Shadowing Practice: Why Do Onions Make You Cry? - Learn English Speaking with Video

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30 sentences
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1
Hey, I'm home! Wait... are you crying?
2
Ugh, it's these onions! I can't see anything!
3
Oh no! Okay, put the knife down for a second.
4
Seriously, why do onions always do this to me?
5
Actually, it's some pretty cool science!
6
An onion is full of tiny cells, like little bags.
7
When you cut it, you break those cells open.
8
That lets two chemicals mix together,
9
and they make a gas that floats up into the air.
10
And then the gas goes straight into my eyes?
11
Exactly. It irritates the surface of your eyes.
12
So your eyes make tears to wash it away.
13
Hmm, so crying is my body protecting me?
14
That's right! Your eyes are just doing their job.
15
Well, I wish they'd do it a bit more quietly!
16
Okay, so how do I stop it?
17
First, put the onion in the fridge for half an hour.
18
Cold onions release the gas more slowly.
19
And use a really sharp knife,
20
because a blunt knife crushes more cells.
21
What about holding bread in my mouth? My mom always does that!
22
Ha, sadly there's no real proof that works.
23
Oh, and leave the root end until last,
24
because that part has more of those chemicals.
25
And open a window, or turn on the fan.
26
Okay, cold onion, sharp knife, window open. Here goes!
27
Wait... this is actually so much better!
28
See? Science wins again!
29
Thanks! Now you can chop the garlic.
30
Ha, nice try! Garlic doesn't make anyone cry!

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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson

This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Do Onions Make You Cry?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: onion, knife, eyes, cells, gas. This video has 30 sentences and 247 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:42. The speaker talks at a steady 146 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 83% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 7 of its 30 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:

WordPronunciationMeaning
onion noun/ˈʌn.jən/A monocotyledonous plant (Allium cepa), allied to garlic, used as vegetable and spice.
knife noun/ˈnaɪ̯f/A utensil or a tool designed for cutting, consisting of a flat piece of hard material, usually steel or other metal (the blade), usually sharpened on one edge…
sharp adjective/ʃɑɹp/Terminating in a point or edge, especially one that can cut or pierce easily; not dull, obtuse, or rounded.
garlic noun/ˈɡɑɹlɪk/A plant, Allium sativum, related to the onion, having a pungent bulb much used in cooking.
tear verb/tɛɹ/To rend (a solid material) by holding or restraining in two places and pulling apart, whether intentionally or not; to destroy or separate.
sadly adverb/ˈsædli/In a sad manner; sorrowfully.
crush verb/kɹʌʃ/To press between two hard objects; to squeeze so as to alter the natural shape or integrity, or to force together into a mass.
quietly adverb/ˈkwaɪ.ɪt.li/Producing little or no noise.
float verb/fləʊt/To be supported by a fluid of greater density (than the object).
blunt adjective/blʌnt/Having a thick edge or point; not sharp.
chop verb/t͡ʃɑp/To cut into pieces with short, vigorous cutting motions.
irritate verb/ˈɪɹ.ɪˌteɪt/To provoke impatience, anger, or displeasure in.

Sentences worth repeating

Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:

  • Seriously, why do onions always do this to me?
  • Hmm, so crying is my body protecting me?
  • What about holding bread in my mouth?

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, doesn't, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

  • The “sh” and “zh” sounds: sharp /ʃɑɹp/, crush /kɹʌʃ/

How to practise with this video

  1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
  2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
  3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like onion, knife, sharp.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →