Listening

Listening plays an important role in language learning. It is probably the skill we use most in our lives. The ability to listen well is important in all areas of our lives, for example, our social life (e.g. communicating with people), professional life (e.g. speaking English at work), and academic life (e.g. studying at a college or university). Listening in another language is difficult because we not only have to understand the grammar of the language, but also the speed, pronunciation, intonation and choice of words that the speaker uses. This can make listening very challenging for the language learner.

On this page, I will talk about some strategies to help you become a better listener. I  will also show you some videos discussing listening strategies in more detail and provide links to a number of online sources where you can practice your listening skills. If you have any questions or want me to add anything to this page, just let me know. Thanks

 

 

 

How to improve your English listening comprehension

Why spoken English is difficult to understand

 

A lot of you first learned English in a classroom, from a textbook, or maybe from a CD series. If that's how you learned, then you're going to have trouble with spoken English because they're not the same thing! Here's what's different:

•People use different words and phrases in spoken English than they do in writing. They use slang. They say "um", "hmm", "ah", "uh", etc. They skip the word "that" when using relative clauses. Most classes and books teach "proper" English, which is used in writing and in formal speech. Here at PhraseMix, I try to teach  casual English as well.

Pre-listening

   pre-listening exercises

   Pre-listening activities are an important part of becoming a better listener. It is important to predict what you are going to hear. This will raise your interest and motivate you to listen. As you are listening, you can check to see if your predictions are correct. Think about what you already know about the topic before you listen. If you are doing a listening activity in class, read all the questions before you listen and try to guess the answers. Try to think about the type of vocabulary you might hear in the listening. Thinking about what you already know about the topic and making guesses about what you are going to hear will help you to improve your listening comprehension.

Listening for Main Ideas and Listening for Details

It is really important to first listen for the main idea. Remember, you do not need to understand every word in the listening to understand the main idea. The first time you listen, just listen for important words that will help you to understand the general idea. The first listening should always be to check your predictions in the pre-listening activities. When you listen a second time, then you can listen for the specific details in the listening. In your English class, most listening activities will be set up this way where you will listen first for main ideas and second for specific details. Don't worry if you do not understand too much in the first listening. The second time you listen is always better and you will understand more

Active Listening

 

 

 

Active listening is a communication technique that requires the listener to feed back what they hear to the speaker, by way of re-stating or paraphrasing what they have heard in their own words, to confirm what they have heard and moreover, to confirm the understanding of both parties.

When interacting, people often "wait to speak" rather than listening attentively. They might also be distracted. Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others, focusing attention on the "function" of communicating objectively as opposed to focusing on "forms", passive expression or subjectivity.

Using Popular Songs to Improve Language Listening Comprehension Skills

  



 Almost everyone loves music. It is a part of our language and life from before birth onwards. As babies, we hear lullabies. As young children we play, sing and dance to a myriad of nursery rhymes. As adolescents, we are consumed by the beat of popular music artists worldwide. As adults, every form of advertising we hear, every special event we experience, is in part, music. Music pervades television, movies, theater, and even the nightly news. When we exercise, when we work, when we play, when we worship and even when we die, music is there to reinforce or alter or every mood and emotion. A catchy tune is played, hummed or sung, at times in our head, as we go about our everyday lives. So, why not include music and songs in language learning as well?

Sorry, seems to be the hardest Word

Lyrics training

Learn English Through songs

Factors Contributing to Listening Comprehension of Song

• Use of new vocabulary, idioms and expressions – You’ll need to address the new material offered in each song. This includes grammar, vocabulary and usage.

• Pronunciation and accent of the singer – Every native speaker doesn’t pronounce or sing with the same accent. Students may be exposed to an accent which is outside the realm of what they might normally hear in context.

• Use of new grammar and structure Song writers and singers are notoriously “loose” when it comes to use of grammar, structure, pronunciation, stress and other language factors applied to songs. The teacher must prepare for this.