Shadowing Practice: Why rules are important? - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 60 sentences and 485 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:36. The speaker talks slowly, about 87 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. 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

15 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• shout /ʃaʊt/ (verb) — To utter a sudden and loud cry, as in joy, triumph, exultation or anger, or to attract attention, to animate others, etc.
• bicycle /ˈbaɪsɪk(ə)l/ (noun) — A vehicle that has two primary wheels, one behind the other, a steering handle, and a saddle seat or seats and is usually propelled by the action of a rider’s…
• hungry /ˈhʌŋ.ɡɹi/ (adjective) — Affected by hunger; having the physical need for food.
• mummy /ˈmʌm.i/ (noun) — An embalmed human or non-human animal corpse wrapped in linen bandages for burial, especially as practised by the ancient Egyptians and some Native American…
• rush /ɹʌʃ/ (verb) — To hurry; to perform a task with great haste, often not properly or without thinking carefully.
• trash /tɹæʃ/ (noun) — Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse.
• honey /ˈhʌni/ (noun) — A sweet, viscous, gold-colored fluid produced from plant nectar by bees, and often consumed by humans.
• chaos /ˈkeɪˌɑs/ (noun) — The unordered state of matter in classical accounts of cosmogony.
• realise (verb) — Non-Oxford British standard spelling of realize.
• classroom /ˈklɑːsɹʊm/ (noun) — A room, often in a school, where classes take place.
• homework /ˈhoʊmˌwɝk/ (noun) — Exercises assigned by a teacher to a student which review concepts studied in class.
• messy /ˈmɛsi/ (adjective) — In a disorderly state; chaotic; disorderly.
• loudly /ˈlaʊdli/ (adverb) — In a loud manner; at a high volume.
• snatch /snæt͡ʃ/ (verb) — To grasp and remove quickly.
• angrily /ˈæŋ.ɡɹə.li/ (adverb) — In an angry manner; under the influence of anger.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• live in (verb) — To reside on the premises of one's employer (used especially of domestic staff such as nannies, cooks, maids, etc.)
• back in (verb) — To reverse a vehicle into a space.
• come from (verb) — To have as one's origin, birthplace or nationality.
• come into (verb) — To obtain (usually money or property), especially through inheritance.
• come up to (verb) — To approach.
• wake up /ˌweɪk ˈʌp/ (verb) — To stop sleeping; to awake.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'm, didn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: shout /ʃaʊt/, rush /ɹʌʃ/, trash /tɹæʃ/

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 shout, bicycle, hungry.

Grammar in this video

The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video: