Shadowing Practice: World War 2: 1939 - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
The War
2
Scares of 1930 In Europe,
3
the war scares of 1938 leave many shaken.
4
Some believe the moment of greatest danger has passed.
5
British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain hopes they are right, but in his own words, he is preparing for the worst.
6
He and his French counterpart, Édouard Deladier, are now committed to large-scale rearmament,
7
in their bid to deter Hitler from further expansion.
8
British military spending has increased dramatically in the last four years.
9
In 1939, British aircraft production increases threefold on the previous year,
10
and by late summer overtakes Nazi Germany for the first time.
11
France is now spending a third of its national budget on defence, and has also launched a major programme to replace thousands of obsolete aircraft.
12
Hitler, meanwhile, remains intent on eastward expansion, as part of his plan to make Germany economically self-sufficient,
13
and to acquire living space for its people.
14
And he will not let the Munich Agreement stand in his way.
15
At Spring, he deliberately stokes a crisis in the Czechoslovak Republic, between the government and Slovakian fascists.
16
Then on the pretext of maintaining law and order, he orders German troops to cross the border.
17
Hitler warns of stern reprisals if his troops encounter any resistance.
18
So Czech forces are ordered to stand down.
19
This time there are no cheering crowds to welcome the German troops.
20
Hungarian forces simultaneously invade Transcarpathia, in the east of the country.
21
In a matter of days, Czechoslovakia has ceased to exist.
22
Hitler annexes the western provinces of Bohemia and Moravia.
23
It is a major windfall for Germany.
24
Most of Czechoslovakia's gold, foreign currency, raw materials, steel and armaments industries fall into German hands,
25
and are put to work in the service of Goering's four-year plan.
26
In France and Britain, there is outrage, but also a newly discovered sense of clarity and unity.
27
The mask has slipped.
28
Hitler had insisted he only sought to reunite ethnic Germans.
29
That lie is now plain for all to see.
30
Appeasement is dead.
31
The public mood in both countries swings firmly behind, standing up to Hitler.
32
In France, Parliament votes to give Deladier emergency powers to prepare for war.
33
In Britain, peacetime conscription is introduced, for the first time in 300 years.
34
In late March, Hitler has another success, using threats to secure the former East Prussian province of Memoland from Lithuania,
35
lost under the Versailles Treaty.
36
It is clear where the next flashpoint will be.
37
Hitler now demands the free city of Danzig, and access across the so-called Polish Corridor,
38
territory taken from Germany by the Versailles Treaty.
39
Poland offers no concessions to Hitler, and in April the Führer decides on military conquest.
40
Poland will be brought within the new German Empire, and become its colony within Europe.
41
In a dramatic break with earlier policy, Chamberlain publicly guarantees Poland military support if it is attacked.
42
France makes the same pledge.
43
How they will support Poland if Germany attacks is a puzzle left unresolved, but a line has, at last, been drawn.
44
Hitler denounces the guarantees as warmongering, unjustified, hypocritical meddling in Germany's backyard.
45
So far his political instincts, his timing and decisions appear masterful.
46
He has led the Reich to success after success, in a series of unopposed territorial expansions.
47
Fate has appointed me to bring the Germans to greatness, he declares, and sure of success once more,
48
issues orders for the invasion of Poland to begin in August 1939.
49
Mussolini, once regarded as Europe's preeminent strongman, does not wish to be outdone by Hitler.
50
To remind the world of Italy's own imperial ambitions, he orders the invasion of Albania,
51
a one-sided contest completed within a few days.
52
The following month, Mussolini persuades Hitler to publicly reaffirm their alliance, in a new treaty, the Pact of Steel.
53
In Spain, 1939 witnesses the bloody final chapter of the country's two-and-a-half-year civil war.
54
In February, Catalonia falls to the nationalists.
55
It prompts an exodus of republican refugees.
56
Nearly half a million cross the Pyrenees into France, where they are held in primitive camps.
57
Madrid itself finally falls in March.
58
Franco's victory is complete.
59
Spain's civil war has claimed an estimated 350,000 lives.
