Shadowing Practice: Will Smith: Everybody's Suffering, Even People's Bad Behavior Is a Cry For Help #WillSmith - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Will Smith: Everybody's Suffering, Even People's Bad Behavior Is a Cry For Help”. This video has 9 sentences and 85 words to shadow. The speech runs for 0:46. The speaker talks at a steady 111 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 9 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| suffer verb | /ˈsʌfɚ/ | To undergo hardship. |
| kindness noun | /ˈkaɪnd.nəs/ | The state of being kind. |
| supermarket noun | /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/ | A large self-service store that sells groceries and, usually, medications, household goods, and/or clothing. |
| circumstance noun | /ˈsɝ.kəmˌstæns/ | Something which is related to, or in some way affects, a fact or event. |
| smile verb | /ˈsmaɪl/ | To have (a smile) on one's face. |
| struggle noun | /ˈstɹʌɡəl/ | A contortion of the body in an attempt to escape or to perform a difficult task. |
| deserve verb | /dɪˈzɝv/ | To be entitled to, as a result of past actions; to be worthy to have. |
| everybody | /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/ | All people. |
| behavior noun | /bɪˈheɪ.vjə/ | Human conduct relative to social norms. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| walk down verb | To continually advance (on an opponent) and punch (the opponent) in order to control the fight and dominate the opponent, while shrugging off the opponent's… |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will ever pass |
Pronunciation to watch
- Long words — get the stress right: supermarket /ˌsupɚˈmɑɹkət/, everybody /ˈɛvɹi(ˌ)bədi/
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 suffer, kindness, supermarket.
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.