Shadowing Practice: Why HITTING the remote FIXES it - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why HITTING the remote FIXES it”. This video has 11 sentences and 131 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:40. The speaker talks fast, about 197 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| remote adjective | /ɹəˈməʊt̞/ | At a distance; disconnected. |
| dirt noun | /dɝt/ | Soil or earth. |
| thin adjective | /ˈθɪn/ | Having little thickness or extent from one surface to its opposite. |
| layer noun | /ˈleɪ̯ɚ/ | A single thickness of some material covering a surface. |
| slide noun | /ˈslaɪ̯d/ | An item of play equipment that children can climb up and then slide down again. |
| myth noun | /mɪθ/ | A traditional story which embodies a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are… |
| scrap noun | /ˈskɹæp/ | A (small) piece; a fragment; a detached, incomplete portion. |
| sideways adverb | /ˈsaɪdweɪz/ | With a side to the front. |
| battery noun | /ˈbæt.əɹi/ | A device used to power electric devices, consisting of one or more electrically connected electrochemical cells or (archaically) electrostatic cells. |
| dirty adjective | /ˈdɝti/ | Unclean; covered with or containing unpleasant substances such as dirt or grime. |
| metal noun | /ˈmɛ.təl/ | Any of a number of chemical elements in the periodic table that form a metallic bond with other metal atoms; generally shiny, somewhat malleable and hard… |
| touch verb | /tʌt͡ʃ/ | To make physical contact with; to bring the hand, finger or other part of the body into contact with. |
| sit verb | /sɪt/ | To move oneself into such a position. |
| spot noun | /spɑt/ | A round or irregular patch on the surface of a thing having a different color, texture etc. and generally round in shape. |
| push verb | /pʊʃ/ | To apply a force to (an object) such that it moves away from the person or thing applying the force. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| come back verb | To return to a place. | |
| get through verb | /ɡɛt ˈθɹu/ | To overcome; to endure. |
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 broken |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to do |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 4 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, didn't, doesn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: thin /ˈθɪn/, myth /mɪθ/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like remote, dirt, thin.
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.