Shadowing Practice: Chasing a Late Payment from a Client - Learn English Speaking with Video

Creating lesson...
1
Hello, Simon. Thanks for seeing me.
2
Not at all, Hannah. Please, have a seat.
3
I've come about an invoice from Bright Print.
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We sent it to you in March.
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Oh yes. Is there a problem with it?
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I'm afraid it hasn't been paid yet.
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It was due three weeks ago.
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Really? I'm so sorry about that.
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Could you give me the invoice number?
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Of course. It's two four seven one.
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Thank you. And how much was it for?
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One thousand two hundred pounds, including tax.
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Let me have a look on the system.
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Ah, I can see what's happened.
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It was sent to the wrong department.
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Oh dear. That explains the delay.
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When do you think you can pay it?
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We usually make payments on Fridays.
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So it should reach you by next Monday.
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I'd be grateful if it could be sooner.
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We're a small company, you see.
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Late payments make things quite difficult for us.
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I completely understand. Let me see what I can do.
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I'll ask my manager to approve it today.
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That would be a great help. Thank you.
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If she agrees, you'll have it by Wednesday.
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Could you send me an email to confirm?
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Certainly. I'll do that straight away.
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One more thing. Is our address correct on your system?
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Let me check. Is it still King Street?
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No, we moved to Mill Road in January.
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Ah. I'll update that right now.
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Again, I do apologise for the delay.
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That's all right. These things happen.
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It won't happen again, I promise.
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Thanks for sorting it out so quickly.

About This Lesson

You're practicing English with "Chasing a Late Payment from a Client" using the Shadowing technique — a method originally developed for professional interpreter training.

Focus on sounding like the speaker — not just repeating words. With 15–30 minutes of daily practice, you'll build real-world speaking confidence.

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.

Shadowing technique: read the full step-by-step guide →