60
It has seen fascists do battle with communists, and German forces trial new weapons and tactics.
61
Both sides have carried out atrocities and mass executions.
62
A grim foreshadowing of the global war to come.
63
Japan's plans for imperial expansion are centred on China.
64
In 1938, its armies had won a series of major victories over Chiang Kai-shek's nationalist forces,
65
but failed to deliver a knockout blow.
66
As a result, Prince Conaway, who'd promised a rapid victory, resigns as Prime Minister in January 1939.
67
In February, Japan's Special Naval Landing Forces occupy Hainan to further disrupt foreign supplies reaching the Chinese interior.
68
But Japanese attempts to follow up on the capture of Wuhan encounter stiff resistance.
69
Nanchang is taken, but at high cost,
70
while an offensive in Hubei province fails to make ground.
71
The Japanese army seems to be losing its operational edge, hamstrung by the vast distances involved,
72
problems of supply, and a growing shortage of men and equipment.
73
Behind the front line, Chinese nationalists and communists wage a guerrilla war,
74
ambushing envoys, picking off troops, wearing down Japanese morale.
75
The Japanese must also maintain a strong presence to the north, where border tensions between their puppet state,
76
Manchogwa, and the Soviet Union flare up into open fighting.
77
Japan's Kwantong army chooses to escalate,
78
but later that summer is heavily defeated by the Red Army on the Khalkhin-Gol River.
79
Japanese tactics and weaponry that have proved so effective in China are no match for Soviet firepower.
80
The architect of victory is a 42-year-old Russian general,
81
Georgi Zhukov, who makes bold use of combined arms tactics to overwhelm the enemy.
82
The battle seems a remote sideshow, but the Japanese will draw important conclusions from its outcome,
83
with major strategic ramifications.
84
Defeat by the Soviets puts added pressure on General Nishio Toshizou, the new commander of Japan's China Expeditionary Army.
85
In September, he launches an offensive against Zhongshan in Hunan province.
86
But for the first time, a Chinese city successfully repels a Japanese attack.
87
In November, Japanese forces land in Guangxi to tighten the blockade on China.
88
Then, a nasty shock for the Japanese.
89
Chinese forces, thought to be on the brink of collapse, launch a surprise winter offensive on multiple fronts.
90
The attacks are fought off, but it is a clear sign that victory for either side is still a long way off.
91
In the Soviet Union, Stalin continues to prioritise rearmament and industrialisation,
92
at the cost of living standards and economic growth.
93
Work life for Soviet citizens is increasingly regimented.
94
More than a million workers forced labour in prison camps.
95
Yet, despite Europe's mounting crisis,
96
Soviet offers to join Britain and France in opposing German expansion have been consistently rebuffed.
97
Most British politicians detest communism, and consider Stalin as untrustworthy as Hitler.
98
Besides, reports indicate Stalin's purges have thrown the Red Army into chaos,
99
and therefore Soviet military aid would count for little.
100
Poland, for understandable historical reasons, has zero interest, or faith, in a Soviet military guarantee.
101
In May 1939, Stalin appoints a new foreign minister, Wichislaw Molotov.
102
That summer, his negotiations with Britain over an anti-Hitler alliance proceed at snail-like pace.
103
Polish refusal to allow Soviet troops into Poland seems an insurmountable obstacle.
104
But secretly, Molotov is also speaking with another potential partner.
105
In late August, a Nazi-Soviet non-aggression treaty,
106
the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, is announced to the world.
107
In the West, the news is a horrible shock, a complete bombshell.
108
Such a move was thought impossible, given Hitler's obvious loathing for Soviet Russia.
109
But Hitler is the supreme opportunist, and for now the treaty is invaluable.
110
Not only does it rule out Soviet intervention in the event of a war over Poland, Hitler Hitler believes it also rules out British or French intervention.
111
For without a Soviet partner, how can they possibly hope to defend Poland?
112
There is also an economic agreement, by which Stalin agrees to supply Germany with much needed resources,
113
including oil, iron ore and grain.
114
Stalin is well aware that Hitler is an enemy in waiting, but he too sees major short-term gains.
