[Music] hello dear listeners and welcome to English Learners Corner your favorite podcast for learning English I'm Sophia and I'm James we're so happy you're here with us today today we're starting a new podcast about building listening skills this podcast is for all of you who want to improve your English listening skills whether you are at an intermediate level or just starting out this is for you that's right Sophia listening is a very important part of learning a new language it helps you understand conversations watch movies listen to songs and so much more so let's Dive Right In first we will talk about why listening is important and some basic tips to get you started so James why is listening so important when learning English good question Sophia listening is important because it helps you get used to the sounds of English when you listen to English you hear how words are pronounced how sentences are structured and you learn new words it's like a window into how the language works exactly and listening helps you understand the context when you hear a word in a sentence you can often guess its meaning even if you don't know it this is very helpful when learning new vocabulary yes and and listening also helps you with speaking when you listen a lot you learn the correct pronunciation and intonation which makes your speaking sound more natural it's like when you were a baby you listened to your parents and learned how to speak your first language that's so true so listening is not just about understanding others but also about speaking better now let's talk about some tips to improve listening skills what do you think is the first tip James I think the first tip is to listen to English every day it doesn't have to be for a long time even 10 or 15 minutes a day can make a big difference you can listen to podcasts like this one watch English videos on YouTube or listen to English music that's a great tip the more you listen the more familiar you become with the language my tip is to start with easy materials if you are an elementary learner start with simple stories or children's books if you are intermediate you can try news for kids or simple podcasts yes starting with something easy is very important if you start with something to difficult you might get frustrated and give up another tip is to use subtitles when you watch videos use English subtitles it helps you understand the words better and learn how they are written I agree subtitles are very helpful you can also try repeating what you hear this is called shadowing you listen to a sentence and then repeat it as closely as you can this helps with pronunciation and intonation that's a fantastic tip Sophia another thing you can do is listen actively this means not just hearing the words but trying to understand the meaning you can take notes summarize what you heard or answer questions about it yes active listening is very effective it keeps your mind engaged and helps you remember what you heard now let's talk about some resources there are so many things you can listen to in English what are some of your favorites James I love listening to audio books they are great because you can hear the correct pronunciation and intonation and they are usually very interesting I also like listening to Ted Talks they are a bit more advanced but they cover so many interesting topics idea books and head talks are excellent I also recommend listening to news in English there are many websites that offer new stories at different levels of difficulty you can choose the one that matches your level that's a great suggestion listening to news helps you stay informed and practice your English at the same time another fun way to practice is by listening in to English songs you can look up the lyrics and sing along yes music is a wonderful way to learn it's fun and helps you remember words and phrases listening is a crucial part of learning English it helps with understanding speaking and learning new words start with easy materials listen every day use subtitles trash shadowing and listen actively that's right and remember practice makes perfect perfect the more you listen the better you will get we talked about why listening is important and shared some basic tips to get you started and now we're going to dive deeper into different types of listening and how you can practice them that's right Sophia there are different types of listening and each one is important for improving your English the three main types are extensive listening intensive listening and interactive listening let's start with extensive listening James can you explain what extensive listening is sure Sophia extensive listening is when you listen to a lot of English for a long period of time it's about listening for pleasure and getting used to the language you don't have to understand every word or sentence the goal is to enjoy the process and get a general understanding of the content exactly extensive listening helps you get familiar with the natural flow and rhythm of English it's like when you watch a movie or listen to a podcast you're not focusing on every single word but rather enjoying the story or information a good way to practice extensive listening is to choose something you're interested in it could be a podcast an audio book a TV show or even a YouTube channel the key is to find something that you enjoy and can listen to for a long time yes and don't worry if you don't understand everything at first the more you listen the more you will understand now let's talk about intensive listening James what is intensive listening intensive listening is the opposite of extensive listening it's when you listen to a short piece of audio and focus on understanding every detail you listen carefully and try to catch every word phrase and sentence intent Ive listening is very helpful for improving your vocabulary and grammar when you focus on a short piece of audio you can pay attention to how words are used and how sentences are structured a great way to practice intensive listening is to use short audio clips it could be a short news story a dialogue or even a song