PREVIEW ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.

The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner, group, or your teacher. Do the activities below together.

PART I Discuss the questions below about competition.

1 What is business competition?

2 What is a monopoly? Can you think of any examples?
3 How can competition impact an industry? How can it benefit consumers?

PART II Explain the business model of ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft.

PART III Write the correct part of speech for the word “competition” in each sentence below.

EX There is a lot of competition in the ridesharing industry.

1 Ridesharing has become a very industry. (adjective)

2 Lyft is a ridesharing company that against Uber. (verb)

3 Lyft is one of Uber's main . (plural noun)

Discuss the follow-up questions / topics below...

1 Do you know what Uber’s impact has been on traditional taxicab services?
2 What problem do you think Uber solved for consumers?

PART IV Discuss the questions below about competition.

1 Think about the company you work for or the job you do. Who are
the main competitors?
2 How are your services or products different than your competitor’s?

PART V Write the verb forms for the three nouns below.

1 NOUN: innovation VERB:

2 NOUN: success VERB:

3 NOUN: failure VERB:
PREVIEW ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

PART I Choose the correct definition for the vocabulary terms as used in the sentences.

1 Discounts on products often give consumers incentive to buy them.

incentive means... a. obligation to take action

b. fear of taking action
c. motivation to take action

2 It can be hard for employees to adapt to new company management.

adapt means... a. try to fix or solve a new problem

b. send or deliver to a new location
c. change to fit or suit a new situation

3 Riding in a taxi can often be a miserable experience. Sometimes the drivers

are rude and the cost of the ride is very high.

miserable means... a. really fun and enjoyable

b. really unpleasant or terrible
c. really innovative or creative

4 When Uber came along, they gave traditional taxi services great competition.

come along means... a. decrease or become lower

b. arrive or become available
c. fix or become repaired

5 When Lyft came along, their goal was to challenge Uber's number one
position on the market.

challenge means... a. compete in a serious or hard way

b. compete in a casual or friendly way
c. compete in a wrong or illegal way

6 It can be hard for a company to stay relevant when new competitors come
along and offer better products at better prices.

stay relevant means... a. stay in an important position

b. stay in a weak position
c. stay in a relaxed position
Bonus Terms!

fundamentally = in a basic and important way

EXAMPLE Good advertising is fundamentally what makes a business grow.

consistently = done the same or in a regular way; continually

EXAMPLE A company should consistently take action to improve the quality of their
products and services.
THE BENEFITS OF COMPETITION Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

PREVIEW DISCUSSION QUESTION

Do you know why monopolies exist? Do you know

why or how they become shielded (protected)
from competition?

VIEWING ACTIVITY

PART I Write short answers according to the information in the video.

0:06 1 What were taxi rides like in the past before companies like Uber and Lyft?

0:18 2 What was the impact that Uber and Lyft had on the taxicab industry?

0:29 3 Why is competition important? How does it benefit consumers?

PART II Choose true or false according to the information in the video.

0:18 1 TRUE FALSE The taxicab industry was monopolized before companies like
Uber and Lyft came along.

0:40 2 TRUE FALSE When there is no competition in an industry, companies in that

industry can keep their prices high.

1:01 3 TRUE FALSE A competitive market without monopolies can result in new
innovations which improve our daily lives.
POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (I) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

Choose the correct order of the past simple verbs that fit the sentence below about
PART I
Uber and Lyft's impact on the ridesharing industry.

“
Prices , rides easier to find, and quality up.”

a. dropped / became / went

b. dropped / went / became
c. went / became / dropped

PART II Choose the correct verbs that fit the spaces below.

innovate | stay | challenge | adapt | fail

1 Uber and Lyft found a way to the local taxicab monopolies.

2 Sometimes new companies and do things better, faster, or

cheaper than their competitors. This forces their competitors to
if they want to relevant.

3 When markets are competitive, some businesses will succeed and some will
. But a competitive market keeps prices fair and leads to
new innovation.

PART III Rewrite the sentences below and replace the words in bold with the words or phrases
that were used in the video.

1 For decades, riding in a taxi was a really terrible experience.

2 When Uber arrived and became available, they had a big impact on the ride-
sharing industry.

3 If an industry is shielded from competition, the companies within those indus-

tries don't have much motivation to innovate.
 POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (II) Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

PART I Study the example and usage of the subordinating conjunction as soon as.

At the end of the video, the narrator discusses the benefit of competition. He says...

“ As long as the market remains open to new competition, prices will stay
low and innovation will continue.”

We use the subordinating conjunction as long as to emphasize that something can happen only
on the condition that something else happens. It expresses that one thing depends on another.

As long as my job interview goes well, I’m confident I will get hired.
NEXT EXAMPLES
As long as I have a stable WiFi connection, I'm able to work from home.

PART II Match the first clause of each sentence below with the correct second clause.

1 ____ As long as there isn't any traffic,
2 ____ As long as my Uber ride is pleasant,
3 ____ As long as the bank approves my loan,
4 ____ As long as my boss is ok with it,
5 ____ As long as I reach my sales quota,
a. I will take a vacation day tomorrow.
b. I will arrive on time to the meeting.
c. I will receive a year-end bonus.
d. I will have enough money to start a business.
e. I will give the driver a tip for their service.

PART III Write full sentences using the words below starting with the conjunction as long as.
Use the first word in the first clause and the second word in the second clause. Use
the subject “I”.

EX job interview / offer

As long as my job interview goes well, I'm confident I will get the job offer.

1 nice weather / park

2 valid passport / country

3 broken car / bus

POST-VIEWING ACTIVITY (III)
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

SPEAKING TASK:

Your teacher will choose a few of the speaking topics below to discuss. Discuss the topics
with your teacher or partner. In your discussion, explain your ideas in detail.

1 How competitive is the industry you work in?

2 Would you consider yourself to be a competitive person in

general?

3 In what way do countries compete against each other?

4 How can competition between people, companies, coun-

tries, etc. be a bad thing? What are its disadvantages?

5 Can you think of any industries that have become highly

competitive in recent times?

SPEAKING TASK 2:

Write down three companies, brands, businesses, etc. that you are a customer of.
Explain what you know about these companies' competitors and how the products,
services, or prices compare with each other.

COMPANY / BRAND / BUSINESS COMPETITOR

EX. Netflix Hulu

3
QUIZ & REVIEW ACTIVITY
Fluentize, LLC. Copyright 2021. For use only with license.
The Benefits of Competition (B1 - B2)

Work with a partner. Complete the quiz and review activities below.

PART I Questions. Discuss the answers to the questions below about the video.

1. What were taxi rides like in the past before companies like Uber and Lyft?
2. How did companies like Uber and Lyft impact the taxicab industry?
3. What is the benefit of a competitive market without monopolies?

PART II Vocabulary: Explain and/or write what each word or term means below.

1. come along

2. adapt

3. fail

PART III Vocabulary: Write the missing words in the spaces below.

1 For decades, riding in a taxi was a experience.

2 Sometimes new companies innovate and do things better, faster, or cheaper

than their competitors. This forces their competitors to if
they want to stay .

3 If an industry is shielded from competition, the companies within those

industries don't have much to innovate.

PART IV Grammar: Explain the usage of the subordinating conjunction as long as. Do you
remember the example from the video? If so, finish writing the sentence below.

As long as the market remains open to new competition,

Finish each sentence below with an idea that fits the context.

1 As long as the bank approves my loan,

2 As long as my Uber ride is pleasant,