115
These come in the treaty's secret clauses, that divide Eastern Europe into Nazi and Soviet spheres of influence.
116
While Hitler can now take Western Poland without fear of Soviet intervention, Stalin can push west without fearing a German response.
117
He intends to create buffer zones to bolster Soviet security for the conflicts that surely lie ahead.
118
He may even get to enjoy the spectacle of his capitalist rivals at war with each other.
119
Both dictators intend to take full advantage of these new opportunities, without delay.
120
The Nazi-Soviet
121
Pact A month before the Nazi-Soviet pact is made public,
122
a secret meeting takes place near Warsaw between the Polish, British and French intelligence services.
123
The German military is using a new machine to encrypt its radio traffic, called Enigma.
124
They believe it's unbreakable.
125
Polish mathematicians have found a way to crack it, information they now share with their allies.
126
British experts study Polish methods, and soon make their own breakthroughs.
127
The significance of this work will not emerge for months, and will not be made public for decades.
128
By late August, everything is in place for the German invasion of Poland.
129
In public, Hitler mocks the leaders of Britain and France.
130
But in private, he has a last-minute attack of nerves.
131
He wants a short, sharp, local war – the war that had been denied him the previous year by the Munich Agreement.
132
But there are signs that this time Britain and France mean what they say, that they will stand by Poland if it's attacked.
133
Britain and Poland even commit to a formal Treaty of Alliance on the 25th of August.
134
Mussolini has also just told Hitler that Italy isn't ready for war, and would remain neutral.
135
For six days, Hitler hesitates.
136
Finally, he reaches a decision.
137
I have at last decided to do without the opinions of people who have misinformed me on a dozen occasions, he tells von Ribbentrop.
138
I shall rely on my own judgement, which has in all these cases given me better counsel than the experts.
139
On 31st August, Hitler gives the order to invade Poland.
140
The next morning, the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein fires the first shots of the war, against Polish defences in Danzig.
141
At dawn, the Luftwaffe strikes targets across Poland.
142
German tank and infantry columns advance from East Prussia, Eastern Germany, and Slovakia.
143
Geography means the Poles are virtually encircled from the outset,
144
and massively outgunned by a German force that has spent years studying and perfecting the tactics of modern warfare.
145
What's more, at the urging of Britain and France, Poland has delayed mobilising its own forces,
146
so Hitler could not use it as a pretext for attacking.
147
Britain and France immediately send ultimatums to Germany, demanding the withdrawal of their forces.
148
There is no reply.
149
And on 3rd September 1939, the two empires declare war on Germany.
150
Since the early 1930s, the pursuit of empire by Japan,
151
Italy and Germany had led to a string of international crises, and wars in Asia and Africa.
152
But it had not yet become a world war.
153
It changes when Hitler's miscalculation triggers war with Britain and France.
154
France's declaration of war commits its entire overseas empire to the conflict.
155
Britain's imperial arrangements are more complex, but its empire soon follows the motherland's lead,
156
voluntarily, in the case of the Dominions, automatically elsewhere.
157
Ireland is an exception, where the Taoiseach, Eamon de Valera, declares neutrality.
158
Hitler not only faces a global war against the world's two largest empires,
159
it is a war that he himself had predicted would not occur until 1943 or 1944.
160
And it will soon emerge that Germany is not ready, in several crucial ways.
161
Hitler is quick to blame the Jews for this turn of events.
162
He has a delusional sense of Jewish influence over British and French policy.
163
And so he will now wage two connected wars...
164
Against Germany's imperial rivals...
165
And his racial Jewish enemies.
166
British and French rearmament has created powerful armed forces...
167
On land, sea, and in the air.
168
On paper, they're more than a match for Hitler's new Wehrmacht.
169
But for all their imperial might, there is little either will do, in September 1939, to save Poland from its fate.
170
Krakow falls to the Germans on the 6th of September.
171
A Polish counter-attack along the Buzura River has some initial success, but the Germans quickly recover.
172
Then on the 17th of September, a fatal blow.
173
Soviet divisions cross the unguarded frontier from the east.