listen to it several times and try to understand as much as you can you can also write down what you he and check your understanding that's a great tip James another way to practice is by using transcripts many podcasts and videos have transcripts available you can listen to the audio while reading the transcript and see if you understood everything correctly yes using transcripts is very helpful it can also help you learn new vocabulary and see how words are spelled now let's move on to interactive listening Sophia what is interactive listening interactive listening is when you listen and respond in a conversation it's not just about listening but also about understanding what the other person is saying and replying appropriately interactive listening is very important for communication it helps you practice real life conversations and improve your speaking skills when you listen and respond you're actively using the language a great way to practice interactive listening is to find a language partner or join a language exchange group you can have conversations with native speakers or other Learners this helps you get used to different accents and speaking Styles yes and don't be afraid to make mistakes the more you practice the better you will get another way to practice is by using language learning apps that have speaking and listening activities these apps can simulate real life life conversations and help you practice interactive listening that's a good suggestion James there are many apps out there that can help you practice now let's talk about some tips for improving each type of listening what tips do you have for extensive listening James for extensive listening my tip is to choose content that you enjoy and is at your level if you choose something to difficult you might get frustrated if it's too easy you might get bored find something that's just right for you that's a great tip my tip is to make extensive listening a daily habit even if it's just for 10 or 15 minutes a day it can make a big difference over time consistency is key absolutely now for intensive listening my tip is to listen to the same audio multiple times each time you listen try to understand more details you can also pause and Rewind to catch words or phrases you missed that's a very helpful tip my tip is to use subtitles or transcripts to check your understanding listen to the audio first without any help and then listen again with subtitles or a transcript to see how much you understood great tip Sophia and for interactive listening my tip is to practice with real people as much as possible the more you practice the more comfortable you will become don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand something yes asking for clarification is very important my tip is to practice active listening this means paying close attention to what the other person is saying and responding appropriately show that you are interested and engaged in the conversation those are excellent tips Sophia to sum up there are different types of listening extensive in intensive and interactive each type is important and helps you improve different skills find ways to practice each type and use the tips we share to improve your listening skills that's right and remember listening is a skill that takes time to develop be patient with yourself and keep practicing we will talk about how to understand different accents and dialects in English we talked about different types of listening and how to practice them today we're going to discuss something very important and sometimes challenging understanding different accents and dialects in English that's right Sophia English is spoken all around the world and there are many different accents and dialects this can sometimes make understanding spoken English a bit tricky yes but it's also what makes English so interesting today we'll explain what accents and dialects are give examples of different English accents and share tips on how to improve your understanding of them so let's start with the basics Sophia can you explain what an accent is sure James an accent is the way in which people pronounce words it's influenced by where they come from and their first language for example someone from the United States and someone from the United Kingdom both speak English but they have different accents exactly and a dialect is a bit more than just pronunciation a dialect includes the accent but also different words and grammar for example British English and American English are different dialects they use different words for the same things like lift in British English and elevator in American English right understanding different accents and dialects can be challenging but it's very very important when you understand different accents you can communicate with people from all over the world more easily so let's talk about some common English accents the most well-known ones are British English American English Australian English and Canadian English each has its own unique characteristics yes let's start with British English British English has many accents but the most commonly taught is received pronunciation also known as r p this is sometimes called the queen's English or BBC English it's often used in British media and is considered a standard accent that's right people who speak with an RP accent usually pronounce words very clearly and don't drop their art sounds at the end of words for example the word car is pronounced with a clear r at the end in American English but in RP it's more like car exactly another common British accent is the cochy accent which comes from East London this accent is very different from RP and has a lot of Unique Sounds for example in Cockney the th sound and think might sound like an F so think might sound like think yes Cockney is very distinctive now let's talk about American English American English also has many accents but the enal American accent is often considered the standard it's what you often hear in American movies and TV shows the general American accent is quite neutral and clear it's easier for many Learners to understand