Shadowing Practice: U5_Discourse Markers - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

B2
1. Stable salary 1.
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155 sentences
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1. Stable salary 1.
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Stable salary 1.
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Stable salary 2.
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Control business 2.
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Control business 2.
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Control business 3.
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Freedom 4.
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Financial Risk 5.
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Brand Awareness 5.
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Brand Awareness 6.
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Competitive Market 7.
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Lack Resources 7.
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Lack resources.
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8. Customer service.
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8. Customer service.
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8. Customer service.
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9. Daily operations.
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9. Daily operations.
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9. Daily operations.
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10. Cash flow.
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10. Cash Flow 10.
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Cash Flow 11.
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Profitable 11.
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Profitable 11.
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Profitable 12.
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Customer Satisfaction 12.
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Customer Satisfaction 12.
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Customer Satisfaction 13.
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Client 14.
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Short-term profit 15.
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Ignore quality 15.
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Ignore quality.
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16. Markets needs.
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16. Markets needs.
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16 Markets needs 16 Markets
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needs 17 Foundation 17 Foundation 17 Foundation
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18. Written plan.
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18. Written plan.
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18. Written plan.
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19. Sign a contract.
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19. Sign a contract.
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19. Sign a contract.
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20. Commission fee.
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20. Commission fee.
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20. Commission fee.
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21. Grow business.
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21. Grow business.
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21. Grow business.
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22. Argue.
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22. Argue.
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22. Argue.
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Welcome to today's speaking session.
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I will ask you four questions about business.
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Let's start.
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Question 1.
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Do you prefer working for a company or working for yourself as a sole trader?
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Question 2.
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What are the main challenges of starting a new business today?
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Question 3.
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In your opinion, what makes a business successful?
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Question 4.
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How important is it for business partners to have a formal agreement before working together?
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Question 1.
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Do you prefer working for a company or working for yourself as a sole trader?
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On the one hand, working for a company gives you a safe and stable salary.
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On the other hand, I strongly prefer working for myself.
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This means that I can control my business,
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providing good services instead of making products.
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On balance, the freedom to do things my way is much better than the financial risks.
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Question two.
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What are the main challenges of starting a new business today?
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First, building brand awareness is quite difficult because the market is very competitive.
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Another consideration is that new business owners often lack resources and have to manage everything alone at the beginning.
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For example, instead of just focusing on the product,
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you must also handle marketing,
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customer service, and daily operations.
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Regarding finances, maintaining your cash flow until the business becomes profitable is a major challenge for any startup.
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Question three.
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In your opinion, what makes a business successful?
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In terms of success, I believe the most important factor is customer satisfaction.
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This is because satisfied clients often return and recommend your services to others,
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which is highly effective marketing.
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Unlike businesses that focus only on short-term profits and ignore quality,
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a successful company truly listens to the market's seeds.
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So just to summarize, building strong professional relationships with your clients is the foundation of a lasting business.
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Question four, how important is it for business partners to have a formal agreement before working together.
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It is very important.
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Of course, many people start working together without a written plan,
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but it's always better to sign a contract from day one.
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This is the idea of protecting each other.
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It clearly shows who does what and how the commission fee is shared.
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This means that partners can just focus on growing the business instead of arguing with each other.
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Question 1.
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Do you prefer working for a company or working for yourself as a sole trader?
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On the one hand, working for a company gives you a safe and stable salary.
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On the other hand, I strongly prefer working for myself.
97
This means that I can control my business,
98
providing good services instead of making products.
99
On balance, the freedom to do things my way is much better than the financial risks.
100
Question two.
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What are the main challenges of starting a new business today?
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First, building brand awareness is quite difficult because the market is very competitive.
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Another consideration is that new business owners often lack resources and have to manage everything alone at the beginning.
104
For example, instead of just focusing on the product,
105
you must also handle marketing,
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customer service, and daily operations.
107
Regarding finances, maintaining your cash flow until the business becomes profitable is a major challenge for any startup.
108
Question 3.
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In your opinion, what makes a business successful?
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In terms of success, I believe the most important factor is customer satisfaction.
111
This is because satisfied clients often return and recommend your services to others,
112
which is highly effective marketing.
113
Unlike businesses that focus only on short-term profits and ignore quality,
114
a successful company truly listens to the market's seeds.
115
So just to summarize, building strong professional relationships with your clients is the foundation of a lasting business.
116
Question four, how important is it for business partners to have a formal agreement before working together?
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It is very important.
118
Of course, many people start working together without a written plan,
119
but it's always better to sign a contract from day one.
120
This is the idea of protecting each other.
121
It clearly shows who does what and how the commission fee is shared.
122
This means that partners can just focus on growing the business instead of arguing with each other.
123
Question one.
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Do you prefer working for a company or working for yourself as a sole trader?
125
On the one hand, working for a company gives you a safe and stable salary.
126
On the other hand, I strongly prefer working for myself.
127
This means that I can control my business,
128
providing good services instead of making products.
129
On balance, the freedom to do things my way is much better than the financial risks.
130
Question two.
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What are the main challenges of starting a new business today?
132
First, building brand awareness is quite difficult because the market is very competitive.
133
Another consideration is that new business owners often lack resources.
134
and have to manage everything alone at the beginning.
135
For example, instead of just focusing on the product,
136
you must also handle marketing,
137
customer service, and daily operations.
138
Regarding finances, maintaining your cash flow until the business becomes profitable is a major challenge for any startup.
139
Question three.
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In your opinion, what makes a business successful?
141
In terms of success, I believe the most important factor is customer satisfaction.
142
This is because satisfied clients often return and recommend your services to others,
143
which is highly effective marketing.
144
Unlike businesses that focus only on short-term profits and ignore quality,
145
a successful company truly listens to the market's seeds.
146
So just to summarize, building strong professional relationships with your clients is the foundation of a lasting business.
147
Question four.
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How important is it for business partners to have a formal agreement before working together?
149
It is very important.
150
Of course, many people start working together without a written plan,
151
but it's always better to sign a contract from day one.
152
This is the idea of protecting each other.
153
It clearly shows who does what and how the commission fee is shared.
154
This means that partners can just focus on growing the business instead of arguing with each other.
155
Thank you.

