1- Introduction
Entrepreneurship in business is important for the economy. In order to introduce the topic, read the dialogue below.
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Tips You will find the definitions and examples for the words in bold (examples: entrepreneur, invest, etc.) in the ‘Vocabulary’ section of this content. The expressions in italics are used to introduce opinion, agreement, and disagreement. You can find them explained in ‘Language Functions’ section of this content. |
Dialogue: Talking About Entrepreneurship
Anna: Hey, guys! How’s it going? Are you guys ready to start with the project?
Simon: Hi, girls! I’m ready to start.
Lucy: Hi! Good to see you, guys. What do we have to do?
Anna: Well, we have to make a presentation on the benefits of entrepreneurship. I think we should start with a definition of entrepreneur.
Simon: Great idea! Let’s do that.
Lucy: So, entrepreneurs are people who invest resources (money, time, work) in creating a new business, hoping to make a profit or generate an income.
Anna: Should we add entrepreneurs’ characteristics, such as “to think out of the box”?
Simon: It sounds good to me. What about perseverance? As far as I’m concerned, entrepreneurs need to work really hard to overcome obstacles in business until they succeed and keep an optimistic mindset.
Lucy: You’re absolutely right, Simon. Entrepreneurs need to persevere to achieve their objectives.
Anna: I beg to differ. In fact, if you don’t succeed on your first or second try, you’re just wasting your time. However, I agree with you on one thing… entrepreneurs need to keep an optimistic mindset.
Simon: Also, entrepreneurs usually focus on only one activity: producing goods, selling goods, or even offering services.
Lucy:: Does anyone know an entrepreneur? We could interview somebody to know their experience in business.
Anna: You’re absolutely right! I can ask my aunt. She opened her own bakery two months ago.
Simon: Let’s do it!
2- Vocabulary Related to Entrepreneurship
Familiarize yourself with the most relevant vocabulary (words and expressions) related to business and, especially, entrepreneurship. Just remember to read the definitions and examples in context to have an idea of how to use the expressions in this table.
| Concept | Definition |
Examples |
| Entrepreneurship (noun) | It is the ability or activity of making money by starting or running a business. It is usually related to taking financial risks. |
– In my opinion, entrepreneurship is really important for the economy because it creates jobs. – Entrepreneurship has become an alternative for people who cannot find a job. |
| Entrepreneur (noun) | A person or people who take financial risks by creating their own businesses. (Synonym for businessperson). |
– My aunt Mary is an entrepreneur. She just opened her own beauty salon. – I prefer to buy products and services from entrepreneurs, rather than from big companies. Usually, the products and services from small businesses are better. |
| Invest (verb) | To spend money on something (a business, properties, etc.) in order to make it bigger, better, or to make money out of it. |
– Most entrepreneurs don’t invest in advertising. Instead, they use social media to advertise their products and services. – To make a business grow, you need to constantly invest money in improvements, such as advertising, equipment, etc. |
| Business (noun) | It refers to the activity of making, buying, selling or supplying goods or services in exchange for money. |
– My brother is an entrepreneur. His business aims to help people take care of their pets, so he takes dogs for a walk, he gives cats and dogs baths, etc. – The first thing you need to be an entrepreneur is to have an innovative business idea. |
| To make a profit (verb, collocation) | To earn money from business or work. |
– I invested a hundred dollars in silver jewelry. I expect to make a profit of 300 dollars by the end of the month. – Entrepreneurs take financial risks to make a profit. I think they’re brave! |
| Income (noun) | The amount of money you get from work or business. |
– My new business of growing faster than expected. So, by this time next year, I may quit my job because I won’t need an additional income to live comfortably. – Having a steady income may help entrepreneurs during the early stages of their business. |
| To think out of the box (idiom) | This idiomatic expression means that you think or do things in a creative way, using your imagination. |
– To become a successful entrepreneur, you need to find solutions to everyday problems in an innovative way. In a nutshell, to think out of the box. – The new Teen Spirit commercial is so great. I mean, how creative do you need to be to create such a thing? That’s what I call ‘thinking out of the box’. |
| Perseverance (noun) | The quality of keep trying to achieve a particular objective, despite the difficulties. |
– It wasn’t easy, but Mr. Ho succeeded as a pianist at 45 due to his perseverance. – Perseverance is an important entrepreneurship quality, especially when things don’t go as expected. |
| Succeed (verb) | To achieve something you have been trying to obtain with a positive result. |
– Higher education students need to spend a lot of time and effort to succeed in college. – It wasn’t easy, but Mr. Ho succeeded as a pianist at 45 due to his perseverance. |
| Achieve (verb) |
To succeed in reaching an objective. You can use the word achieve + objective / goal / aim /result, etc. |
– Entrepreneurs need to persevere to achieve their objectives. – We hope to achieve our goal next month: to open our own barber shop. |
| Goods (plural noun) | Things that are produced to be sold. (Synonym for products) |
– That store sells baked goods, such as scones, croissants, etc. – If you need to buy goods, you should go to ‘Cheapest Market’. Their prices are really low. |
| Service(s) (noun) | A particular activity that some businesses do to solve customers’ problems or needs, but not producing goods. |
– My mom’s business provides customers with financial services. – My neighbors are mechanics. They fix people’s vehicles. Apparently, their service is really good because they have a lot of customers. |
3- Language Functions: Expressing Agreement & Disagreement
In most everyday situations we feel the need to express whether* we agree or disagree with another person’s opinion. In any case, follow the tips below to enhance** your communicative skills***:
– Respect other people’s opinions, even if they are different from yours.
