Over the past few weeks, I've been talking about idioms

and expressions that are commonly used in

business and professional contexts.

And I wanted to give you the opportunity to practise

using them in context

with the correct tone, pronunciation, intonation

and facial expression.

So this is an imitation lesson.

Now you might have already practised

with some of my other imitation lessons.

There are several on my channel,

which you can watch right here.

Now these imitation lessons allow you

to practise your speaking skills with me,

out loud.

If this is your first time practising

with one of my imitation lessons,

don't worry.

I'll explain exactly what you need to do

and later in the lesson, I'll share one way that you can

keep practising what you learn in this lesson

with a native English speaker.

So keep watching!

So there are three very simple steps

in my imitation lessons.

Firstly, you just need to listen to me

and read the text on screen.

Then you'll hear me say the same thing again

but after each clause or sentence

there'll be a pause in the video

where you can imitate me out loud.

So that just means you'll copy and repeat

exactly what I said out loud.

Lastly, I'll invite you to shadow me

which means speaking the words with me

at the same time.

That way, you can copy the natural rhythm in my voice.

Ready to get started?

Remember at first, you just need to listen

and read the words on the screen.

Well, actually I'm not even supposed to be

attending this conference,

but my boss offered me his ticket

and I didn't want to turn it down!

I really need to brush up on my

project management skills actually.

I've taken on a new role in the sales team

and I've been flat out ever since!

I've even started giving weekly

presentations to the board,

but my workload is just getting a bit out of hand.

I did yesterday's presentation completely off-the-cuff!

But, go back six months

and it was a very different story..

I was seriously considering jumping ship!

Really! Almost half the team had lost their jobs!

Luckily, we've since got a new general manager

on board

and I think I told you about her, didn't I?

She's been doing an amazing job so far;

runs a very tight ship

but I guess that's how she turned things around!

Anyway, it hasn't all been smooth sailing

but things are finally getting back on track!

How are things with you?

Did you notice that the words

looked a little different on screen?

The bold words are stressed words

and the underlined vowels are

stressed syllables in each word.

These words and syllables sound stronger and clearer

while the others reduce and become weaker.

Paying close attention to them will help you to sound

more natural when you speak.

You can learn more about stress syllables

here in this lesson.

But right now, you're ready to imitate me.

Remember there will be a pause after

each clause or sentence

and that's when you need to imitate what I said

exactly as I said it, exactly how I said it.

So try to copy the intonation and the tone in my voice

even the expression on my face

or the gestures I make with my hands.

Well, actually,

I'm not even supposed to be attending this conference,

but my boss offered me his ticket

and I didn't want to turn it down!

I really need to brush up

on my project management skills actually.

I've taken on a new role in the sales team

and I've been flat out ever since!

I've even started giving weekly presentations

to the board,

but my workload is just getting a bit out of hand.

I did yesterday's presentation completely off-the-cuff!

But go back six months and it was a very different story

I was seriously considering jumping ship!

Really! Almost half the team had lost their jobs!

Luckily,

we've since got a new general manager on board

and I think I told you about her, didn't I?

She's been doing an amazing job so far;

runs a very tight ship

but I guess that's how she turned things around!

Anyway, it hasn't all been smooth sailing

but things are finally getting back on track!

How are things with you?

Nice work!

At this point,

you might want to practise a few more times

and that's fine!

You just need to go back in the video and practise again,

practise as many times as you need to.

In fact, you could even practise this script

with a native English speaker,

to check your pronunciation and expression

and to get feedback on how you can improve.

You could do this with one of the English teachers

at Cambly.

I've put the link in the description for you because

your first fifteen minute lesson is free!

May as well try it out!

So are you ready to keep practising with step three now?

This time, you need to shadow me

and it's a little more difficult to do because

we'll be speaking at the same time

but it allows you to practise making the sounds

and following the natural rhythm of my voice

to help you sound much more natural

while using English.

Don't worry if you make some mistakes,

just try to relax and go with the flow!

You can practise as many times as you need to.

Well, actually,

I'm not even supposed to be attending this conference

but my boss offered me his ticket

and I didn't want to turn it down!

I really need to brush up

on my project management skills actually.

I've taken on a new role in the sales team

and I've been flat out ever since!

I've even started giving weekly

presentations to the board,

but my workload is just getting a bit out of hand.

I did yesterday's presentation completely off-the-cuff!

But go back six months and it was a very different story

I was seriously considering jumping ship!

Really! Almost half the team had lost their jobs!

Luckily,

we've since got a new general manager on board

and I think I told you about her, didn't I?

She's been doing an amazing job so far;

runs a very tight ship

but I guess that's how she turned things around!

Anyway, it hasn't all been smooth sailing

but things are finally getting back on track!

How are things with you?

That's great!

I'm sure you got a little tongue-tied there

but don't worry about it,

keep practising with this video until you start

getting the hang of it.

Remember that you can claim your free lesson

with one of the native English speakers on Cambly

and get some personal feedback

on your English pronunciation.

Don't forget to subscribe to the mmmEnglish Channel

and keep practising right now if you want to

with these lessons right here.

I'll see you next week for another English lesson

here at mmmEnglish.

Bye for now!