in this accent the r sound is pronounced clearly at the end of words like in car or father that's right but there are also many Regional Accents in the United States for example in the southern accent you might hear a draw which means the vowels are pronounced longer words like ride might sound like Rod yes and then there's the New York accent which has its own unique characteristics for example people with a New York accent might pronounce coffee as coffee and talk as talk absolutely now let's move on to Australian English the Australian accent is quite distinctive one characteristic is the way vowels are pronounced for example day might sound like d and mate might sound like might yes and Australian English also uses some unique slang for example GJ is a common greeting and arvo means afternoon it's important to be aware of these differences when listening to Australian English definitely and finally let's talk about Canadian English the Canadian accent is quite similar to The General American accent but there are some differences for example Canadians often pronounce about as a boot that's right and in Canadian English you might hear the word a used at the end of sentences like it's cold today a yes Canadian English has its own charm now let's talk about some tips to help you understand different accents and dialects a great tip is to expose yourself to as many different accents as possible listen to podcasts watch movies and watch TV shows from different English-speaking countries the more you listen the more familiar you will become with different accents that's a great tip another tip is to use subtitles when you watch something in a different accent use English subtitles to help you understand this can help you match the sounds to the words yes and don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand something if you're speaking with someone and you can't understand their accent politely ask them to repeat or speak more slowly exactly practicing with real people is very important try to find language exchange Partners from different english- speaking countries this will help you get used to different accents and improve your listening skills another helpful tip is to mimic the accents you hear this is called shadowing listen to a sentence and try to repeat it exactly as you heard it this can help you get used to the sounds and intonation of different accents that's a fantastic tip Sophia mimicking accents can really help you understand them better another thing you can do is focus on the context even if you don't understand every word try to understand the overall meaning from the context yes context is very important sometimes the meaning of a word or s sentence becomes clear when you consider the whole conversation or situation also learning some common slang and idioms from different English-speaking countries can help a lot that's a great Point slang and idioms can be very different from one country to another understanding them can help you understand conversations better so to sum up understanding different accents and dialects is challenging but very important listen to as many different accents as you can use subtitles ask for clarification practice with real people mimic what you hear focus on context and learn some common slang and idioms yes and remember it takes time to get used to different accents so be patient with yourself the more you practice the better you will become we will talk about how to improve your listening skills using technology and online resources we talked about understanding different accents and dialects in English and now we're going to explore how you can use technology and online resources to improve your listening skills that's right Sophia technology has made learning English so much easier and more accessible there are many tools and resources available online that can help you practice and improve your listening skills yes and today we're going to discuss some of the best tools and res resources out there we'll also share tips on how to use them effectively let's start with one of the most popular resources podcasts podcasts are a fantastic way to improve your listening skills there are podcasts on almost every topic you can think of and many of them are specifically designed for English Learners you can listen to podcasts while you're doing other things like driving cooking or exercising that's true some great podcasts for English Learners include es pod the English we speak and all ears English these podcasts are designed to help you improve your listening skills and learn new vocabulary yes and another great resource is YouTube there are thousands of YouTube channels dedicated to teaching English channels like English addict with Mr Duncan BBC learning English and Rachel's English offer lessons on listening skills pronunciation and more YouTube is very useful because you can watch videos and see the speaker's mouth movements which helps with understanding pronunciation many videos also have subtitles which can help you follow along that's a great Point Sophia another useful tool is language learning apps apps like dingo Babel and Rosetta Stone offer listening exercises and activities to help you practice some apps even use speech recognition technology to help you with pronunciation yes and some apps like hel talk and tandem connect you with native speakers for language exchange you can practice listening and speaking with people from around the world it's a great way to get real life practice that's right and let's not forget about audiobooks listening to audio books is a great way to improve your listening skills you can find audiobooks on platforms like audible LibriVox and even on YouTube audiobooks are great because you can listen to them anywhere and they often come with text versions so you can read along this helps you see how words are pronounced and used in context another fantastic resource is online courses and M CE massive open online courses websites like corsera EDS and udemy offer courses on various topics including English listening skills these courses often include video lectures which are great