ONE thing that will improve your English Listening Skills

Summary

In this video, Keith from the Keith Speaking Academy emphasizes that to improve your English listening skills, you shouldn’t focus on understanding every word. Instead, prioritize understanding the overall meaning, or the ‘gist,’ by listening for stressed words in sentences. He explains how sentence stress works in English and how it differs from other languages, providing tips on how to practice listening effectively. These include doing dictations, engaging with longer audio content, and listening without subtitles. By focusing on key words and practicing consistently, you can enhance your comprehension and become a more confident listener of English.

Takeaways

• 😀 Focus on understanding the gist or overall meaning of a sentence instead of trying to understand every single word.
• 😀 Sentence stress is essential for understanding native speakers and proficient English speakers, as it highlights the key words in a sentence.
• 😀 In English, stress is placed on nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs, but not typically on prepositions, pronouns, or question words.
• 😀 English is a stress-timed language, meaning we stress key words at regular intervals, unlike languages like Mandarin or Spanish which tend to stress each syllable equally.
• 😀 Listening for stressed words is a listening strategy used by native speakers to understand the overall meaning without focusing on every word.
• 😀 Context and intonation play a significant role in understanding meaning, but knowing sentence stress is key to improving listening comprehension.
• 😀 Changing the stress in a sentence can alter its meaning. For example, stressing 'near' in 'I live in a town near London' can emphasize proximity.
• 😀 Accept that you won't understand everything when listening to English, and focus on the important words and overall meaning instead.
• 😀 Develop listening strategies like focusing on key stressed words, using context, and guessing to improve listening skills.
• 😀 To practice sentence stress, try dictations, longer listening exercises, adjusting your expectations, and listening to English for at least one hour a day.
• 😀 Avoid using subtitles while listening to English content to prevent focusing on every word and encourage better comprehension of sentence stress.

Q & A

What is the biggest mistake English learners make when listening?

The biggest mistake is trying to understand every single word. This can cause learners to get lost, unable to keep up, and eventually give up.

What should learners focus on instead of individual words?

Learners should focus on understanding the gist or overall idea of what is being said.

What are the key words to focus on when listening to English?

Focus on the stressed words in a sentence, usually the nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. These are the words that carry the most important information.

How does sentence stress differ between languages?

English is a stress-timed language, meaning it emphasizes key words in sentences. In contrast, languages like Mandarin and Spanish tend to stress every syllable more equally.

Why is sentence stress important in English listening?

Sentence stress helps learners identify the important words and understand the overall meaning. It also allows listeners to follow the rhythm and beat of spoken English.

Can sentence stress change the meaning of a sentence?

Yes, changing the stress on different words can change the meaning of a sentence. For example, stressing 'near' in 'I live in a town near London' emphasizes the proximity to London.

What are some common listening strategies native speakers use?

Native speakers focus on stressed words, use context to confirm meanings, and sometimes make educated guesses when they don’t understand every word.

How can learners practice understanding sentence stress?

Learners can practice by doing dictations, focusing on stressed words, listening to longer audio materials without looking up every word, and not using subtitles.

Why is it beneficial to listen to English without subtitles?

Subtitles encourage learners to focus on individual words, which can hinder the development of listening skills focused on stressed words and the overall meaning.

What is the recommended daily listening practice for learners?

Learners should aim to listen to English for at least one hour a day. This can be split into smaller sessions, such as during a commute, walk, or while doing other activities.