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Do you sometimes feel left in the dark when people speak English around you? Don't worry! Listening may be one of the most difficult skills to master, but it is not impossible. Use these five practical tips to help give your listening skills a tune-up...
Know your limits
Listen to as much English as possible but only for short periods at a time. Your brain is not a machine, so if you feel like you're getting frustrated and can't understand things, take a short break and try again later. Remember, developing good listening skills takes time, practice and a lot of patience.
Be selective
Translating every new word you hear will cause your brain to tune out the rest of the conversation, leaving you behind - so be selective. The next time you are listening to an English speaker, pick out key words or phrases. Write them down and translate them later. You will find that your listening skills will sharpen and your vocabulary will increase this way.
Pick up sound patterns
Do you ever notice how native English speakers only stress certain words? It's true! If you listen carefully, you will notice a pattern ~ content words (nouns, most verbs and adjectives) are usually stressed, while function words (prepositions, pronouns, etc.) are not. Pick out the stressed words and you will be able to understand the main idea of that particular dialogue or conversation.
Watch a DVD
Everyone loves watching films/movies. So, why not use them to practice your listening skills? It's easy! Watch a segment of your favourite English DVD; first, watch it with subtitles in your native language, so you can understand it. Then watch it again. Secondly, use English subtitles and focus on how much more you can understand in English. By this time, you should have a good understanding of the dialogue and story-line. Now, watch it once again without any subtitles and focus on just listening~ WOW, YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT MUCH NOW ~ GOOD JOB!
Help is a click away
The Internet is full of resources for practicing your listening skills. For example, the BBC site I always suggest is great for listening examples and more http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (click on the ‘links’ at the top of the page - first “More” and then “Learning”).
Start boosting your listening skills today . . .
Know your limits
Listen to as much English as possible but only for short periods at a time. Your brain is not a machine, so if you feel like you're getting frustrated and can't understand things, take a short break and try again later. Remember, developing good listening skills takes time, practice and a lot of patience.
Be selective
Translating every new word you hear will cause your brain to tune out the rest of the conversation, leaving you behind - so be selective. The next time you are listening to an English speaker, pick out key words or phrases. Write them down and translate them later. You will find that your listening skills will sharpen and your vocabulary will increase this way.
Pick up sound patterns
Do you ever notice how native English speakers only stress certain words? It's true! If you listen carefully, you will notice a pattern ~ content words (nouns, most verbs and adjectives) are usually stressed, while function words (prepositions, pronouns, etc.) are not. Pick out the stressed words and you will be able to understand the main idea of that particular dialogue or conversation.
Watch a DVD
Everyone loves watching films/movies. So, why not use them to practice your listening skills? It's easy! Watch a segment of your favourite English DVD; first, watch it with subtitles in your native language, so you can understand it. Then watch it again. Secondly, use English subtitles and focus on how much more you can understand in English. By this time, you should have a good understanding of the dialogue and story-line. Now, watch it once again without any subtitles and focus on just listening~ WOW, YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT MUCH NOW ~ GOOD JOB!
Help is a click away
The Internet is full of resources for practicing your listening skills. For example, the BBC site I always suggest is great for listening examples and more http://www.bbc.co.uk/ (click on the ‘links’ at the top of the page - first “More” and then “Learning”).
Start boosting your listening skills today . . .
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