Shadowing Practice: You Need To Identify Your Big Ideas | Jeff Bezos - 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 “You Need To Identify Your Big Ideas”. This video has 16 sentences and 216 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:03. The speaker talks fast, about 205 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 93% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| vast adjective | /væst/ | Very large or wide (literally or figuratively). |
| stable noun | /ˈsteɪ.bəl/ | A building, wing or dependency set apart and adapted for lodging and feeding (and training) ungulates, especially horses. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| scenario noun | /sɪˈnɛəɹioʊ/ | An outline or model of an expected or supposed sequence of events. |
| grasp verb | /ɡɹæsp/ | To grip; to take hold, particularly with the hand. |
| distract verb | /dɪˈstɹækt/ | To divert the attention of. |
| obvious adjective | /ˈɑb.vi.əs/ | Easily discovered, seen, or understood; self-explanatory. |
| customer noun | /ˈkʌs.tə.mə/ | A person or company who purchases or receives a product or service from a business or merchant or intends to do so. |
| delivery noun | /dɪˈlɪv.(ə.)ɹi/ | The act of conveying something. |
| identify verb | /aɪˈdɛn.(t)ə.faɪ/ | To establish the identity of someone or something. |
| maintain verb | /meɪnˈteɪn/ | To keep up; to preserve; to uphold (a state, condition etc.). |
| slowly adverb | /ˈsloʊli/ | At a slow pace. |
| selection noun | /səˈlɛkʃən/ | The process or act of selecting. |
| consumer noun | /kənˈsjuːmə/ | One who, or that which, consumes. |
| deliver verb | /dɪˈlɪv.ə(ɹ)/ | To set free from restraint or danger. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| back up verb | To move backwards, especially for a vehicle to do so. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should only be · shouldn't need · should be |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | need to identify · need to think · have to back |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | are still going to like · are going to like |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | will be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 3 contractions and reduced forms, such as they're, shouldn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- Long words — get the stress right: incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, delivery /dɪˈlɪv.(ə.)ɹi/, identify /aɪˈdɛn.(t)ə.faɪ/
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 vast, stable, incredibly.
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.