Shadowing Practice: Chuck Billy of Testament Interview about Native Blood - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 31 sentences and 404 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:59. The speaker talks fast, about 204 words per minute, so expect linked and reduced sounds. 88% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is easy to follow.

Key vocabulary in this video

12 less common words from the video, with pronunciation and meaning:

• tribal /ˈtɹaɪbəl/ (adjective) — Of or relating to tribes.
• reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/ (noun) — The act of reserving, withholding or keeping back.
• pitch /pɪt͡ʃ/ (noun) — A throw; a toss; a cast, as of something from the hand.
• spiritual /ˈspɪɹɪt͡ʃuəl/ (adjective) — Of or pertaining to the spirit or the soul.
• invite /ɪnˈvaɪt/ (verb) — To ask for the presence or participation of someone or something.
• elder /ˈɛldɚ/ (noun) — A small tree, Sambucus nigra, having white flowers in a cluster, and edible purple berries.
• accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/ (verb) — To finish successfully.
• musician /mjuˈzɪʃən/ (noun) — A composer, conductor, or performer of music; specifically, a person who sings and/or plays a musical instrument as a hobby, occupation, or profession.
• dancer /ˈdænsəɹ/ (noun) — A person who dances, usually as a hobby, an occupation, or a profession.
• enjoyment /ɪnˈd͡ʒɔɪ.mənt/ (noun) — The condition of enjoying anything.
• bind /ˈbaɪ̯nd/ (verb) — To tie; to confine by any ligature.
• revive /ɹɪˈvaɪ̯v/ (verb) — To cause (a person or animal) to recover from a faint; to cause (a person or animal) to return to a state of consciousness.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• do in (verb) — To kill or end; to defeat.
• call up (verb) — To retrieve from personal or computer memory.
• come back (verb) — To return to a place.
• come down (verb) — To descend, fall down, collapse.
• reach out (verb) — To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something.
• speak for (verb) — To speak on somebody's behalf.
• stick with (verb) — To remain close to.

Pronunciation to watch

The speaker uses 10 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, I'll, wasn't. Say them the short way, as you hear them.

• The “sh” and “zh” sounds: reservation /ˌɹɛz.ɚˈveɪ.ʃən/, accomplish /əˈkɑm.plɪʃ/, musician /mjuˈzɪʃən/

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Start at 0.75× speed, shadow it sentence by sentence, then go back to normal speed once it feels easy.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like tribal, reservation, pitch.