Shadowing Practice: Telling Your Manager About a Mistake - Learn English Speaking with Video
Creating lesson...
1
David, could I talk to you for a moment?
2
Sure, Emily. Come in and take a seat.
3
I'm afraid I've made a mistake with an order.
4
Okay. Tell me exactly what happened.
5
I sent the wrong price to a customer yesterday.
6
It was ten percent lower than it should be.
7
I see. Has the customer replied yet?
8
Yes, they've already accepted the offer.
9
Hmm. How did it happen?
10
I used last year's price list by accident.
11
I should have checked the date on the file.
12
Well, I'm glad you told me right away.
13
How much money are we going to lose?
14
About four hundred dollars on this order.
15
That's not great, but it's not a disaster.
16
What do you think we should do?
17
I could call the customer and explain the mistake.
18
If I apologize, they might accept the correct price.
19
Maybe, but I'd rather keep them happy.
20
Let's keep the lower price this one time.
21
Thank you. I'm really sorry about this.
22
It happens. So how can we stop it happening again?
23
I'll delete the old price lists today.
24
And I'll ask someone to check every offer.
25
Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear.
26
I'll be much more careful from now on.
27
I know you will. Thanks for being honest.
28
Thanks for understanding, David.
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This video has 28 sentences and 216 words to shadow. The speech runs for 1:20. The speaker talks at a natural 163 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
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| disaster noun | /dɪˈzɑːs.təː/ | An unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent… |
| delete verb | /dɪˈliːt/ | To remove, get rid of or erase, especially written or printed material, or data on a computer or other device. |
| apologize verb | /əˈpɑləˌd͡ʒaɪz/ | To make an apology or excuse; to acknowledge some fault or offense, with expression of regret for it, by way of amends |
| customer noun | /ˈkʌs.tə.mə/ | A person or company who purchases or receives a product or service from a business or merchant or intends to do so. |
| mistake noun | /mɪˈsteɪk/ | An error. |
| careful adjective | /ˈkɛɹfəl/ | Taking care; attentive to potential danger, error or harm; cautious. |
| 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… |
| reply noun | /ɹɪˈplaɪ/ | A written or spoken response; part of a conversation. |
| accept verb | /əkˈsɛpt/ | To receive, especially with a consent, with favour, or with approval. |
| yesterday noun | /ˈjɛstɹdeɪ/ | The day immediately before today; one day ago. |
| glad adjective | /ɡlæd/ | Pleased; happy; gratified. |
| explain verb | /ɪkˈspleɪn/ | To make plain, manifest, or intelligible; to clear of obscurity; to illustrate the meaning of. |
| seat noun | /siːt/ | Something to be sat upon. |
| correct adjective | /kəˈɹɛkt/ | Free from error; true; accurate. |
| file noun | /faɪl/ | A collection of papers collated and archived together. |
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 | I've made · they've already accepted |
| Advice with “should” should + verb — saying what is a good idea | should be · should have · should do |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | I'll delete · I'll ask · I'll be |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 9 contractions and reduced forms, such as I'll, I'm, I'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.
- 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 disaster, delete, apologize.
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.