Why spoken English is difficult to understand A lot of English learners have trouble understanding what native English speakers say. One reason that real English is difficult to understand is that the English in classrooms and textbooks is very different from how people really speak. Some of the differences include: 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. ...and so on. Native English speakers pronounce words differently when they say them together than when you say them onebyone. This is called connected speech. If you only learn English in a classroom, you probably only hear very careful pronunciation. You wont be prepared when someone asks you something that sounds like: Wjoominehandnmethabagovethare? (Would you mind handing me that bag over there?) People talk about a lot of different topics. Some topics are very specialized and uncommon. An English class, textbook, or even a website like PhraseMix cant prepare you for all of the possible topics in the world. The 1 tip for improving your listening So how can you get better at understanding spoken English? The best way to improve is to listen to English. A lot. Theres no way around it; you have to spend hours and hours listening to people speaking English. Listen to things that interest you. If you dont enjoy something, its going to be hard for you to continue. Youll get bored and stop. Other listening tips The amount of listening that you do is the most important thing. But you can also improve the quality of your listening practice. Here are some things to think about: Interactive listening is best. In other words, its better to talk with someone than just to listen to a recorded TV show, radio program, or podcast. When you talk to people live, you listen more carefully, and you also think about how youre going to respond. Dont just listen to the same kind of English all the time. Dont just listen to the news, or only watch TV comedies. Expose yourself to a variety of different kinds of situations and topics. Try listening Prefer English captions to subtitles in your native language. When you read subtitles in your language, it keeps your brain locked into native language mode. English subtitles are good, though. They help you to match words that you know with their natural pronunciations. The 5 best ways to improve your English listening skill (in order) So here are the 5 best ways to improve your English listening skill. These are listed in order. The very best method is 1, the secondbest advice is 2, and so on. Live and work in a completely Englishspeaking environment. Do some kind of sports, hobbies, or other activities with a group of English speakers. Talk oneonone with an Englishspeaking tutor a few times a week. Watch movies, TV shows, and videos in English (with English captions or without subtitles). Listen to English podcasts on a topic thats interesting to you. If youd like more ideas, check out this huge list of 41 unique ways to practice listening to English What do you think? Is there something on there that you dont agree with? Do you know of any other great ways to practice your listening skills? Write about them in the comments
Learn English by listening to English Liste l l i k s ning What difficulties do you have in listening to English? - Can’t finish English listening exam in your class - Feel confused to listen to foreigners speaking English - Don’t listen to the words clearly - Misunderstand what people says - So on. How to listen to English effectively 1. Widen your vocabulary by learning new words as much as possible every day. How to listen to English effectively 2. Listen to us/uk music, BBC interviews,… How to listen to English effectively 3. Find and watch some sitcom shows on TV or reality shows with subtitles. How to listen to English effectively 4. Listen to keywords to understand most of content How to listen to English effectively 5. Practice listening to English carefully by speaking to foreigner. ... How to listen to English effectively Widen your vocabulary by learning new words as much as possible every day How to listen to English effectively Listen to us/uk music, BBC interviews,… How to. .. difficulties you have in listening to English? - Can’t finish English listening exam in your class - Feel confused to listen to foreigners speaking English - Don’t listen to the words clearly -... listen to English effectively Find and watch some sitcom shows on TV or reality shows with subtitles How to listen to English effectively Listen to keywords to understand most of content How to