Shadowing Practice: Why Is the Ocean Salty and Rivers Are Not? - Learn English Speaking with Video
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16 sentences
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1
Why is the ocean salty and rivers aren't?
2
In fact, most of the salt in the sea comes from rivers.
3
But how can that be?
4
It all starts with ocean water heading out on a journey.
5
Warm surface water evaporates.
6
The water vapor then rises to condense into clouds that sometimes get carried over land where they rain down again.
7
On their way down, the water droplets absorb CO2 and become slightly acidic.
8
When they splash onto stones and soil, they wash out salts and minerals as ions and feed them into rivers.
9
From there, the salts travel to some lake or the ocean where they can accumulate over time.
10
After animals and plants feast on this mineral buffet, sodium and chloride ions remain as leftovers.
11
You know them as salt.
12
It's responsible for the salinity of ocean water.
13
Because the ocean deposits as much salt sediment on the sea floor as rivers feed into it, the salt level stays at a stable 35 grams per liter on average.
14
Rivers in turn do not accumulate salt.
15
They simply deliver the minerals and the little traces of salt to the oceans and lakes.
16
What goes in, comes out.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “Why Is the Ocean Salty and Rivers Are Not?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: salt, ocean, rivers, mineral. This video has 16 sentences and 196 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:57. The speaker talks fast, about 207 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. Only 77% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| mineral noun | /ˈmɪn.ə.ɹəl/ | Any naturally occurring solid material that has a (more or less) definite chemical composition and characteristic physical properties; especially, an inorganic… |
| accumulate verb | /əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/ | To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to collect or bring together (either literally or figuratively), often gradually and without active intent. |
| ion noun | /ˈaɪ.ɑn/ | An atom or group of atoms bearing an electrical charge, such as the sodium and chlorine atoms in a salt solution. |
| acidic adjective | /əˈsɪd.ɪk/ | Of or relating to acid; having the character of an acid. |
| chloride noun | /ˈklɔɹˌaɪd/ | Any binary compound of chlorine and another element or radical. |
| condense verb | /kənˈdɛns/ | To concentrate toward the essence by making more close, compact, or dense, thereby decreasing size or volume. |
| droplet noun | /ˈdɹɑplət/ | A very small drop. |
| evaporate verb | /ɪˈvæp.ə.ɹeɪt/ | To transition from a liquid state into a gaseous state. |
| leftover adjective | Remaining; left behind; extra; odd; in reserve. | |
| salinity noun | /səˈlɪnɪti/ | The quality of being saline. |
| sediment noun | /ˈsɛd.ɪ.mənt/ | A collection of small particles, particularly dirt, that precipitates from a river or other body of water. |
| litre noun | /ˈli.tɚ/ | The metric unit of fluid measure, equal to one cubic decimetre. Symbol: L, l, or ℓ. |
| buffet noun | /bəˈfeɪ/ | A counter or sideboard from which food and drinks are served or may be bought. |
| vapor noun | /ˈveɪpɚ/ | Cloudy diffused matter such as mist, steam or fumes suspended in the air. |
| salty adjective | /ˈsɔlti/ | Tasting of salt. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| carry over verb | To transfer (something) to a later point in time. | |
| come out verb | /ˌkʌm ˈaʊt/ | To be discovered; to be revealed. |
| wash out verb | To wash the inside of something. |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: accumulate /əˈkjuːmjʊˌleɪt/, evaporate /ɪˈvæp.ə.ɹeɪt/, salinity /səˈlɪnɪti/
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 mineral, accumulate, ion.
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.