Final answer:
The phrase from paragraph nine that clarifies 'competently' is 'acknowledging that this exercise may be less intuitively obvious to non-native English speakers,' indicating that competent performance requires intuition or skill which non-native speakers may need to develop.
Step-by-step explanation:
The phrase from paragraph nine that clarifies the meaning of the word competently is "acknowledging that this exercise may be less intuitively obvious to non-native English speakers." This suggests that to do something competently means to have an intuitive understanding or the ability to do something effectively, which may not be immediately clear or easy for those who are not fluent in English. This phrase indicates that the exercise requires a certain level of skill or proficiency, which a competent individual would possess.