Shadowing Practice: 'OUR PRICES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER!' - The Office US - Learn English Speaking with Video
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60 sentences
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1
Here's what's going to happen. I am going to have to fix you.
2
Manage you two, on a more personal scale. A more micro form of management. Jim, what is that called?
3
"Micro-gement?" Boom. Yes.
4
Now Jim is going to be the client.
5
Dwight, you're going to have to sell to him without being aggressive, hostile or difficult. Let's go.
6
All right fine.
7
bbbrrring Hello.
8
Hello, this is Dwight Schrute from the Dunder Mifflin paper company.
9
Well that's great, because I need paper.
10
Excellent, then you are in luck because we are having a limited time offer, only on EVERYTHING.
11
Wow, this is my lucky day!
12
Ask him his name.
13
What is your name sir?
14
I am Bill Buttlicker.
15
Really, that's your real name?
16
How dare you?
17
My family built this country by the way, Be respectful Dwight, please.
18
Yes, Michael.
19
Could you hold on one second, it's my other line.
20
What? No, but I...
21
Hello? Yeah No, I'm just on the phone with this STUPID salesman. He's so dumb.
22
Probably just gonna keep him on the line forever and not buy anything.
23
Okay! It's up to you to change his mind.
24
Sorry, that was a family emergency.
25
Oh no, what's wrong?
26
You know what? That's private.
27
Boundaries, Dwight! C'mon!
28
Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Buttlicker! As I was saying: we are having a limited- Sorry could you speak up a little bit louder?
29
I'm hard of hearing.
30
It's hard if he's an old man.
31
Okay, as I was saying right now - You gotta talk louder.
32
Okay. Our prices have never been lower - Son, you have to talk louder!
33
... Never been lower!
34
LOUDER, SON!
35
BUTTLICKER! OUR PRICES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER!
36
Stop it, stop it!
37
That is totally inappropriate.
38
You never yell at the client!
39
Now you listen to me, sir.
40
Here we go.
41
The three words I would describe you as, is aggressive, hostile and definitely difficult!
42
Please Mr Buttlicker.
43
Am I right, right now?
44
Give me the phone.
45
Please give me another chance. Mr Buttlicker?
46
Give me the phone.
47
I have to put you on with my boss.
48
Well I should hope so.
49
Who is this?
50
Hello. This is Michael Scott, regional manager.
51
Well, this is William M. Buttlicker.
52
Hello, Mr. Buttlicker. How may we help you?
53
Michael, I like the sound of your voice. You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna buy 1 million dollars worth of paper products today.
54
See how it's done? Thank you very much, sir. I don't think you'll regret it. See what I did?
55
You're the master.
56
There is one condition Michael.
57
Yes? You have to fire the salesman that treated me so terribly.
58
Don't do, it Michael.
59
It's a million dollar sale.
60
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This B1 speaking lesson is built on the video “'OUR PRICES HAVE NEVER BEEN LOWER!' - The Office US”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: buttlicker, Michael, Dwight, louder, sir. This video has 60 sentences and 452 words to shadow. The speech runs for 2:45. The speaker talks at a natural 164 words per minute, close to everyday conversation. 86% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English; the rest is worth studying before you start. 17 of its 60 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 |
|---|---|---|
| aggressive adjective | /əˈɡɹɛs.ɪv/ | Characterized by aggression; highly combative; prone to behave in a way that involves attacking (especially if unjustly) or arguing. |
| hostile adjective | /ˈhɑstəl/ | Not friendly; appropriate to an enemy; showing the disposition of an enemy; showing ill will and malevolence or a desire to thwart and injure. |
| microwave noun | /ˈmaɪkɹoʊˌweɪv/ | An electromagnetic wave with wavelength between that of infrared light and radio waves. |
| salesman noun | A man whose job it is to sell things, either in a shop / store or elsewhere. | |
| regret verb | /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/ | To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead. |
| dare verb | /dɛ(ə)ɹ/ | To have enough courage (to do something). |
| boundary noun | /ˈbaʊndɹi/ | The dividing line or location between two areas. |
| inappropriate adjective | /ˌɪnəˈpɹoʊpɹi.ət/ | Not appropriate; not suitable for the situation, time, or place. |
| terribly adverb | /ˈtɛɹ.ɪ.bli/ | Very; extremely. |
| yell verb | /jɛl/ | To shout; holler; make a loud sound with the voice, especially to express intense emotions such as anger or excitement. |
| respectful adjective | /ɹɪˈspɛkt.fl̩/ | Marked or characterized by respect |
| loud adjective | /ˈlaʊ̯d/ | Of great intensity. |
| dollar noun | /ˈdɑ.lɚ/ | Official designation for currency in some parts of the world, including Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, and elsewhere… |
| client noun | /ˈklaɪ.ənt/ | A customer, a buyer or receiver of goods or services. |
| describe verb | /dɪˈskɹaɪb/ | To represent in words. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| speak up verb | /ˌspik ˈʌp/ | To talk more loudly or clearly. |
Sentences worth repeating
Short, complete lines from the video that you can reuse in everyday conversation:
- What is your name sir?
- Really, that's your real name?
- Am I right, right now?
- How may we help you?
- You know what I'm gonna do?
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 | have never been |
| Past continuous was/were + -ing — an action in progress at a moment in the past | was saying |
| Future with “going to” be going to + verb — a plan or something you can see coming | what's going to happen · is going to be · you're going to have |
| Obligation: must / have to / need to saying that something is necessary | have to fix · have to sell · have to talk |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 14 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'm, gonna, don't. 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 aggressive, hostile, microwave.
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.