Shadowing Practice: What is volunteering? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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What is volunteering?
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There are three main principles.
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Firstly, volunteering is about free will.
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It is done by choice.
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Secondly, volunteering isn't paid and should not be done for financial gain.
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Lastly, volunteering is about making a difference.
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It's about benefiting something or someone outside of your family, such as your city, your local community or your neighbourhood.
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We use the word volunteering because it captures the choice of being voluntary.
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As Cicero says, not for us alone are we born.
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Volunteering can take many forms and takes place in all areas of society.
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Literally, on the beaches, in fields and streets, by rivers and in hills, in hospitals, schools and even prisons.
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Wherever you look there are thousands of people, causes, communities and organisations which can benefit from your involvement.
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From education, sports, first aid and the environment, to politics, social welfare, heritage and the arts.
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The choice is yours.
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You can search for organisations or causes whose interests match yours online.
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You can simply start by looking in your local area or asking a friend for advice is a great start too.
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Always keep in mind that volunteering should be a good experience for all and that volunteering can be fun and sociable.
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Remember, volunteering is about the choice you make, the difference you make, the world you make.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “What is volunteering?”. This video has 18 sentences and 221 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:33. The speaker talks at a steady 142 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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
14 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| volunteer noun | /ˌvɑlənˈtɪɹ/ | One who enters into, or offers themselves for, any service of their own free will, especially when done without pay. |
| organisation noun | /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/ | Non-Oxford British English and Australian standard spelling of organization. |
| welfare noun | /ˈwɛlˌfɛɚ/ | Health, safety, happiness and prosperity; well-being in any respect. |
| capture verb | /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/ | To take control of; to seize by force or stratagem. |
| heritage noun | /ˈhɛɹ.ɪ.tɪd͡ʒ/ | An inheritance; property that may be inherited. |
| principle noun | /ˈpɹɪn.sɪ.pəl/ | A fundamental assumption, fundamental law or guiding belief. |
| involvement noun | /ɪnˈvɑlv.mənt/ | The act of involving, or the state of being involved. |
| wherever | /(h)wɛɹˈɛvɚ/ | Regardless of the place in, at or to which. |
| voluntary adjective | /ˈvɑ.lənˌt(ɛ)ɹi/ | Done, given, or acting of one's own free will. |
| neighbourhood noun | /ˈneɪbə.hʊd/ | British standard spelling of neighborhood. |
| secondly adverb | /ˈsɛk.(ə)ndli/ | In the second place. |
| firstly adverb | /ˈfɜɹstli/ | In the first place; before anything else; first. |
| lastly adverb | /ˈlæstli/ | Used to mark the beginning of the last in a list of items or propositions. |
| sociable adjective | /ˈsoʊʃəbəl/ | Tending to socialize or be social. |
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 done · isn't paid |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | organisations which can |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should not be · should be |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | is volunteering |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, capture /ˈkæp.(t)ʃɚ/, sociable /ˈsoʊʃəbəl/
- Long words — get the stress right: organisation /ˈɔː.ɡə.naɪˌzeɪ.ʃən/, voluntary /ˈvɑ.lənˌt(ɛ)ɹi/
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 volunteer, organisation, welfare.
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.