174
They soon link up with German forces, and hold a joint military parade at Brest-Litovsk.
175
Polish forces fight bravely, but have no chance.
176
Warsaw is surrounded, and after heavy bombing, falls on the 28th of September.
177
Polish military losses total 200,000 killed and wounded, and around 700,000 taken prisoner.
178
Tens of thousands of civilians have also been killed, with widespread damage to towns and villages in the path of the fighting.
179
As per the secret clauses of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, Poland is then partitioned by Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
180
Parts of the German zone are directly annexed by Germany.
181
The rest becomes the General Government, ruled by Nazi Governor-General Hans Frank.
182
The Nazis and Soviets set about a ruthless liquidation of the Polish state, that begins with the arrest,
183
deportation and mass murder of Polish leaders, intellectuals, aristocrats and priests.
184
In the Nazi zone, they also target Jews.
185
It is the start of a five and a half year occupation of infamous brutality.
186
By the war's end, one in five Poles will have perished – 5.7 million in total.
187
As Poland is overrun, France and Britain assemble 89 divisions along France's eastern border.
188
With the bulk of the German army engaged in Poland, they outnumber German forces in the west more than two to one.
189
But despite desperate appeals from the Polish High Command, their strategy has been determined months ago.
190
It is the indirect approach… to use France's Maginot Line,
191
and Britain's Royal Navy, to contain and blockade Germany.
192
Air attacks will weaken the enemy, economic power will build up their own forces,
193
and only then will they risk a direct attack on Germany.
194
Poland will be saved, but by final Allied victory in a long war.
195
The French army does launch one limited attack near Saarbrücken,
196
advancing five miles into Germany, but then withdraws.
197
British bombers, concerned about harming civilians, drop millions of leaflets over German cities.
198
Made in activity, quickly dubbed the Boer War, or Phony War, eats at the morale of their troops,
199
and hands all initiative to Hitler.
200
Only at sea does the war seem to be fought in earnest.
201
Within hours of the declaration of war, a U-boat mistakes the liner SS Athenia for a warship,
202
and sinks her in the North Atlantic, killing 117 civilians.
203
Six weeks later, another U-boat sneaks into the British naval base at Scapa Flow, and sinks the battleship HMS Royal Oak,
204
with the loss of 800 lives.
205
In months, both German and British navies are effectively waging unrestricted submarine warfare in designated combat zones,
206
attacking all suspect ships on sight.
207
But at the outbreak of war, Germany only has 57 U-boats, seven of which are lost in the first weeks.
208
The 27 have the range to operate in the North Atlantic,
209
because Hitler's rearmament plans had not anticipated war with Britain in 1939.
210
It will be years before U-boat production ramps up significantly.
211
For now, the more immediate threat comes from German surface raiders, notably the heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee.
212
On 30th September, she sinks a British merchant ship off the coast of Brazil.
213
She sinks eight more… before British cruisers corner her in Montevideo.
214
There, the captain scuttles his ship, rather than risk her falling into enemy hands, or being interned by neutral Uruguay.
215
On 6th October, in a speech to the Reichstag, Hitler celebrates victory over Poland,
216
and raises the possibility of peace negotiations with Britain and France.
217
Chamberlain and Deladier dismiss the offer.
218
They have no respect left for Hitler's words, and believe time is on their side.
219
In November, Stalin makes a second push west, to expand the Soviet Union's buffer zones.
220
This time the target is Finland, like Poland, once part of the Russian Empire.
221
Everyone expects a rapid Soviet victory, but the Finns mount a skilful and determined defence.
222
They hold the Mannerheim line against repeated attacks,
223
and use an improvised weapon they dub the Molotov cocktail to destroy Soviet tanks.
224
The Finns are also much better prepared for winter war.
225
As temperatures plunge to minus 40 degrees Celsius, Red Army soldiers freeze to death,
226
while Finnish soldiers ski through the forests to lay ambushes and mount hit-and-run attacks.
227
Britain and France discuss sending military aid to Finland,
228
but there is concern that provoking a war with the Soviet Union would be unwise at the present time.
229
Instead, the League of Nations condemns the Soviet Union's attack, and expels it from the League – its last major act.
