Shadowing Practice: What Is The Universe? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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The universe, informally, means everything there is.
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Mountains and oceans and the moon and hot nuclear balls of hydrogen.
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And a whole lot more.
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But if the universe is everything, does that mean it includes the things that we don't know that we don't know exist?
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Or even the things that we believe exist but haven't yet seen or observed?
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For example, is the future a part of the universe?
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In physics, we usually distinguish between these two notions of universe as, one, the observable universe, which is everything whose existence we've thus far been able to confirm or observe,
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or could in principle observe if we pointed our telescopes at it, and two, the universe with a capital U, or the whole universe, which is everything that exists,
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has existed, or will exist, anytime, anywhere, regardless of whether or not we're aware of it yet, or ever will be.
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Of course, the main reason for this distinction is so
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that we can talk scientifically about parts of the universe we haven't yet been able to observe, and the two biggest reasons we might not have been able
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to observe a piece of the universe yet are either it's in the future, or it's so far away that light from it hasn't had time to reach us. Yet.
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To explain, as far as we know, the universe had a beginning, and is now around 13.8 billion years old.
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Light takes time to travel through space, so anywhere too far away from us just isn't visible yet in the same way
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that thunder from a distant lightning strike isn't audible.
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Until you wait long enough.
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If you were blind, the thunder would be the first sign you have of the storm's existence, though once you hear it, you can infer that the storm must have existed all along.
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So within the observable universe, what do we know exists?
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Pretty much just three things – spacetime, particles, and the physical laws that describe how spacetime
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and those particles interact to give rise to gravity and matter and forces and everything else.
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It's open for debate whether or not mathematics is a part of the universe
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or if it exists outside the universe in some sort of mathematical heavens.
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But if you think that mathematics exists, and if the universe is everything that exists, then, well, I'll leave that up to you.
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There's one other thing, though.
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You may have heard of parallel universes, or multiverses, an idea proposed by researchers or sci-fi fanatics
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that perhaps what we think of as the universe is actually just a small piece of a larger thing
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which is really everything there is.
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But that's another verse of the story.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “What Is The Universe?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: universe, exist, observe. This video has 28 sentences and 452 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:13. The speaker talks fast, about 203 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| observe verb | /əbˈzɜːv/ | To notice or view, especially carefully or with attention to detail. |
| observable adjective | /əbˈzɜː.və.bəl/ | Able to be observed. |
| spacetime noun | /ˈspeɪsˌtaɪm/ | The four-dimensional continuum of the three spatial dimensions plus time. |
| particle noun | /ˈpɑɹtək(ə)l/ | A very small piece of matter, a fragment; especially, the smallest possible part of something. |
| audible adjective | /ˈɔ.dɪ.bəl/ | Able to be heard. |
| fanatic noun | /fəˈnæt.ɪk/ | A person who is zealously enthusiastic for some cause. |
| informally adverb | In an irregular or informal manner; without the usual forms. | |
| multiverse noun | /ˈmʌltəˌvɝs/ | The world, considered as lacking in purpose, design, or predictability. |
| scientifically adverb | /ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪfɪkli/ | Using science or methods of science. |
| telescope noun | /ˈtɛl.əˌskoʊp/ | A monocular optical instrument that magnifies distant objects, especially in astronomy. |
| distinguish verb | /dɪˈstɪŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ | To recognize someone or something as different from others based on its characteristics. |
| researcher noun | /ˈɹiˌsɝ.t͡ʃɚ/ | One who researches. |
| hydrogen noun | /ˈhaɪdɹəd͡ʒ(ə)n/ | The lightest chemical element (symbol H), with an atomic number of 1 and atomic weight of 1.008. |
| propose verb | /pɹəˈpəʊz/ | To suggest a plan, course of action, etc. |
| mathematical adjective | /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/ | Of, or relating to mathematics. |
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 you were blind, the thunder would be |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | universe, which is |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, haven't, isn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: observable /əbˈzɜː.və.bəl/, scientifically /ˌsaɪ.ənˈtɪfɪkli/, mathematical /ˌmæθ(.ə)ˈmæt.ɪ.kəl/
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 observe, observable, spacetime.
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.