Shadowing Practice: What's Up? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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Welcome to English in a Minute, where we teach you all about idioms in American English.
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Have you ever heard someone say, what's up?
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What's up?
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What's up?
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What's up?
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What's up?
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Let's take a look at this conversation.
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Hey, what's up?
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What's up?
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How are you?
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I'm fine, thanks.
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This phrase is a casual expression and is normally used when you're talking to friends, family or colleagues.
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You would not want to use it in a formal business situation.
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What's up is a greeting.
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It's a different way of saying what's happening.
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When you ask someone what's up in a conversation, it's another way to say hello.
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Ask how things are going, how the person is feeling.
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It's a common greeting used by just about everybody in America.
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And that's English in a Minute.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 19 sentences and 135 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:55. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 8 of its 19 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| greet verb | /ɡɹiːt/ | To welcome in a friendly manner, either in person or through another means such as writing. |
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| phrase noun | /ˈfɹeɪ̯z/ | A short written or spoken expression. |
| casual adjective | /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/ | Happening by chance. |
| colleague noun | /ˈkɒliːɡ/ | A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate, a workmate. |
| idiom noun | /ˈɪdiəm/ | A manner of speaking, a mode of expression peculiar to a language, language family, or group of people. |
| teach verb | /ˈtiːt͡ʃ/ | To pass on knowledge to. |
| normally adverb | /ˈnɔː.mə.li/ | Under normal conditions or circumstances; usually; most of the time |
| expression noun | /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/ | The action of expressing thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. |
| conversation noun | /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/ | Expression and exchange of individual ideas through talking with other people; also, a set instance or occasion of such talking. |
| welcome | /ˈwɛl.kəm/ | Greeting given upon someone's arrival. |
| everybody | /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/ | All people. |
| hello | /hɛˈloʊ/ | A greeting (salutation) said when meeting someone or acknowledging someone’s arrival or presence. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're talking · are going |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: casual /ˈkæʒ(u)əl/, expression /əkˈspɹɛʃ.n̩/, conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: conversation /ˌkɑn.vəɹˈseɪ.ʃən/, everybody /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/
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 greet, formal, phrase.
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.