Shadowing Practice: 10 Words: Change Your Basic English to Business English - Learn English Speaking with Video
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If you want to sound more advanced in your English, more professional and make a stronger impression at work, well, you've clicked on the right video
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because today I'm going to give you 10 easy ways to change your basic English to business English
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and really start speaking like a pro.
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Hi everyone, I'm Maria and this is English to Excel, where I help you to speak better English for better opportunities.
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Now, if you wanna advance your career globally, business English is a must.
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And notice I didn't just say English, I said business English, because it really is kind of its own language.
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So by the end of this video, you're gonna have 10 new words that we use in the English speaking workplace every day.
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I'll start with the English word you probably already know
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and then I'll give you the higher level business equivalent okay
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let's dive in the word contact is used in professional settings
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but in all my 15 years of working for global companies
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it's much more common to hear people use the phrasal verb to reach out
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when people are talking about calling emailing or even texting someone I'll reach out to my manager to see about budget approval.
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Number two, if you've discussed something with someone and you agree on how you're going to proceed,
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in business English, you align with them and you align with someone on something.
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I've aligned with my team on the plan, so let's get started.
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Number three, Now at work we do use the verb to schedule all the time when we're talking about planning or organizing something.
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So you can absolutely use schedule and you'll sound very professional.
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But if you want to sound a little more like a native speaker and really take your English up a notch, you'd say set up.
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So set up a meeting, set up a Zoom, set up a conference call.
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Let's set up a time to talk and discuss this further.
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Number four, the more professional version of the word change is modify.
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And you can modify really anything that you create, a presentation, a report, a budget, a document.
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We had to modify the presentation to better suit the client's needs.
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Number five, when you're talking about the main ideas or the main points of a presentation, a webinar, even a meeting,
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you're talking about the key takeaways because it's the ideas
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or the points
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that you want to take away i had to miss the webinar what were the key takeaways number six
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when we want to tell someone what we think about an
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idea they have a presentation they gave even how they're doing
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in their job a suggestion for improvement we give them feedback But watch out, there's a common mistake here with this word.
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The word feedback never takes the plural form.
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So never add an S to the end.
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Can I give you some feedback on how you handled that meeting?
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And now that we're a little more than halfway through, I'd like you to give me some feedback on this video.
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So if you're finding it helpful so far, go ahead and hit the like button.
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Number seven.
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Now problems always come up at work, but the word issue is better to use in a professional context.
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That's because problem is very negative.
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The word issue is a little softer, so we tend to use it more often.
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The project got off to a rough start due to some communication issues.
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Number eight.
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When we talk about something that has to be completed or has to be provided as part of a project.
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We have a really nice word for this in business English.
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It's deliverable.
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Something that you have to provide is something that you have to deliver.
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The project deliverables include some ads for social media.
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Number nine.
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If we have the capacity or the time to work on something, like a project or some other task, we have the bandwidth to do it.
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Now, this word is especially useful in cases where you have to tell a coworker
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that you really don't have time to do what they're asking you to do, but in a way that's very polite and professional.
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I'm sorry, I just don't have the bandwidth to review that document today.
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And last but not least,
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someone or something who's very flexible and can adapt well to changing situations is called agile in business English.
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Now, a company, a team, or even a person can be agile.
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Agile businesses were better able to succeed during the pandemic.
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So there you have it.
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10 ways to replace the English that you already know with better business alternatives.
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So you can really take your English to the next level at work.
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Thank you for watching my very first video here on YouTube.
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If you want to keep sounding more advanced in your English and more professional, subscribe to my channel.
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Thanks again for watching and I'll see you next time.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B2 speaking lesson is built on the video “10 Words: Change Your Basic English to Business English”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: English, word, professional, presentation, feedback. This video has 62 sentences and 840 words to shadow. The speech runs for 5:25. The speaker talks at a natural 155 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 87% 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 |
|---|---|---|
| agile adjective | /ˈæd͡ʒ.aɪl/ | Having the faculty of quick motion in the limbs; apt or ready to move; loose-jointed. |
| align verb | /əˈlaɪn/ | To form a line; to fall into line. |
| modify verb | /ˈmɑ.dɪˌfaɪ/ | To change part of. |
| deliverable noun | /dɪˈlɪvɹəbəɫ/ | The tangible end product; that which will be delivered. |
| takeaway noun | /ˈteɪkəweɪ/ | A restaurant that sells food to be eaten elsewhere. |
| webinar noun | /ˈwɛb.əˌnɑː/ | An interactive seminar conducted via Internet. Usually a live presentation, lecture or workshop that happens in real time, as users participate through… |
| bandwidth noun | /ˈbændwɪdθ/ | The width, usually measured in hertz, of a frequency band. |
| verb noun | /vɝb/ | A word that indicates an action, event, or state of being. |
| phrasal adjective | /ˈfɹeɪzəl/ | Relating to, or used in the manner of, a phrase. |
| plural noun | /ˈplʊəɹəl/ | The plural number. In English, referring to more or less than one of something. |
| notch noun | /nɑtʃ/ | A V-shaped cut. |
| globally adverb | /ˈɡloʊbəli/ | In all places or situations. |
| polite adjective | /pəˈlaɪt/ | Well-mannered, civilized. |
| organize verb | /ˈɔɹɡənaɪz/ | To arrange in working order. |
| adapt verb | /əˈdæpt/ | To make suitable; to make to correspond; to fit or suit. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| set up verb | /ˌsɛt ˈʌp/ | To make ready for use. |
| go ahead verb | /ˌɡoʊ əˈhɛd/ | To proceed with; to begin. |
| reach out verb | To extend one's hand(s) forward; to reach for something. | |
| take away verb | /ˌteɪk əˈweɪ/ | To remove something and put it in a different place. |
| watch out | Used to warn someone of an imminent danger. |
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 | you've clicked · you've discussed · I've aligned |
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be completed · is called |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 27 contractions and reduced forms, such as you're, I'll, I'm. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
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 agile, align, modify.
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.