Listening for the Main Point

3. Once you understand the main point, all the details will fall
into place, but without the main point, nothing really makes
sense. In this lesson, you'll get some tips on how to stay
focused on the main point.

8. Listening for these word chains is a great way to identify the
overall topic of a passage, or what the whole passage is
about.
If you've really identified the topic, you should be able to find
related words scattered all throughout the passage, not just
in one section or another.
Once you've identified the topic, you can ask yourself: 'what
is the speaker saying about the topic?’ This is the main point.

9. Word chains are helpful, but they aren't
the only way to listen for the main point
of a conversation or another piece of
spoken English. Here are three more
tips:

12. Often, the main point will be repeated
more than once, spoken more loudly or
slowly, or otherwise emphasized.

13. Watch out for word
chains - just like
you learned in the
previous section.
But, when you start
asking what the
speaker has to say
about this topic,
remember to
distinguish
carefully between
the two speakers.

14. In this lesson, you got some tips on listening for the main point of a passage.
Listen for chains of similar or related words that the speaker or speakers
repeat throughout the conversation - this will likely guide you towards the
topic. Then, ask yourself what the speaker is saying about this topic, and
you'll have the main point.
Remember that if you're listening to a conversation between two people, each
speaker probably has a different main point, even if they're discussing the
same topic.
Pay attention to the beginnings and endings of conversation, and be on the
alert for words or phrases that mark a summary or a recap.
And, finally, listen for anything spoken more loudly or slowly: these are often
cues that the speaker is making an important main point.