How To Improve Your Listening Skills in English: A Concise Guide
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The English language is used every single day in most countries. It’s always better to know how to improve listening skills in English in order to build a complete overall skill set as an individual.
If you find your listening skills in English not up to par, you should take the time to improve them by practising the best listening activities for students. Besides, investing your time in improving your listening skills will never go to waste. Some of the impactful benefits of having good listening skills in English are:
Great for your career: When it comes to career, English is a universal language that most professionals use on a daily basis. Once you leave school, you will be faced with various situations and that includes meeting different people as well.
Better communication with others: By learning how to improve your English listening skills, you get to build a much better relationship with others. When you are able to listen to others efficiently, they are more than happy to keep a conversation going with you too.
Now if you are wondering how to improve your listening skills in English as a student, we rounded up some of the best listening activities that will surely help. Once you’ve figured out which of these listening activities you’d like to try out, be sure to do them consistently to see results!
How To Improve Your English Listening Skills #1: Watch Movies Without Subtitles
Nowadays, almost all movies and TV shows have subtitles. It can become a habit to watch them while having the subtitles on. In fact, some of us became so reliant on subtitles that we simply can’t hear what the actors or actresses are saying because we got so used to reading the subtitles!
In real life conversations, there are no subtitles. Hence, you should try and watch your favourite TV show or movies without them as much as you can. We’re not saying you should straight away start off by watching 12 long episodes of your favourite TV show without subtitles.
Try to start off with perhaps the first few minutes or so (depending on the length of the TV show/movie) by writing down what you’ve heard. Then, you could rewatch the same scene with subtitles to see if you managed to catch what they are saying correctly without making any mistakes.
It’s definitely an interesting way that won’t bore you when you’re struggling with improving your English listening skills. At least you’re getting entertained while doing it!
How To Improve Your English Listening Skills #2: Listen To English Podcasts
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One of the ways to improve listening skills in English is to start using podcasts to do so. Start by listening to an episode every single day. You can listen during your free time such as on the way to and fro from school, or while travelling to places. It might be challenging if the podcast is boring, so be sure to choose podcasts that spark your curiosity and interest!
While you’re listening to these podcasts, try to be aware of the phrases or words which you don’t understand. Write them down either on your phone or in a notebook and once you’re free, look them up and try to understand what they mean.
There are also specific podcasts just for those who are learning English, so you can consider those too (provided you don’t find them boring!)
How To Improve Your English Listening Skills #3: Sing Your Favourite Songs Out Loud
One of the most fun listening activities for students would be none other than listening and singing a lot to your favourite tunes! Who doesn’t love music? No one, which is why if you need help on how to improve your listening skills in English, just put on some songs and practice getting the lyrics right!
Besides, wouldn’t it be better to sing the correct lyrics instead of mumbling away the wrong ones? You wouldn’t have to embarrass yourself when you accidentally blurt out lyrics that don’t make sense.
How To Improve Your English Listening Skills #4: Learn The Different Accents
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If you aren’t already aware, the English language is usually spoken with all kinds of accents. It can be difficult to understand when someone is speaking in an accent you’re not familiar with, or rather never been exposed to.
As a Malaysian, you are probably only the most familiar with Malaysian accents. If you’re too used to Malaysian accents, you probably find it difficult to understand other English accents. Therefore, if you’re wondering how to improve your listening skills in English, learning the different kinds of accents is one of the best ways!
Some of the common accents you might come across would be American and British. Don’t worry - it doesn’t take long to catch up on the different English accents! All you have to do is listen to various audio formats which feature the particular English accent you’re trying to get better at listening to.
For instance, if you find it hard to understand the British accent, try to listen to British podcasts or TV series for at least one or two months. Over time, you will get so used to the accent that you can listen to them and know immediately what they’re saying!