5 Steps to Improve Your English Listening - How to Improve Your English Listening

Summary

In this lesson, Kasia from Oxford Online English provides practical tips for improving English listening skills. She discusses common listening challenges, like understanding various accents and fast-paced speech, and offers advice on how to approach listening without stress or worry. The key to success is focusing on what you hear rather than translating or overthinking. Kasia also presents a simple, effective study plan with daily listening exercises that expose learners to a variety of English voices and contexts. By following these strategies and staying consistent, learners can enhance their listening comprehension over time.

Takeaways

• 😀 Stay relaxed when listening to English – stress and worry make it harder to understand.
• 😀 Don’t try to translate everything – focus purely on listening instead.
• 😀 Use context, tone, and body language to help you understand spoken English.
• 😀 You don’t need to understand every word to grasp the meaning of a conversation.
• 😀 Exposure to different accents and varieties of English will improve your listening skills.
• 😀 Make listening practice a daily habit, even if it's just for 10-20 minutes.
• 😀 Vary the types of content you listen to (songs, podcasts, movies, etc.) for better results.
• 😀 Choose listening material that allows you to understand more than 50% but less than 90% on the first try.
• 😀 Create a plan for your listening practice and track your progress to stay motivated.
• 😀 Incorporate a range of voices and formats into your practice for maximum improvement.
• 😀 Don’t worry about not understanding a word – focus on overall comprehension and context.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of this lesson?

The lesson focuses on providing tips to improve English listening skills, with practical advice and a study plan to help learners improve quickly.

Why do learners often struggle with English listening, even after years of study?

Learners often struggle because they focus too much on individual words they don't understand, get anxious, and try to translate everything instead of just listening and focusing on the overall meaning.

What is one of the most important strategies for improving listening skills?

Relaxation is key. Learners should stay calm, focus on the audio, and avoid translating or overthinking words they don't understand.

How can body language, tone of voice, and facial expressions help in understanding spoken English?

These non-verbal cues can provide additional context and help learners infer the meaning of words or phrases they might not fully understand.

What is the mistake many learners make when they don't understand a word?

Many learners stop trying to understand altogether, focusing on the one unknown word. Instead, they should use context to infer meaning and keep listening.

How can you improve your listening skills when you encounter unfamiliar accents?

You can improve by listening to different voices and accents, exposing yourself to a variety of speakers, including native and non-native speakers from various regions.

What is the best way to choose listening materials for practice?

Select materials where you can understand more than 50% but less than 90% of the content the first time you listen. This ensures the material is at the right difficulty level.

What should be the key characteristics of a practical English listening study plan?

The plan should involve doing something every day, with a variety of activities and materials, such as songs, podcasts, TV shows, or news programs, to expose learners to different styles and formats.

Why is it important to listen to both native and non-native speakers?

Listening to both types of speakers is important because non-native English is spoken more widely around the world, and understanding a variety of speakers helps improve overall listening comprehension.

What are the two simple rules for creating an effective listening practice routine?

The two rules are: (1) Do something every day, and (2) Do something different every day to expose yourself to various sources and accents.