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  • Hi, I'm Kasia.

  • Welcome to Oxford Online English.

  • In this lesson, you're going to learn how you can improve your English listening.

  • You'll see simple, effective tips that anyone can use to improve their English listening

  • skills.

  • We'll also give you a practical, easy-to-follow study plan to help you improve your English

  • listening fast.

  • But first, let's start with some questions.

  • I'm going to ask you about four different situations where you would hear spoken English.

  • You should think about whether understanding spoken English would be easy or difficult

  • for you.

  • OK?

  • First, you're listening to an English teacher, speaking British English, speaking slowly

  • and clearly.

  • Easy or difficult?

  • Next, you're listening to a native English speaker from Scotland, who speaks with a Scottish

  • accent, and also uses a lot of slang and idiomatic English.

  • What do you think: would this be easy or difficult for you?

  • Next, you're on a train.

  • There are four non-native speakers from four different countries talking to each other.

  • They have different accents.

  • Do you think you could understand their conversation?

  • Would it depend on where they were from?

  • Finally, you're listening to a news show on the radio or as a podcast.

  • There are many different speakers, and of course you can't see them.

  • They're talking fast, using a lot of less common vocabulary, and changing topics often.

  • How would you find this?

  • Probably, most of you think that the first situation is the easiest, and the last situation

  • is the hardest.

  • However, a lot depends on you and your experiences.

  • The big question is: what can you do in those difficult situations?

  • You've been studying English for years, but you still can't understand everything

  • you hear.

  • We get itit's frustrating!

  • So, what can you do?

  • Here's a question: if you worry a lot about your English listening, will it make your

  • English listening better?

  • No, of course not!

  • Many English learners get very stressed and anxious when they can't understand something.

  • This doesn't help your English listening, and it can even make it more difficult to

  • understand spoken English.

  • To understand a foreign language, you need 100% of your brain power.

  • "Why can't I understand this?"

  • "What was that word he just used?"

  • "They're speaking too quickly!"

  • If you're worrying and thinking thoughts like this, you aren't concentrating on listening.

  • You're focusing on your own worries and thoughts, and not on what you're hearing.

  • This makes it harder to understand, not easier!

  • So, relax!

  • If you understand, you understand.

  • If you don't, you don't—it's not the end of the world!

  • By relaxing and focusing 100% on what you're hearing, you have the best chance to understand.

  • [Portuguese audio]

  • That's Portuguese, if you didn't know.

  • I don't know one word of Portuguese, so I can't understand anything she's saying.

  • Is that a problem?

  • No.

  • Am I worried or stressed?

  • No.

  • If I listen carefully, I can hear a few words which sound a little familiar, so I could maybe guess

  • the topic in a very general way.

  • Take the same attitude when listening to English.

  • If you don't understand, there's nothing you can do about it.

  • So, relax!

  • Being relaxed and focused gives you the best chance to understand what you hear.

  • Remember: you need 100% of your brain power to understand spoken English, or any foreign

  • language.

  • You know what takes a lot of brain power?

  • Translating English into your language!

  • So, you can't do both.

  • Professional interpreters, who translate spoken language as they hear it, have a very difficult

  • job.

  • In fact, they can only work a few hours a day because it requires so much concentration.

  • If you listen to English and try to translate into your language at the same time, you're

  • trying to be a professional interpreter, except you haven't had the years of training that

  • they've had.

  • Also, you're not getting paid like they are.

  • Doesn't sound like a good deal, right?

  • Again, when you're listening to spoken English, just listen.

  • Don't do anything else.

  • Don't try to translate things.

  • Don't worry about words you don't know.

  • Don't think about things you didn't hear.

  • Just listen.

  • Want to know a simple secret about understanding spoken English?

  • You don't have to understand what someone said to understand what they mean.

  • Wait, what?

  • It's true.

  • Very often, I see English learners focusing too much on the things they don't understand.

  • I hear things like, “There was a word I didn't know, so I couldn't understand.”

  • Here's the thing: understanding doesn't just depend on listening.

  • Very often, there are other things you can use.

  • For example, if you're face to face with someone, you can use their body language,

  • tone of voice and facial expressions to help you understand what they mean.

  • Also, think about the situation you're in.

  • What is the other person likely to say?

  • What words are they likely to use?

  • For example, imagine you're at the airport.

  • You're checking in for your flight.

  • What questions might you expect to hear?

  • You'd probably hear questions like:

  • Did you pack these bags yourself?

  • Have you already checked in online?

  • Would you like an aisle seat or a window seat?

  • Imagine you hear the last question, but you don't know what aisle means.

  • Even if you've never heard the word before, it shouldn't stop you from understanding

  • the question.

  • You know that there are two choices, aisle seat or window seat.

  • You know what window seat means.