– Do not assume other opinions are incorrect!
– If somebody’s opinion is different from yours, do not take it personal!
– Do not use offensive/aggressive language to disqualify other people’s opinions (examples: You’re wrong / stupid/ ignorant, etc.)
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Glossary *Whether: synonym for ‘if’. **Enhance: (verb) to improve something, to make it better. ***Skills: abilities, competences. |
Look at the expressions in the table to introduce opinion, agreement, and disagreement.
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Expressing |
Expressing |
Expressing |
| An opinion is a personal view/thought about a topic. | An agreement is the state of sharing the same opinion/view/thought. | A disagreement is the state of sharing a different opinion/view/thought. |
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– In my opinion… – From my point of view… – As far as I’m concerned… – According to my experience… |
– You’re (absolutely /completely) right… – I think so, too… – I share your opinion… – I agree with you/your opinion/point of view… |
– I’m afraid I have a different opinion… – I don’t think so… – I disagree with you/your opinion/point of view… – I beg to differ… |
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Example: As far as I’m concerned, entrepreneurs need to work really hard to overcome obstacles in business until they succeed. |
Example: You’re absolutely right, Simon. Entrepreneurs need to persevere to achieve their objectives. |
Example: I disagree with Tom’s point of view because good entrepreneurs always persevere when things don’t go well. |
3.1-Practice Activity
Complete the dialogue extract with the correct expressions from the box. You can see the answer key at the end of this content.
| I share your opinion | I disagree with you |
According to my experience |
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Anna: Should we add entrepreneurs’ characteristics, such as “to think out of the box”? Simon: It sounds good to me. What about perseverance? (A)_________________________________, entrepreneurs need to work really hard to overcome obstacles in business until they succeed. Lucy: (B)_________________________________, Simon. Entrepreneurs need to persevere to achieve their objectives. Anna: (C)_________________________________. In fact, if you don’t succeed on your first or second try, you’re just wasting your time. |
4- Reflection and Practice
What is your opinion about entrepreneurship? Which are the characteristics of a good entrepreneur? Read the opinions 1-3 and decide if you agree or disagree with them. Look at the example:
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Tom, 16 |
Tom’s opinion Hi! I’m tom. I’m 16 years old. I think a good entrepreneur is a person who succeeds in their first try. In other words, if you start your business but don’t succeed straightaway (immediately), you are not a good entrepreneur. |
Your opinion (example) I disagree with Tom’s point of view because good entrepreneurs always persevere when things don’t go well. In fact, some entrepreneurs spend years making their business grow before the succeed. You can’t stop trying only because things seem difficult. |
Follow the instructions and examples below:
A. State whether you agree with the person or not.
Example: I disagree with Tom’s point of view…
B. Explain why you agree or disagree with the person’s opinion.
Example: I disagree with Tom’s point of view because good entrepreneurs always persevere when things don’t go well…
C. Add more ideas to support your point of view.
Example: I disagree with Tom’s point of view because good entrepreneurs always persevere when things don’t go well. In fact, some entrepreneurs spend years making their business grow before the succeed. You can’t stop trying only because things seem difficult.
| Other Young People’s Opinions |
Your Opinions |
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1) Sandy, 17
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Hello everyone! I’m Sandy and I’m 17. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. In fact, I am thinking about opening my own business in a couple of years, too. According to my experience, entrepreneurs need to constantly think out of the box. That means that they need to be innovative and creative to find solutions to everyday problems | |
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2) Leah, 16
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Hi, my name is Leah, and I’m 16 years old. In my opinion, good entrepreneurs are hardworking people. Actually, my dad is a successful gardener, but he had to work for years before his business succeeded. Years ago, he used to get up at 6 to work 12-to-16 hours-a day. I really admire hardworking entrepreneurs! |
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3) Santiago, 18
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Hello! I’m Santiago. I’m 18. From my point of view, successful entrepreneurs are people who do research constantly. In other words, they take the time to learn new things every day. Have you ever talked to a successful entrepreneur? They are curious about the world. They can also talk about many different topics! |
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Although this activity is not mandatory, we encourage you to do it, so that you can improve your writing and reflecting skills. You can send the answer (in a Word or PDF document) to either: your English Teacher during the lesson related to this content; or to the Online English Teacher, in case you want to do this activity earlier on. |
Answer Key (3.1- Practice Activity)
(A) According to my experience. It is correct because Simon is expressing his opinion.
(B) I share your opinion. It is correct because Lucy is expressing agreement with Simon’s opinion.
(C) I disagree with you. It is correct because Anna is expressing disagreement with her friends’ opinions.
References
Oxford University Press (n.d.) Oxford Learners’ Dictionary.
Porras, L. (November 25th, 2019) How to Express Agreement and Disagreement.
