Shadowing Practice: why i hate him - Learn English Speaking with Video
B2if your friend does any of these things CUT HER OFF! how to spot a jealous / hater friend
B1how i feel on a daily basis
B2Rare Insults🥀 #2
B1he's not the one
B1It's because you mean more to me😭#shorts #friends #comedy #love #funny
B2Growing Up with My Stepdad
B2Dan's Tell-All Book Pisses Everyone Off | Gossip Girl
B2WORST THINGS YOU'VE DONE FOR LOVE?! | EP 597
B2Justin Bieber's Life Advice Will Leave You SPEECHLESS (Must Watch)
B1I Was Jealous Of My Twin Sister
B110 Things I Hate About You - Full Poem Scene HD
B1My Dad Made Me Poor `Cuz I Was “Too Spoiled” | Animated Series | Between Lockers Episode 6
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “why i hate him”. This video has 20 sentences and 281 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:06. The speaker talks fast, about 257 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 85% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start.
Key vocabulary in this video
13 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| compare verb | /kəmˈpɛɚ/ | To assess the similarities and differences between two or more things [“to compare X with Y”]. Having made the comparison of X with Y, one might have found it… |
| sixth adjective | /sɪksθ/ | The ordinal form of the number six. |
| lifestyle noun | /ˈlaɪfˌstaɪl/ | A style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group. |
| randomly adverb | /ˈɹændm̩li/ | In a random manner. |
| detention noun | /dɪˈtɛnʃn̩/ | The act of detaining or the state of being detained; hindrance. |
| hometown noun | /ˈhoʊmˌtaʊn/ | An individual’s place of birth, childhood home, or place of main residence. |
| follower noun | /ˈfɒləʊə(ɹ)/ | One who follows, comes after another. |
| annoy verb | /əˈnoɪ̯/ | To disturb or irritate, especially by continued or repeated acts; to bother with unpleasant deeds. |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| afford verb | /əˈfoɹd/ | To incur, stand, or bear without serious detriment, as an act which might under other circumstances be injurious; (usually after an expression of ability, as… |
| shift noun | /ˈʃɪft/ | A movement to do something, a beginning. |
| tournament noun | /ˈtʊɹnəmənt/ | A series of games; either the same game played many times, or a succession of games related by a single theme; played competitively to determine a single… |
| exact adjective | /ɪɡˈzækt/ | Precisely agreeing with a standard, a fact, or the truth; perfectly conforming; neither exceeding nor falling short in any respect. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| end up verb | To bring to a conclusion. |
| get off verb | To move from being on top of (something) to not being on top of it. |
| go down verb | To descend; to move from a higher place to a lower one. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as couldn't, I'd, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: detention /dɪˈtɛnʃn̩/, shift /ˈʃɪft/
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 compare, sixth, lifestyle.
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.