230
In November, Hitler visits Munich, to mark the anniversary of the 1923 Beer Hall Putsch,
231
a seminal moment in the early history of the Nazi party.
232
He leaves early.
233
Just 13 minutes later, a bomb explodes, bringing down half the hall and killing eight.
234
The would-be assassin is 36-year-old carpenter Georg Elser.
235
He is arrested and sent to Dachau concentration camp, where he is executed in April 1945.
236
Hitler believes he has been spared by providence.
237
He returns to Berlin to continue planning the invasion of France, which he wants to launch as soon as possible.
238
But the harsh winter, and opposition from most of his generals, persuades him to postpone the operation until the following spring.
239
When it comes, it will lead to one of the most stunning military upsets in history, as World War II spreads across Europe,
240
across the oceans, and into the skies.
241
Now that war has been declared, we'll be covering World War II year by year.
242
Every front, every campaign, every major battle.
243
And if you want to be first to see all future episodes, as well as new episodes of our Napoleon's 100 Days series,
244
head over to prestige streaming service Nebula.
245
Nebula is the video platform built and curated by creators like us.
246
Featuring original, funny, fascinating and insightful content,
247
all made by talented humans, guaranteed AI slop-free.
248
It's packed with videos about history,
249
engineering, tech and entertainment, and a growing number of Nebula originals which you can't see anywhere else.
250
Our latest recommendation – History's Most Daring Raids, an exclusive Nebula Plus series created by our friends Real Time History.
251
Their latest episode covers US naval officer Jesse Elliott's audacious theft of two British warships in 1812.
252
Other episodes explore a daring POW rescue by US rangers in World War II, the Saigon Embassy raid during the Vietnam War,
253
and a bold amphibious operation by German forces in World War I.
254
A yearly subscription to Nebula normally costs $60, but our link gets you 50% off.
255
Just $30 when paid up front.
256
That's $2.50 a month for year-round entertainment, plus ad-free first access to all our new videos.
257
Each month, Nebula subscribers also get a guest pass to share with a friend, giving full access for a week, with no card details required.
258
So subscribers can share their favourite videos with their favourite people, thanks to all our existing Nebula subscribers.
259
And for everyone else watching, we hope to see you there soon!
260
of Poland, the Siege of Warsaw is a largely forgotten battle of World War II, but saw heroism and courage on an epic scale.
261
Soldiers and civilians were mobilised in the city's defence, and faced some of the largest air raids ever seen.
262
But they continued to repel German attacks, until a shortage of food and water forced their surrender.
263
Poland's commander-in-chief, Sikorsky later awarded the city the Silver Cross of the Order of Virtuti Militari.
264
Big thanks to our series consultant, World War II historian, Professor Richard Overy.
265
And to all our Patreon supporters, from builders such as Hugh Davies, Alexis Terbu, and Louis Roldan, to citizens like Tom Andrejko,
266
Dylan Peltier, and Ryan White, and heroes like Suhendra Sulustio.
📺 Same Channel
B23
Kolchak & Russia's Civil War (All Parts)
British AccentUniversity Students
B26
Stalin's 5 Year Plan & Holodomor: Progress Built On Mass Starvation
British AccentIELTS PrepTOEFL PrepUniversity Students
C14
Apollo Program: Eagle Has Landed
British AccentUniversity Students
B22
France's Maginot Line: A Disastrous $3 Billion Mistake?
British AccentUniversity Students
C26
Napoleon in Italy: Battle of Bassano (3/5)
British AccentUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B2How did Christianity become the most popular religion on Earth?
