Shadowing Practice: Why was Jesus in Egypt? - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
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just as Herod was exiting stage left for his date with
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eternity a new king of the Jews was entering the scene
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and at this point in the gospel story Jesus parents
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because of King Herod were on the run for their lives now
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when they had departed behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said
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Like Judea, Egypt was part of the Roman Empire at that time, but it was beyond Herod's rule and control.
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Egypt was an imperial province ruled by Augustus, the Roman emperor himself.
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Jesus and his family likely lived among a Jewish community in Egypt
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and would have enjoyed a degree of anonymity and separation from Hellenistic culture.
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Then Herod the Great finally died around March of 4 BC.
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The Gospels then describe a visitation to Joseph.
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After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, Get up, take the child and his mother,
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and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.
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So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
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But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.
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Having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth.
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So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
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We'll be right back.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Why was Jesus in Egypt?”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Herod, Egypt, Joseph, dream. This video has 18 sentences and 264 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:25. The speaker talks at a steady 110 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 81% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| angel noun | /ˈeɪ̯n.d͡ʒəl/ | An incorporeal and holy or semidivine messenger from a deity or other divine entity, traditionally depicted as a youthful, winged figure in flowing robes. |
| province noun | /ˈpɹɔv.ɪns/ | A region of the earth or of a continent; a district or country. |
| exit noun | /ˈɛɡzət/ | An act of going out or going away, or leaving; a departure. |
| emperor noun | /ˈɛmp(ə)ɹə/ | The male monarch or ruler of an empire. |
| imperial adjective | /ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əl/ | Related to an empire, emperor, or empress. |
| gospel noun | /ˈɡɑspəl/ | The first section of the Christian New Testament scripture, comprising the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, concerned with the birth, ministry, passion… |
| separation noun | /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/ | The act of disuniting two or more things, or the condition of being separated. |
| reign noun | /ɹeɪ̯n/ | The exercise of sovereign power. |
| withdraw verb | /wɪðˈdɹɔ/ | To draw or pull (something) away or back from its original position or situation. |
| warn verb | /woɹn/ | To make (someone) aware of impending danger, evil, etc. |
| prophet noun | /ˈpɹɑ.fɪt/ | Someone who speaks by divine inspiration. |
| fulfill verb | /fʊlˈfɪl/ | To satisfy, carry out, bring to completion (an obligation, a requirement, etc.). |
| eternity noun | /əˈtɜɹnəti/ | Existence without end, infinite time. |
| behold verb | /bɪˈhəʊld/ | To look at or see (someone or something), especially appreciatively; to descry, to look upon. |
| depart verb | /dɪˈpɑɹt/ | To leave. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| get up verb | To move in an upward direction; to ascend or climb. |
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 | been warned · was fulfilled |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | those who were |
Pronunciation to watch
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: separation /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, visitation /ˌvɪzɪˈteɪʃən/
- Long words — get the stress right: imperial /ɪmˈpɪɹ.i.əl/, separation /ˌsɛp.əˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, eternity /əˈtɜɹnəti/, anonymity /ænəˈnɪmɪti/, visitation /ˌvɪzɪˈteɪʃən/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like angel, province, exit.
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.