  • You know that aisle seat must mean something different from window seat.

  • So, you can work it out.

  • Similarly, imagine you hear this:

  • Have you mbrmmnbsmgrm chicken online?

  • Chicken?

  • Did he say 'chicken'?

  • That doesn't make sense

  • Right, it doesn't make sense.

  • So, probably the person behind the check-in desk didn't say 'chicken', he probably

  • said 'check-in', because that's what you're doing: you're checking in for your

  • flight.

  • So, when you're listening to spoken English, use everything you can to help you understand.

  • Don't think: “I didn't understand one word, so I can't understand anything.”

  • It's just not true!

  • At the beginning of this lesson, we looked at different situations where it might be

  • easier or more difficult for you to understand spoken English.

  • Generally, if you're familiar with something, it'll be easier to understand.

  • For example, if you learn English from a teacher, and your teacher is male and British, you'll

  • probably find male British voices easier to understand.

  • On the other hand, you might find female voices slightly more difficult.

  • You might find other accents, like American voices or Australian voices, harder to understand.

  • So, what's the solution?

  • Very simple: listen to as many different voices as possible!

  • Don't limit yourself.

  • If you only listen to one kind of English, you'll be good at understanding one kind

  • of English.

  • So, listen to different kinds of English.

  • Listen to English people from the north, south, east and west of the country.

  • Listen to Scottish speakers, Welsh speakers, and Irish speakers; listen to men, women and

  • children; listen to Americans, Australians, Canadians and South Africans.

  • Listen to Indian, Chinese, Russian or Brazilian English speakers.

  • What's that?

  • You only want to listen to native English?

  • Fine, but remember that more English is spoken between non-native speakers in the world today,

  • so it could be a very good use of your time to listen to non-native English as well.

  • It's not just about listening to different voices.

  • You should listen to as many different formats and sources as possible.

  • So, listen to songs, TV shows, films, audiobooks, textbook exercises, and anything else you

  • can find.

  • All of the advice in this lesson will help you improve your English listening, but you

  • also need a practical plan to work on your English listening.

  • Let's make a plan together.

  • Ready?

  • It's very simple: you just need to follow two rules:

  • Rule number 1.

  • Do something every day.

  • Rule number 2.

  • Do something different every day.

  • Easy, right?

  • But, but, I don't have time!”

  • You don't need much time.

  • If you have ten minutes a day, spend ten minutes a day.

  • Of course, more is better, but be realistic.

  • Don't say you're going to spend an hour a day on English listening practice unless

  • you're sure you will do it!

  • A good target is 15-20 minutes a day.

  • This is not too much, so it should be easy to stick to.

  • It's also enough to get better and improve.

  • What about the second rule?

  • You need to do something different every day so that you listen to different sources and

  • different voices.

  • If you do the same thing every day, you won't get enough variety.

  • Here's what your listening plan for one week could look like:

  • Monday: listen to 1-2 songs, 2-3 times each.

  • Tuesday: listen to a podcast with American voices.

  • Wednesday: watch 15 minutes of a TV show from the UK.

  • Thursday: do a listening exercise from a textbook.

  • Friday: watch 15 minutes of a news show Saturday: watch 15 minutes of an old movie

  • Sunday: call a friend and spend 15 minutes speaking in English!

  • This is just an example.

  • Your plan might be different.

  • That's fine!

  • Here are some questions you probably have:

  • Where do I get materials?”

  • Easy, get on Google or the search engine of your choice.

  • There's lots of stuff out there which is free if you have an Internet connection.

  • Yes, you have to work a little to find materials that will suit you.

  • That's necessary, because you should choose your own listening materials.

  • How do I choose something which is the right level?”

  • There's a good rule here: the first time you listen to something, you should be able

  • to understand more than 50% and less than 90%.

  • If you can't understand half of what you hear the first time you listen, then it's

  • too difficult.

  • If you can understand more than 90% the first time you listen, then it's too easy.

  • So, try to choose materials which are in this range.

  • How do I stick to my plan and make sure I don't give up?”

  • Make your plan at the start of the week.

  • Write it down.

  • Stick it somewhere in your home, for example on the wall, or on your fridge.

  • Think about what time of day you should do your English practice.

  • Are you better in the mornings or in the evenings?

  • Try to do your listening practice when your brain is at its best!

  • Then, when you do your listening practice each day, cross it off your plan.

  • That way, you'll see what you're doing every day.

  • You won't want to miss a day!

  • If you have good ideas for things to listen to in English, please share your suggestions

  • with other English learners in the video comments.

  • Did you enjoy this lesson? Don't forget to check out our website

  • for many more free English lessons:

  • Oxford Online English.com.

  • Thanks for watching!

  • See you next time!

Hi, I'm Kasia.

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