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1.3: Tips for Improving Speaking and Listening Skills

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    Improving your speaking and listening skills in English requires a lot of time and effort. However, with knowledge and use of some learning strategies, your English abilities will grow quickly.

    Speaking and listening are skills that are closely connected. Improving one of them will help you improve the other. Remember this as you study English. Also, remember that improving your reading, grammar and writing skills in English will also help you improve your speaking and listening. Try to use and practice all part of the English language together.

    Speaking

    • Speak in English as often as possible, not only in class
    • Find good English speakers to practice with
    • Use grammar rules in your speaking
    • Listen to pronunciation of words then repeat
    • Practice using correct stress, intonation and rhythm of English
    • Spend at least 30-60 minutes every day of the week speaking in English

    Listening

    • Listen in English as often as possible, not only in class
    • Listen to activities that you can read at the same time
    • Listen to something 3 or 4 times
    • Listen and write what you hear
    • Listen actively: notice what you understand and what you don’t
    • Spend at least 30-60 minutes every day of the week listening to English

    Listening Practice

    Part 1 Directions: After reading about learning strategies on the pages before, listen to the story below about Kaori, a Japanese student who has moved to the United States to study English.

    As you listen, try to hear the answers to the questions below. Take some notes by the questions. After you listen, discuss your answers to the questions with your partner.

    clipboard_edd7e43e717f0452df51ee53fa40af068.png

    Discussion Questions

    Chapter 1_ Activity 1

    1. Why does Kaori feel shy to speak in her English class?
    2. Why isn’t Kaori’s English improving?
    3. What can she do to change her feelings?
    4. Do you understand how Kaori feels? Why or why not?

    Part 2: Now listen to another story about Kaori. Has she changed anything about her learning habits? Is she feeling more successful? Listen and answer the questions below.

    Discussion Questions

    Chapter 1_ Activity 2

    What are 2 of the changes Kaori made at school?

    Why does she feel better now?

    What is the main idea of these two stories?

    This page titled 1.3: Tips for Improving Speaking and Listening Skills is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Della Jean Abrahams (PDXOpen publishing initiative) via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.