Shadowing Practice: Will Arnett Challenges Elon Musk to Be a Guest on 'SmartLess' - Learn English Speaking with Video
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31 sentences
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1
Can we talk about dream guests?
2
One of my dream guests was already on, and it was Will's guest, it was Depeche Mode.
3
What about the fellas, the acting fellas, that rarely do interviews, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Christian Bale?
4
Those are tough guests, but I feel like you guys could get them.
5
I have one.
6
I want to have Elon Musk on.
7
By the way, absolutely.
8
And I'm going to say this, because I don't think he has the guts to give me a billion dollars.
9
I don't think he has the guts to do it.
10
Boy, he might take that bait.
11
That's smart.
12
Are you kidding?
13
He doesn't have the guts to give me a billion cash after tax in a numbered account that I could give him.
14
It's a legit bank.
15
It's the Cayman Islands, and he does not have the guts to do it.
16
I think that might work.
17
Oh, I'd love to see you try.
18
Maybe on our show, Willie, you can be our special guest.
19
Oh.
20
That's fun.
21
And that's just free.
22
Don't drive over here.
23
Maybe you can be our special guest.
24
Maybe you can be our special guest.
25
You know, he brings it in, he runs it a couple times.
26
Maybe you should be.
27
And then trash.
28
Like, I just want to bring you in.
29
Maybe you should be.
30
Yeah, and then he did it.
31
Yeah, he nailed it.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “Will Arnett Challenges Elon Musk to Be a Guest on 'SmartLess'”. This video has 31 sentences and 238 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:08. The speaker talks fast, about 209 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 82% 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 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| guts noun | /ɡʌts/ | The entrails or contents of the abdomen. |
| rarely adverb | /ˈɹɛəɹli/ | Not occurring at a regular interval; seldom; not often. |
| trash noun | /tɹæʃ/ | Useless physical things to be discarded; rubbish; refuse. |
| nail noun | /neɪl/ | The horny plate or appendage at the ends of the digits of various animals, including most reptiles, birds, and mammals (both nonhuman and human). |
| legit adjective | /lɪˈd͡ʒɪt/ | Legitimate; legal; allowed by the rules; valid. |
| bait noun | /beɪt/ | Any substance, especially food, used in catching fish, or other animals, by alluring them to a hook, snare, trap, or net. |
| fella noun | /fɛ.lə/ | Used as a general intensifier; a pfella. |
| guest noun | /ɡɛst/ | A recipient of hospitality, especially someone staying by invitation at the house of another. |
| dollar noun | /ˈdɑ.lɚ/ | Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere… |
| dream verb | /ˈdɹim/ | To see imaginary events in one's mind while sleeping. |
| kid noun | /ˈkɪd/ | A child, adolescent, or (loosely) a young adult. |
| absolutely adverb | /ˌæb.səˈlut.li/ | In an absolute or unconditional manner; utterly, positively, wholly. |
| cash noun | /ˈkæʃ/ | Money in the form of notes or bills and coins, as opposed to checks, credit or electronic transactions. |
| interview noun | /ˈɪn.tə.vjuː/ | Any face-to-face meeting, especially of an official or adversarial nature. |
| smart adjective | /smɑɹt/ | Exhibiting social ability or cleverness. |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 6 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, doesn't, I'd. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: trash /tɹæʃ/, cash /ˈkæʃ/
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 guts, rarely, trash.
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.