Shadowing Practice: WHO: Five keys to safer food - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “WHO: Five keys to safer food”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: microorganisms, ones, contamination, diseases, keys. This video has 26 sentences and 324 words to shadow. The speech runs for 3:23. The speaker talks slowly, about 96 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| contamination noun | /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/ | The act or process of contaminating. |
| primarily adverb | /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/ | Of a primary or central nature, first and foremost. |
| producer noun | /pɹəˈdjuːsə/ | An individual or organization that creates goods and services. |
| stomach noun | /ˈstʌmək/ | An organ in animals that stores food in the process of digestion. |
| illness noun | /ˈɪl.nəs/ | An instance (episode) of a disease or poor health. |
| behaviour noun | British standard spelling of behavior. | |
| amongst | /əˈmʌŋst/ | Denotes a mingling or intermixing with distinct or separable objects. See usage note at amidst. |
| fever noun | /ˈfivɚ/ | A higher than normal body temperature of a person (or, generally, a mammal), usually caused by disease. |
| vulnerable adjective | /ˈvʌln(ə)ɹəbl̩/ | More or most likely to be exposed to the chance of being attacked or harmed, either physically or emotionally. |
| mysterious adjective | /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/ | Of unknown origin. |
| invisible adjective | /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/ | Unable to be seen; out of sight; not visible. |
| thoroughly adverb | /ˈθʌɹ.ə.li/ | In a thorough or complete manner. |
| foul adjective | /faʊl/ | Covered with, or containing unclean matter; dirty. |
| fortunately adverb | /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/ | In a fortunate manner. |
| vegetable noun | /ˈvɛd͡ʒ.tə.bəl/ | A plant raised for some edible part of it, such as the leaves, roots, fruit or flowers, but excluding any plant considered to be a fruit, grain, herb, or spice… |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thoroughly /ˈθʌɹ.ə.li/, warmth /wɔɹmθ/, pathogenic /pæθəˈd͡ʒɛnɪk/
- Long words — get the stress right: contamination /kənˌtæm.əˈneɪ.ʃən/, primarily /ˈpɹaɪ.mə.ɹə.li/, mysterious /mɪˈstɪɹi.əs/, invisible /ɪnˈvɪzəb(ə)l/, fortunately /ˈfɔɹ.t͡ʃə.nɪt.li/
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 contamination, primarily, producer.
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.