Shadowing Practice: Conference Call: Talking Through the Quarterly Figures - Learn English Speaking with Video
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32 sentences
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1
Right, I think everyone's here. Oliver, can you hear us okay?
2
Loud and clear, Mark. Afternoon from a rather grey London!
3
Let's crack on, then. Priya, would you walk us through the headline numbers?
4
Sure. Total revenue for the quarter came in at $4.82 million.
5
That's up 12.5% on the same period last year!
6
12.5? That's well ahead of what we'd forecast, isn't it?
7
It is. We'd pencilled in something closer to 9%.
8
Ha, let's not get too carried away just yet.
9
Our operating margin was 18.3%.
10
Sorry, did you say 13.8? That's a worrying dip.
11
No, no — 18.3. One-eight, point three.
12
Oh, thank goodness. You had me worried there for a second!
13
To be fair, the line's been a bit patchy all morning.
14
Well... that's still a 0.6 percentage point drop on last quarter.
15
And do we know what's behind it?
16
Mostly shipping costs. They've gone up by roughly a fifth.
17
Ugh, shipping again. That's been eating into our margins all year!
18
On a brighter note, the UK accounted for one-third of total sales!
19
A third? Really? That's up from a quarter, isn't it?
20
It is. We closed £2.4m in new contracts.
21
Hang on, is that £2.4m or $2.4m?
22
Pounds. Which, at today's rate, is rather more impressive.
23
Oh! So that's closer to $3m, then?
24
Give or take, yes. I'll send over the exact figure.
25
Good. I'll need the full breakdown by 31 March.
26
The 31st? That's a bit tight, with the audit and everything.
27
Okay, let's say a draft by the 31st, and final figures the week after.
28
That's much more doable. Thanks, Mark!
29
Brilliant. Anything else before I head off for the evening?
30
No, that's everything. Great work, both of you!
31
Thanks, everyone. Enjoy your evening, Oliver!
32
Will do. Try not to have too much fun with the spreadsheets!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This C1 speaking lesson is built on the video “Conference Call: Talking Through the Quarterly Figures”. This video has 32 sentences and 295 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:20. The speaker talks at a steady 127 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. 13 of its 32 sentences are questions, so it is good practice for question intonation and short answers.
Key vocabulary in this video
The 15 most advanced words in the video, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| margin noun | /ˈmɑɹ.d͡ʒɪn/ | The edge of the paper, typically left blank when printing but sometimes used for annotations etc. |
| grey adjective | /ɡɹeɪ/ | Commonwealth standard spelling of gray. |
| percentage noun | /pə(ɹ)ˈsɛntɪd͡ʒ/ | The amount, number or rate of something, regarded as part of a total of 100; a part of a whole. |
| impressive adjective | /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ | Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress. |
| crack noun | /kɹæk/ | A thin and usually jagged space opened in a previously solid material. |
| roughly adverb | /ˈɹʌf.li/ | In a rough manner; without kindness, softness, or gentleness. |
| pound noun | /ˈpaʊ̯nd/ | A unit of weight in various measurement systems. |
| goodness noun | /ˈɡʊdnəs/ | The state or characteristic of being good. |
| breakdown noun | /ˈbɹeɪkˌdaʊn/ | A failure, particularly one which is mechanical in nature. |
| forecast noun | /ˈfɔːkɑːst/ | An estimation of a future condition. |
| audit noun | /ˈɔːdɪt/ | A judicial examination. |
| headline noun | /ˈhɛd.laɪn/ | The heading or title of a magazine or newspaper article. |
| pencil noun | /ˈpɛnsəl/ | A writing utensil with a graphite (commonly referred to as lead) shaft, usually blended with clay, clad in wood, and sharpened to a taper. |
| doable adjective | /ˈduː.ə.bəl/ | Possible to do; feasible. |
| patchy adjective | /ˈpæt͡ʃi/ | Full of, or covered with, patches; abounding in patches. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| carried away adjective | Made excessively emotional or excited, so that one goes too far. |
| go up verb | To move upwards. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- Right, I think everyone's here.
- Oliver, can you hear us okay?
- Priya, would you walk us through the headline numbers?
- That's well ahead of what we'd forecast, isn't it?
- Anything else before I head off for the evening?
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 7 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, isn't, we'd. 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.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like margin, grey, percentage.
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.