for practicing listening yes and many of these courses are free or low cost they also provide certificates upon completion which can be a great addition to your resume now let's talk about how to use these resources effectively it's important to have a strategy when you're using technology to improve your listening skills what's your first tip Sophia my first tip is to set specific goals for example you might decide to listen to One podcast episode every day or watch one YouTube video each week setting goals helps you stay focused and motivated that's a great tip my tip is to mix up the types of content you listen to don't just stick to one resource listen to podcasts watch videos use apps and try audio books this will expose you to different accents topics and speaking Styles absolutely variety is very important another tip is to practice active listening don't just passively listen to the audio take notes summarize what you heard or even discuss it with a friend this helps you engage with the content and remember it better yes active listening is crucial you can also try to mimic what you hear this is called shadowing listen to a sentence and try to repeat it exactly as you heard it this helps with pronunciation and intonation that's a great technique jams another tip is to use transcripts or subtitles many podcasts and videos come with transcripts listen to the audio first without the transcript then listen again while reading the transcript to check your understanding yes using transcripts is very helpful and don't be afraid to rewind and listen again if you don't understand something repetition is key to improving your listening skills definitely another important tip is to challenge yourself as you get more comfortable try listening to more difficult content this will help you keep improving and push your skills to the next level that's a great Point Sophia and finally be patient with yourself improving your listening skills takes time and practice don't get discouraged if you don't understand everything right away keep practicing and you will improve absolutely to sum up technology offers many great tools and resources to help you improve your listening skills use podcasts YouTube language learning apps aidea books and online courses set specific goals practice active listening use transcripts mimic what you hear and challenge yourself yes and remember to be patient and consistent we will talk about how to overcome common challenges in listening comprehension and share more tips to help you succeed we discussed how to use technology and online resources to improve your listening skills and now we're going to talk about overcoming common challenges in listening comprehension and share more tips to help you succeed that's right Sophia listening comprehension can be difficult especially for English Learners at the intermediate and Elementary levels but with the right strategies and mindset you can overcome these challenges exactly let's start by discussing some common challenges that English Learners face when trying to improve their listening skills one of the biggest challenges is understanding fast speech native speakers often speak quickly and this can make it hard to catch every word yes that's a very common issue another challenge is dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary when you hear new words it can be difficult to understand the meaning and keep up with the conversation absolutely background noise can also be a problem in realized situations there's often noise in the background like traffic other people talking or music which can make it harder to hear and understand what's being said that's true another challenge is understanding different accents and dialects as we discussed each accent has its own unique sounds and pronunciation which can be confusing at first yes and let's not forget about idioms and slang native speakers often use idiomatic expressions and slang which can be very different from what you learn in textbooks so how can you overcome these challenges let's start with strategy IES for understanding fast speech one effective strategy is to practice listening to slow clear speech first and gradually increase the speed many language learning apps and websites allow you to adjust the playback speed that's a great tip James another strategy is to focus on the main ideas and keywords rather than trying to understand every single word this can help you get the gist of the conversation even if you miss some detail yes focusing on the main ideas is very helpful you can also improve your ability to understand fast spech by practicing with real life materials like news broadcasts or interviews these often feature natural fast-paced speech exactly now let's talk about dealing with unfamiliar vocabulary a good strategy is to try to guess the meaning of new words from the context pay attention to the surround words and sentences which can give you clues about the meaning that's a very useful strategy you can also make a habit of writing down new words and looking them up later create a vocabulary Journal where you can review and practice these new words regularly yes and don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you don't understand a word or phrase in conversations it's perfectly okay to ask the speaker to explain or repeat with what they said great Point Sophia now how about dealing with background noise one strategy is to practice listening in different environments start in a quiet place and then gradually introduce background noise to get used to it that's an excellent idea James you can also use technology to help you noise cancelling headphones can be very effective in reducing background noise and helping you focus on the audio absolutely another tip is to practice active listening techniques like repeating what you hear in your mind or summarizing it mentally this keeps you engaged and helps you focus even in noisy environments great tips James now let's talk about understanding different accents and dialects we've already discussed exposing yourself to a variety of accents through podcasts videos and language