CCD receptor, etc. |
| diary noun | /ˈdaɪ.ə.ɹi/ | A daily log of experiences, especially those of the writer. |
| excite verb | /ɪkˈsaɪt/ | To stir the emotions of; to cause to feel excitement. |
| mistake noun | /mɪˈsteɪk/ | An error. |
| painting noun | /ˈpeɪ.nɪŋ/ | An illustration or artwork done with the use of paint. |
| affect verb | /əˈfɛkt/ | To influence or alter. |
| object noun | /ˈɑb.d͡ʒɛkt/ | A thing that has physical existence but is not alive. |
| tool noun | /tul/ | Any physical device meant to ease or do a task. |
| document noun | /ˈdɑkjʊmənt/ | An original or official paper used as the basis, proof, or support of anything else, including any writing, book, or other instrument conveying information… |
| tradition noun | /tɹəˈdɪʃ.ən/ | A part of culture that is passed from person to person or generation to generation, possibly differing in detail from family to family, such as the way to… |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| pass down verb | To hand over, pass through or transfer to a lower level, next generation, etc. |
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 also shared · are called |
| Possibility with “might / may” might/may + verb — something that is possible but not certain | might have · might not tell |
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 clothing, everyday, discovery.
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.