3.b) Improving your Oral Comprehension outside of the classroom.

Sometimes it’s difficult to understand what you hear because:

• English pronunciation, rhythm and intonation are very different from Portuguese
• your vocabulary might be limited
• you understood what was said incorrectly
• you want to understand all of the words
• the speaker might be repeating him/herself, which is confusing
• the speaker uses reduced forms such as I’ll, I’ve, I’d
• the speaker uses informal language or slang
• the speaker talks very fast or pauses a lot
• different people have different ways of speaking based on age, where they are from, social class, etc.
• they make references to their culture, puns (playing with words), jokes and omit facts that are only known by those who are talking
• you are not familiar with the subject matter

You will feel more comfortable with materials which are appropriate for the level you are in as the language has been graded accordingly.

It is also important to listen to recordings that are above your own level where you will only understand part of what is said, in order to make it more challenging.

Videos and other authentic materials expose you to everyday language that will be useful while you continue to learn English.

How to deal with oral comprehension

• Intensively – by understanding sounds and words
• Selectively – by identifying facts and information
• Extensively – by having an overall comprehension of what is said

Comprehension strategies

• Try to have a general idea of what is said
• Listen for key words and clues that help understanding
• Associate new information with what you already know
• Infer the meaning of what is being said

Tips for understanding

• Try to feel relaxed and calm when listening.
• Try not to get distracted by talking or doing something else while you are listening.

Before listening

• Try to guess the context of what you will hear based on the title, illustrations, photos or synopsis. Visualize the situation and anticipate the content.

While you are listening

• First listen to the passage extensively, that is, focusing on an overall understanding of what is said, trying to get a general idea of what you hear and not trying to understand every word. Try to get a general idea of what is happening, for example, how many people are talking, what the tone of the conversation is (happy, tense, depressing, etc.).
• To make understanding easier, when you listen for the second time, give yourself a task or ask yourself a question to answer while you listen, then check to see if what you predicted was correct. It is not necessary to understand everything. Try to “guess” what you didn’t understand based on what you did understand. It is always better to understand the general idea before you try to get the details.
• Listen to the recording as many times as you think necessary.

Remember

While working by yourself, you can listen to the recording as many times as you wish. The more you listen to it the more you will understand.

After listening to the recording

• Check that what you predicted about the situation was correct.
• Summarize the ideas in your own words.
• Make a list of new vocabulary, but be selective; try to write down only those words and expressions you think will be useful in the future or ones that you have a personal interest in.
• Read the written script of the recording if it is available and check your understanding.
• Read the text while you listen to it again, trying to read at the same speed as the recording and pay attention to the pronunciation of new words.

Congratulations! You have just done an excellent exercise. If you like these
suggestions, go to www.cellep.com “Dicas” and print out your copy!

Bibliography

Underwood, M. 1989. Teaching Listening. Longman
Ur, P. 1996. Teaching Listening Comprehension. CUP
Field, J. 2002. “The Changing Face of Listening”. English Teaching Professional.
Jolden, B. 2002 “Listen and Learn”. English Teaching Professional, Issue 23