exchange Partners another strategy is to f focus on the commonalities between accents rather than the differences that's right Sophia pay attention to the words and phrases that are the same across different accents this helps you build a foundation of understanding that you can apply regardless of the accent yes and don't be discouraged if you find some accents difficult at first it's normal and with time and practice you will get better try to immerse yourself in the accent you find challenging ing by listening to more content in that accent excellent advice Sophia now let's address idioms and slang one strategy is to learn common idioms and slang phrases there are many resources online that can help you with this websites like fluu and English Club have lists of common idioms and slang with explanations and examples yes learning idioms and slang can make a big difference in your listening comprehension another strategy is to watch movies and TV shows in English these often use everyday language including idioms and slang and can help you understand how these expressions are used in context that's a fantastic tip Sophia and don't forget to practice using idioms and slang in your own conversations this helps you become more familiar with them and makes it easier to understand when you hear them abs absolutely to sum up overcoming challenges in listening comprehension requires practice patience and the right strategies focus on understanding the main ideas practice listening in different environments expose yourself to various accents and learn common idioms and slang yes and remember to use technology and online resources to support your learning with dedication and consistent practice you will improve your listening skills skills and become a more confident English sper we're going to do a special recap of our five-part podcast on building listening skills we'll Summarize each part and highlight the key points to help you reinforce what you've learned first we introduced the importance of listening skills and the basics of active listening we talked about how listening is essential for communication and we share tips on how to listen actively yes active listen listening is all about focusing on the speaker understanding their message and responding thoughtfully we emphasize the importance of paying attention avoiding distractions and showing that you're listening through body language and verbal cues in part two we discussed different types of listening intensive extensive and selective listening we explained how each type serves a different purpose and how to practice them intensive listening involves focusing on specific details extensive listening is about getting the general idea and selective listening is about listening for specific information that's right we also shared practical exercises for each type of listening for example for intensive listening you can listen to short audio clips and try to catch every detail for extensive listening you can listen to longer audio like podcasts or audio books to understand understand the main ideas for Selective listening practice listening for specific information like numbers or keywords moving on to part three we talked about understanding different accents and dialects we explained what accents and dialects are and gave examples of British American Australian and Canadian English we share tips on how to get used to different accents such as listening to a variety of content and practicing with native speakers yes understanding different accents can be challenging but it's very important we recommended using resources like podcasts YouTube videos and language exchange apps to expose yourself to different accents we also suggested practicing shadowing to mimic the accents you hear in part four we explored how to use technology and online resources to improve listening skills we t talked about the benefits of using podcasts YouTube language learning apps idea books and online courses we also shared strategies for using these resources effectively like setting specific goals and practicing active listening technology offers so many great tools for language learning we encouraged you to mix up the types of content you listen to use subtitles and transcripts and challenge yourself with more difficult material as you improve we also highlighted the importance of being patient and consistent in your practice finally in part five we discussed how to overcome common challenges in listening comprehension we talked about strategies for dealing with fast speech unfamiliar vocabulary background noise different accents and idioms and slang we share tips like focusing on main ideas practicing in different environments and learning common idioms and fly phrases yes overcoming these challenges requires practice and the right strategies we emphasize the importance of active listening using context to guess mins and practicing regularly with a variety of content we also encouraged you to be patient with yourself and keep practicing so to summarize our podcast on building listening skills part one importance of listening skills and active listening techniques part two different types of listening and practical exercises part three understanding different accents and dialects part four using technology and online resources to improve listening part five overcoming common challenges in listening comprehension we hope you found this podcast helpful and that you've learned a lot about improving your listening skills remember listening is a skill skill that can be developed with practice and the right strategies thank you for joining us on this journey keep practicing stay motivated and don't hesitate to revisit these episodes if you need a refresher yes and as always we're here to support you in your English learning Journey if you have any questions or topics you want us to cover please let us know thank you for listening to English Learners Corner don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave us a review your feedback helps us improve and provide better content for you until next time keep practicing and happy listening [Music]