Entrepreneurship. Speaking exercise

Entrepreneurship - setting up a business

In this lesson we will be talking about Entrepreneurship in English, and looking at the difference between would rather and prefer.

“You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.”

—Richard Branson

Entrepreneurship can be defined as the process of starting a business. The person who does this is called an entrepreneur, and is fully responsible for the success or failure of the business. It’s not for everyone, but being an entrepreneur gives you the opportunity to do something you really enjoy for a living and be your own boss, among many other advantages.

Before we get started, here is a list of vocabulary that will help you talk about entrepreneurship, with your native English-speaking teacher in your conversation classes via Skype.

Vocabulary about Entrepreneurship

English vocabulary related to Entrepreneurs

• Brave
• Bricks and mortar business
• Change hands, Change owners
• In the middle of nowhere
• Jack of all trades, master of none
• Lease (vb.) (n.)
• Niche
• To run a business
• Success
• To succeed
• To set up a business

​

Grammar to use in your online English conversation class

The difference between would rather and prefer.

Both these expressions are used to talk about general preferences, but the grammatical structure of each one is different.

1. Prefer

a) When we are talking about general preferences, the structure is: Prefer + verb-ing ( + to )

Examples:

• I prefer working for a company.
• I prefer working for a company to working for myself.
• I prefer living a quiet life.
• I prefer living a quiet life to being stressed about my own business.

b) When we are talking about specific preferences, the structure is: Prefer + to verb ( + rather than )

Examples:

• I would prefer to go to the cinema tonight.
• I would prefer to go to the cinema tonight rather than eat out.
• I prefer to eat fish and chips today.
• I prefer to eat fish and chips today rather than Chinese food.

2. Would rather

Whether we are talking about general preferences or specific preferences, the structure is: Would rather + verb ( + than )

Examples:

• I would rather set up a business in a city centre.
• I would rather set up a business in a city centre than in the outskirts.
• I would rather run a bar.
• I would rather run a bar than a shop.

Useful verb forms:

• run - ran - run
• set - set - set

Common mistakes:

X incredible expensive
√ incrediblY expensive

X to be an expert of something
√ to be an expert IN something

X I admire to people
√ I admire people

Common pronunciation problems:

• Crisis /'kraɪsɪs/
• Entrepreneur /ɒn.trə.prəˈnɜːr/
• Laws /‘lɔ:z/
• Lawyer /'lɔ:jə/

What traits make someone a good entrepreneur?

Questions we will discuss in your online English conversation class:

• If you were going to open a restaurant, would you open one where there are no restaurants or lots of restaurants?
• In your country, is it better for a restaurant or café to be unique or familiar?
• What must a company do or have to be successful?
• Is it better to offer many quality products, or just one?
• Have a lot of restaurants and shops suffered as a result of the credit crunch where you’re from?
• Would you like to open your own business? Why or why not?

​

• Do you know any entrepreneurs?
• What traits make someone a good entrepreneur?
• What are 4 pros and 4 cons of being an entrepreneur?
• Are people born entrepreneurs or are they made?
• Does your country have a lot of entrepreneurs? Why do you think so?
• What is the most profitable type of business to open in your country?
• How are businesses today different from businesses in the past?

Practice reading and listening before speaking with your native English-speaking teacher:

Richard Branson is one of England’s most successful entrepreneurs. He left school at 16, and started with nothing, yet his Virgin Group now owns over 200 companies, and he is worth over $2.5 billion. Here is a short biography on a very interesting and successful character:

“Born on July 18, 1950, in Surrey, England, Richard Branson struggled in school and dropped out at age 16—a decision that ultimately lead to the creation of Virgin Records. His entrepreneurial projects started in the music industry and expanded into other sectors making Branson a billionaire.” Read more…

And in this short video, Richard Branson gives 5 great tips for becoming an entrepreneur.

Do listening exercise on this video!

Speaking practice:

Now book your online English conversation class with one of our native English-speaking teachers to put into practice what you’ve learned in this lesson.

Book a class

Only by doing this will you improve the most important communication skill in English: speaking!

Not an OLA student yet? Sign up for your FREE trial class now! 

GET FREE LESSONS

See our other lessons, and improve your grammar and vocabulary with our well-thought out lesson plans to ensure you learn how to speak real English!