Shadowing Practice: When to use SHALL in English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “When to use SHALL in English”. This video has 13 sentences and 153 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:06. The speaker talks at a steady 139 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 4 of its 13 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 12 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| pizza noun | /ˈpi.tsə/ | A baked Italian dish of a thinly rolled bread crust typically topped before baking with tomato sauce, cheese, and other ingredients such as meat or vegetables. |
| formal adjective | /ˈfɔɹməl/ | In accordance with established forms. |
| exception noun | /əkˈsɛpʃən/ | The act of excepting or excluding; exclusion; restriction by taking out something which would otherwise be included, as in a class, statement, rule. |
| suggestion noun | /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/ | Something suggested (with subsequent adposition being for) |
| cinema noun | /ˈsɪn.ə.mə/ | A movie theatre, a movie house. |
| accent noun | /ækˈsɛnt/ | A higher-pitched or stronger (louder or longer) articulation of a particular syllable of a word or phrase in order to distinguish it from the others or to… |
| disappear verb | /dɪsəˈpɪɹ/ | To vanish. |
| newsletter noun | /ˈn(j)uzˌlɛtɚ/ | A periodically sent publication containing current events or the like, generally on a particular topic or geared toward a limited audience. |
| inbox noun | /ˈɪnbɑks/ | A container in which papers to be dealt with are put. |
| weekly adverb | /ˈwiːk.li/ | Once every week. |
| deliver verb | /dɪˈlɪv.ə(ɹ)/ | To set free from restraint or danger. |
| tip noun | /tɪp/ | A gratuity; a small amount of money left for a bartender, waiter, taxi driver or other service worker as a token of appreciation, often calculated as a… |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- We're on our way, we shan't be long.
- Shall we have pizza for dinner?
- Shall I open the window?
- Shall we meet at the cinema?
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| “Used to” used to + verb — a past habit or state that is no longer true | used to be |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | is delivered · can be contracted |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | hasn't disappeared |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | not, which can |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as shan't, hasn't, we're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: exception /əkˈsɛpʃən/, suggestion /səˈd͡ʒɛst.ʃən/
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 pizza, formal, exception.
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.