Shadowing Practice: Truman's Speech "A Fateful Hour" (1947) - Learn English Speaking with Video

This video has 15 sentences and 197 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:26. The speaker talks at a steady 138 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. 84% 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

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

• communist /ˈkɑ.mjə.nɪst/ (noun) — An advocate of a society based on the common ownership of property; a proponent of communism.
• commitment /kəˈmɪtmənt/ (noun) — The act of sending a legislative bill to committee for review.
• welfare /ˈwɛlˌfɛɚ/ (noun) — Health, safety, happiness and prosperity; well-being in any respect.
• affair /əˈfɛɹ/ (noun) — Something which is done or is to be done; business of any kind, commercial, professional, or public.
• swift /swɪft/ (noun) — A small plain-colored bird of the family Apodidae that resembles a swallow and is noted for its rapid flight.
• declare /dɪˈklɛɚ/ (verb) — To assert or announce formally, officially, explicitly, or emphatically.
• frontier /ˈfɹʌntɪə/ (noun) — The part of a country which borders or faces another country or unsettled region.
• necessity /nɪˈsɛsəti/ (noun) — The quality or state of being necessary, unavoidable, or absolutely requisite.
• endanger /ɛnˈdeɪnd͡ʒɚ/ (verb) — To put (someone or something) in danger; to risk causing harm to.
• bulwark /ˈbʊl.wɚk/ (noun) — A defensive wall or rampart.
• coincide /ˌkoʊɪnˈsaɪd/ (verb) — To occupy exactly the same space.
• falter /ˈfɔltəɹ/ (verb) — To waver or be unsteady; to weaken or trail off.
• liquidate /ˈlɪkwəˌdeɪt/ (verb) — To make (a sound) less harsh.
• momentous /moʊˈmɛn.təs/ (adjective) — Outstanding in importance, of great consequence.

Phrasal verbs you will hear

• face up to (verb) — To confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.

How to practise with this video

1. Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
2. Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
3. Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like communist, commitment, welfare.

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