University Students
✨ Recommend Video
B2102 sentences
World War II (short version)
High School StudentsUniversity StudentsWorking Adults
B21
402 sentences
TBT part 1 section 1
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B29
157 sentences
The American Revolution - OverSimplified (Part 2)
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B2102
10 sentences
Chancellor Palpatine Galactic Empire Speech (Star Wars Episode 3 Revenge of the Sith)
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B236 sentences
The reason Japan attacked Pearl Harbor
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B21
74 sentences
WW1 - Oversimplified (Part 1)
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
B25
201 sentences
World War 2 in Simple English (Daily Life + Vocab) 🌍📚 | B1–B2 English Listening
Cambridge Exam PrepDaily ConversationHigh School Students
B21
602 sentences
World War II: The Complete Story (1939–1945) 🌍⚔️ | Learn English Through History
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B21
79 sentences
Why These Nuns Cut off Their Noses and Lips
Cambridge Exam PrepUniversity Students
B24
236 sentences
The ENTIRE History of WW2 Explained
IELTS PrepTOEFL PrepCambridge Exam Prep
B23
44 sentences
1984 George Orwell Full Book Summary (Full Book in JUST 3 Minutes)
Cambridge Exam PrepHigh School StudentsUniversity Students
Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “World War 2: 1939”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: Hitler, Soviet, German, Poland, Germany. This video has 266 sentences and 3406 words to shadow. The speech runs for 36:08. The speaker talks slowly, about 94 words per minute, so there is time to copy every sound. Only 74% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| pact noun | /pækt/ | An agreement; a compact; a covenant. |
| rearmament noun | The process of rearming. | |
| civilians noun | /sɪˈvɪl.jənz/ | Synonym of civvies |
| tactics noun | /ˈtæktɪks/ | The military science that deals with achieving the objectives set by strategy. |
| subscriber noun | /səbˈskɹaɪbɚ/ | A person who subscribes to a publication or a service. |
| raid noun | /ɹeɪd/ | A quick hostile or predatory incursion or invasion in a battle. |
| battleship noun | /ˈbætəlˌʃɪp/ | A large capital warship displacing thousands to tens of thousands of tons, heavily armoured and armed with large-caliber guns; now obsolescent and replaced by… |
| pretext noun | /ˈpɹiːtɛkst/ | A false, contrived, or assumed purpose or reason; a pretense. |
| blockade noun | /blɑˈkeɪd/ | The physical blocking or surrounding of a place, especially a port, in order to prevent commerce and traffic in or out. |
| invade verb | /ɪnˈveɪd/ | To move into. |
| morale noun | /məˈɹɑːl/ | The mental and emotional state of a person or group, especially their level of confidence, enthusiasm, and loyalty with regard to a function or task. |
| negotiation noun | /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/ | The process of achieving agreement through discussion. |
| buffer noun | /ˈbʌfəɹ/ | A solution used to stabilize the pH (acidity) of a liquid, such as by resisting a change in pH when an acid or alkali is added. |
| fascist noun | /ˈfæʃɪst/ | A proponent of fascism. |
| persuade verb | /pə(ɹ)ˈsweɪd/ | To successfully convince (someone) to agree to, accept, or do something, usually through reasoning and verbal influence. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| rule out verb | To cross an item out by drawing a straight line through it, as with a ruler. | |
| bring down verb | To make (a ruler or government) lose their position of power. | |
| build up verb | To erect; to construct. | |
| carry out verb | /ˈkæ.ɹi aʊt/ | To hold while moving it out. |
| fight off verb | To succeed in defeating a challenge, or an attack. | |
| follow up on verb | To take further actions regarding (something). | |
| lie ahead verb | To be going to happen in the future; to be in store. | |
| pick off verb | To remove by picking. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | has passed · has increased · has also launched |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | are now committed · are ordered · are put |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | people who have · judgement, which has |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 5 contractions and reduced forms, such as can't, isn't, they're. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: battleship /ˈbætəlˌʃɪp/, negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, fascist /ˈfæʃɪst/, shortage /ˈʃɔː(ɹ)tɪd͡ʒ/, nationalist /ˈnæʃ.ə.nə.lɪst/
- Long words — get the stress right: negotiation /nɪˌɡəʊ.ʃiˈeɪ.ʃən/, nationalist /ˈnæʃ.ə.nə.lɪst/, declaration /ˌdɛk.ləˈɹeɪ.ʃən/, anticipate /ænˈtɪs.ɪ.peɪt/, recommendation /ˌɹɛkəmɛnˈdeɪʃən/
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 pact, rearmament, civilians.
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.