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About This Lesson

In this lesson, you will enhance your English listening and speaking skills by practicing with common discourse markers that are prevalent in business vocabulary. This lesson focuses on phrases that relate to essential business concepts such as stability, financial risk, and customer service. By engaging with these terms, you will not only improve your vocabulary but also your ability to communicate effectively in professional settings. This practice will empower you to articulate your thoughts clearly and concisely, allowing for better discussions and interactions.

Key Vocabulary & Phrases

  • Stable salary - A consistent income that does not fluctuate.
  • Financial risk - The possibility of losing money on an investment.
  • Customer satisfaction - A measurement of how products or services meet customer expectations.
  • Daily operations - The routine activities required to run a business.
  • Brand awareness - The extent to which consumers recognize a brand.
  • Grow business - The process of expanding a business in terms of sales, clients, or reach.
  • Commission fee - A payment made to an agent for their services, usually based on sales.
  • Short-term profit - Earnings that are generated over a brief period, sometimes at the cost of long-term sustainability.

Practice Tips

To get the most out of this video, consider employing shadowing techniques. Shadowing involves repeating what you hear in real-time, which helps improve pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. Given the pace of the video, start by listening carefully and pausing after each key phrase before attempting to repeat it aloud. This method helps ensure that you grasp the rhythm and flow of the language.

Focus on the tone of the speaker. Business conversations often convey professionalism, so try to mimic that tone in your practice. Utilize the shadow speech method by closely listening to how the speaker uses discourse markers to transition ideas. This mimicking will assist you in naturalizing your speech.

For those eager to learn English with YouTube, integrate these vocabulary items into your daily conversations or written exercises. Consistently practicing with these phrases will elevate your communication skills and confidence in a competitive market. To track your progress, return to this shadowing site regularly and challenge yourself with other relevant vocabulary.

Remember, every time you practice, you move a step closer to becoming a proficient English speaker. Make your practice engaging by exploring related content and consistently applying these techniques in various contexts.

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.

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