Shadowing Practice: Lesson 1 - Purchasing management - concepts 101 - Learn main concepts in corporate purchasing - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Why Practice Speaking with This Video?
Practicing with this video is a fantastic way to master business English while learning real-world concepts. The speaker, Americo Cunha, uses clear, conversational language to explain corporate purchasing—perfect for shadowing technique practice. Shadowing (or "shadow speech") lets you mimic his rhythm, intonation, and pacing, building fluency in professional contexts. You’ll also learn to discuss complex ideas like "supply risk" and "time-to-market," making your English practical for work. Plus, comparing personal and corporate buying creates relatable scenarios, so you’ll remember new terms faster. It’s not just about learning words—it’s about speaking confidently in business settings.
Grammar & Expressions in Context
The video is full of useful structures to notice. First, conditional phrases like "If well done the purchasing process can bring several benefits" (shortened from "If it is well done") are common in business English. Practice saying them smoothly. Second, contrastive structures such as "In the personal side, it is based on... In the other hand, in a company..." help clarify differences—essential for explaining ideas. Third, passive voice ("the needs usually arise from...", "items are received, verified") is key in formal contexts. Finally, phrases like "let's next check" and "thanks for watching" keep the tone engaging—great for presentations. Try repeating these out loud to sound more natural.
Common Pronunciation Traps
Watch out for tricky words in the video. "Purchasing" (pronounced pur-chuh-sing) often gets mispronounced with a hard "sh" sound—listen for the soft "ch." "Contradictory" (kon-truh-DIK-tuh-ree) has four syllables; don’t skip the "dik" part. "Leverage" (LEV-uh-rij) is easy to mix up with "levy"—focus on the "rij" ending. The speaker’s accent is clear, but he sometimes shortens words, like "let's get start" (instead of "start ed"). Notice these casual shortcuts to sound more conversational. Using a shadowing site to replay sections can help you nail these sounds. With practice, you’ll speak like a pro—one shadow speech at a time!
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | be frustrated · is based · is made |
| Present perfect have/has + past participle — a past action that still matters now | i've made · we've learned |
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.