Why Listening Skills Matter in English Mastery
In order to master the English language, an essential skill to learn is listening. Listening is a pivotal aspect in all communications, you have to listen to others in order to respond appropriately. The stronger your listening skills are, the more enhanced level of understanding and fluency you can have because you will be able to follow and keep up with a conversation easier, giving your own input into the conversation and the more you practise the more fluent you will become. Plus, with a few targeted strategies you can improve your listening skills in no time!
Identify Your Current Level: Self-Assessment Tips
Understanding where to start is an important aspect. Start listening at too high a level you will become discouraged because you won't understand much. Start too easy and you won't be pushing yourself to learn and it will take much longer to notice any improvements. It is important to know which level to start at in order to maximise your time and ensure you are progressing in a good way. In order to do this, I suggest you take a quick listening test (free ones are available online) or watch a short video, summarise it, then read the transcript, did you understand the context correctly? Once you have your level, it is essential to set yourself goals, just like you would with other skills such as grammar. Goals could include; listen to a short audio every day, listen to a new podcast every week, or learn 5 new words from audios per week. Select goals which align your overall language goal in order to keep yourself on track and your listening study times are more productive.
Proven Techniques to Boost English Listening Skills
-Immerse Yourself in English Audio Daily
There are many benefits to listening to English everyday. Encouraging yourself to listen to at least 5-10minutes everyday will help you to recognise sounds, intonation (rise and fall of pitch in speech), and rhythm of English which makes it easier to understand native speakers in context. When you listen regularly to the sounds of words and letters it can help with your pronunciation; try to mimic what you hear in the sounds, intonation, and stress. Listening everyday can help boost your vocabulary knowledge in context. Listening everyday can build confidence when it comes to listening in real life conversations, you can hear the same sounds, pronunciation and stress on words. Repeated listening can build fluency, if you listen often it can encourage you to think in English and this reduces the time to form sentences, therefore improving fluency. Listening consistently is important if you want to improve your listening skills to improve your conversation level, communicate with native speakers and prepare you for real life scenarios. There are many places where you can find short audios/videos and you can choose between real authentic materials or specific study materials. Places such as YouTube, Duolingo and other English study websites provide resources for English learners. Or if you'd like to immerse yourself into native English resources, places such as BBC, TED Talks, English music and films are all good places to start. Look for short clips on YouTube to begin your listening journey. Try to listen to a wide range of accents to become familiar with the different sounds and pronunciations of words as this can vary between all regions of the UK.
-Use Subtitles Wisely
When using films and videos to listen to English, it is important to understand when, if and how you should use the subtitles. In the beginning it is wise to use subtitles as this can help you connect written words to their spoken form. If you are watching challenging content, subtitles can help with fast speech, advanced vocabulary and unfamiliar accents. Subtitles can be useful to confirm what you have heard and provide clarity for vocabulary, idioms or any specific cultural references.
To use subtitles effectively, if available start with dual subtitles. This gives you the opportunity to see the native language alongside English to provide clarity on meaning and context. Once you feel more confident and comfortable, switch to English subtitles focusing on new vocabulary, pronunciation, intonation, stress and sentence structures. As you become more familiar and confident with this, try to remove subtitles to rely purely on listening and challenge comprehension. When you don't understand a phrase or word, pause to read the subtitles and replay to hear it again. Note down any new words or phrases, look them up and practise using them. Use subtitles as a back up, try to understand as much as you can by listening alone before glancing at the subtitles. Watch the same clips multiple times, first with subtitles to grasp meaning, then without to test understanding.
Stay motivated by choosing audio/video materials that you are interested in. In the beginning try to start with clear content and slower speech, children's shows and specific A1-A2 level audios are good for this. Places like Netflix and YouTube allow you to slow down speaking speed and easily turn on/off subtitles so they are great to practise with. If you want to watch films, choose English films you have watched in your native language and watch them in English, this way you already know the plot and context and you can listen for vocabulary and pronunciation.
-Practice with Native Speakers and Language Apps
Practising language skills with native speakers is an invaluable tool. Being able to have real world conversations can boost listening and speaking skills. If you don't know an English native there are a few options for you. First, you can find a native tutor face to face or online, or there are language apps which offer these services. Some apps the conversations are powered by AI but if you are wanting a more authentic experience you can try Hello Talk or Tandem (others are available) if you want to exchange with real people.
-Take Advantage of Repetition and Shadowing Techniques
A technique which is very useful for improving listening skills is to use shadowing. Shadowing involves listening to audio, then immediately repeating it to mimic pronunciation, intonation and stress. It is useful if you can record yourself doing this so you can listen and compare yours to the audio. Over time, you should hear the improvement in your speaking but also more accuracy in your listening. Repetition is also another useful technique. Try repeating the same clips multiple times in order to reinforce vocabulary, sentence structures and pronunciation.
Tracking Progress and Staying Motivated
As with learning any language skill, it is important to keep yourself motivated throughout your journey. Reward yourself when achieving your weekly goals, join study groups or listen to topics and audios which are interesting for you. Tracking progress is also important in order to stay on track and can also serve as a motivation for when you see the improvement. Keep a listening journal and note down any new words/phrases, difficulty level of audio clips over a period of time and every 3-4 months test yourself again on the same placement tests or different ones to see an improvement in level. Remember, you can only increase your level if you stay consistent and regularly listen to English.
If you want to improve listening with an Ace English tutor, book a lesson today!
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